A day of paperwork, invoices and telephone calls chasing suppliers.
Oh, and I have sold the Defender.
Bit of luck really, was in the LR dealers yesterday sorting out some extra bits for the Discovery when it arrives and mentioned that I would probably sell the Defender privately. This morning I received a call from them to say they would like to buy it from me as they have a customer waiting and they would therefore offer me decent money, which they did, deal done. Looks as though I shall have to get one of the spare vehicles out of the shed for a few weeks. My little old car should suffice for now.
Mind you, if we get any snow, I can always smoke around in the Scammell.
I've got another day's shooting tomorrow which will be more of a grin than a shoot. I think I'll take the snarly Noodle along so he can get very tired and very angry with everything.
It's the gift that keeps on giving.
I should really go and get everything ready for next week when the diggers start rolling onto a site where we are installing a sluice and water control point but I'm sure it can wait another day.
Someone said to me yesterday "It's all very well earning this money but what are you going to do with it once you've got it ?"
What a stupid question.
I looked at him and said "Spend it all on crystal-meth and hookers"
I think he genuinely thought I meant it...
The search for a horse continues. I have seen a couple but people do tend to value them so highly.
"It's won £37 at affiliated show jumping, thats why we want nine grand for him" - Great but as soon as it hurts itself it's worth £200 for meat to feed the dawgs.
I might take a few days off this month and travel about a bit looking at a selection of nags.
I know what will happen in the end and I know what I will end up doing but time will tell....
Right, I have a woodburner to stoke up and some port to drink.
Be Lucky.
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Monday 30 January 2012
Snarly dawg
The weather is meant to become colder this week and apparently there is an increased risk of snow.
The TV and newspapers are going mad with tales of impending doom and 'arctic freeze' stories.
It's winter for heavens sake - what did you expect ?
I am due to go and have a look at a Case Magnum 310 this week. It's a bigger lump of a thing than I was initially looking to buy but I'm coming to the conclusion that I'd rather have the grunt and power at the end of the day. I could look at the smaller Magnums but you then need the horses to get the gretol chunk of iron moving in the first place ! This end of the market does tend to rule out the Fastrac as I am not over keen on the 8000 series but it does bring the 8r Deeres into the equation but you seem to get a lot more machine for your money with the Case.
Well, that's the theory...
I'm currently on the lookout for decent self employed staff. There are loads of guys out there who are willing to work but a much smaller number who have a degree of common sense and the ability to think for themselves. I suppose I have always been fortunate in having some of the best guys around and this does tend to highlight those who have less drive and the inability to sort out the simplest of problems.
I think it's worth waiting to find the right people rather than just accept those who are 'nearly good enough'. You would have thought that a recession would give you quite a broad field of talents from which to pick.
Apparently not.
The weekend was a good laugh and I managed to bag a few partridges and down the odd glass of port, cherry brandy, sloe gin...
I took the dawg along and he had a real blast but as the day wore on and he became more tired and started to ache, he became more and more angry. He started becoming angry with partridges, trees, gate posts, squirrels, rooks, nettles, brambles, old people, young people, Labradors, Spaniels, empty cartridges, twigs, Mitsubishi's, fence posts and dead pheasants.
I seem to remember a comment regarding him being fairly snarly and that they wondered where he could have got that from...
Later that evening I drew along to a wedding reception, had a sausage roll and a grin with some friends, insulted a few guests, farted and went home.
The dawg was still fairly snarly when I got back...
The TV and newspapers are going mad with tales of impending doom and 'arctic freeze' stories.
It's winter for heavens sake - what did you expect ?
I am due to go and have a look at a Case Magnum 310 this week. It's a bigger lump of a thing than I was initially looking to buy but I'm coming to the conclusion that I'd rather have the grunt and power at the end of the day. I could look at the smaller Magnums but you then need the horses to get the gretol chunk of iron moving in the first place ! This end of the market does tend to rule out the Fastrac as I am not over keen on the 8000 series but it does bring the 8r Deeres into the equation but you seem to get a lot more machine for your money with the Case.
Well, that's the theory...
I'm currently on the lookout for decent self employed staff. There are loads of guys out there who are willing to work but a much smaller number who have a degree of common sense and the ability to think for themselves. I suppose I have always been fortunate in having some of the best guys around and this does tend to highlight those who have less drive and the inability to sort out the simplest of problems.
I think it's worth waiting to find the right people rather than just accept those who are 'nearly good enough'. You would have thought that a recession would give you quite a broad field of talents from which to pick.
Apparently not.
The weekend was a good laugh and I managed to bag a few partridges and down the odd glass of port, cherry brandy, sloe gin...
I took the dawg along and he had a real blast but as the day wore on and he became more tired and started to ache, he became more and more angry. He started becoming angry with partridges, trees, gate posts, squirrels, rooks, nettles, brambles, old people, young people, Labradors, Spaniels, empty cartridges, twigs, Mitsubishi's, fence posts and dead pheasants.
I seem to remember a comment regarding him being fairly snarly and that they wondered where he could have got that from...
Later that evening I drew along to a wedding reception, had a sausage roll and a grin with some friends, insulted a few guests, farted and went home.
The dawg was still fairly snarly when I got back...
Friday 27 January 2012
All change
Went and picked the Fastrac up today. Definitely better now and the clutch is much lighter.
I was expecting to sell it this spring as it hasn't done a great deal in the last few months and I have no time for men or machines that stand idle. However, with work growing quicker than ever, I reckon I will now keep it up this end of the country and may look at getting an additional 71 or 72 series Magnum once I know what I am buying for the job down south. Having spoken to a couple of people now, it seems that warranty deals and service back-up are going to be a big deciding factor when purchasing the new machine.
As I'm sat here writing this, I am having a gretol' Mud Out and could see that it was growing very dark outside. Once I had slipped the knotter I went and had a look and hellif it int harf snowing !
It won't come to much but I can do without a lot of that.
It looks as though I am out tomorrow for a days shooting which should be a bit of a grin. End of season thrash about, bit of grub and a few drinks. I have also received an invitation to ride out with the hounds next week with one of the old hunts that I used to mess around with down south. It would seem that news spreads fast that I have been out and about this season in the Midlands ! How do people find this stuff out ?!!
I have to admit to be thinking very seriously about getting myself another horse as this past few months has shown me that I really do miss it and I should never have given it up in the first place.
Still, everything for a reason.
If this weather improves, I might try and get a few more hours flying in. Having said that, with the weather so cold, the last thing I want to do is go flying with the risk of icing up. Still, on some of these clear, bright and crisp mornings, there is no better place to be than several thousand feet up, stooging around and seeing who's got wide joins and misses in their winter barley....
Oh, and if any of you get a chance, check out the March 2012 edition of Classic Tractor (available now) and look at the winning entry of the photo competition. Its a cracking shot, different from the normal stuff and taken by someone we all know...
Well done David.
I was expecting to sell it this spring as it hasn't done a great deal in the last few months and I have no time for men or machines that stand idle. However, with work growing quicker than ever, I reckon I will now keep it up this end of the country and may look at getting an additional 71 or 72 series Magnum once I know what I am buying for the job down south. Having spoken to a couple of people now, it seems that warranty deals and service back-up are going to be a big deciding factor when purchasing the new machine.
As I'm sat here writing this, I am having a gretol' Mud Out and could see that it was growing very dark outside. Once I had slipped the knotter I went and had a look and hellif it int harf snowing !
It won't come to much but I can do without a lot of that.
It looks as though I am out tomorrow for a days shooting which should be a bit of a grin. End of season thrash about, bit of grub and a few drinks. I have also received an invitation to ride out with the hounds next week with one of the old hunts that I used to mess around with down south. It would seem that news spreads fast that I have been out and about this season in the Midlands ! How do people find this stuff out ?!!
I have to admit to be thinking very seriously about getting myself another horse as this past few months has shown me that I really do miss it and I should never have given it up in the first place.
Still, everything for a reason.
If this weather improves, I might try and get a few more hours flying in. Having said that, with the weather so cold, the last thing I want to do is go flying with the risk of icing up. Still, on some of these clear, bright and crisp mornings, there is no better place to be than several thousand feet up, stooging around and seeing who's got wide joins and misses in their winter barley....
Oh, and if any of you get a chance, check out the March 2012 edition of Classic Tractor (available now) and look at the winning entry of the photo competition. Its a cracking shot, different from the normal stuff and taken by someone we all know...
Well done David.
Thursday 26 January 2012
Long may it continue
Well here we are.
Some of you have wanted to keep in touch and find out what I am up to and I thought this would be the best way of doing so.
This is the day to day stuff that I do and get up to. There are those who will notice that it is often not that dissimilar to the trials and adventures of a certain person up at the hall. There are many that wonder who is in fact who in reality....
This year has got off to a flying start as far as work is concerned. I have never known a January like it and especially during times of economic difficulties (I believe that is the official term for a country on its arse) So far I have work ahead of me that takes me well into July, that's without the summer/autumn tractor work already booked in. Yesterday I was at a site which I first looked at back in August 2010. The project was then shelved when the government cuts came along but now it is full steam ahead again ! This is the second such project I have regained in the last 2 months.
My search for a new/ex-hire tractor is now starting in earnest. Word obviously gets around as I have have been contacted by two of my old dealers from back in the day, one of who I went down to see last weekend. I think I have narrowed it down to three manufacturers now, those being Case, JCB and John Deere. I looked at a low houred Case on Saturday, direct on the farm. Nice machine, fair spec but maybe not quite the horses I need/want. I still might have a snout at a Magnum.
My Fastrac is finally done ! Two F*cking months to the day it went in !!! I honestly ended up going in to the dealers myself, supplying the correct part and then explaining how to fit the f*cking thing !
Apparently the service manager is 'no longer with them'......
The civil engineering and construction side of things seems to be on the up. Enquiries are soaring and we have two jobs coming up in February.
Yes, February... where has January gone ?!!
The lads have been building a timber boat shed last week and it really is a nice bit of work. All hand cut and constructed from scratch. I'll get a couple of photo's and post them on here in the next week.
Right, that's me for the moment.
Some of you have wanted to keep in touch and find out what I am up to and I thought this would be the best way of doing so.
This is the day to day stuff that I do and get up to. There are those who will notice that it is often not that dissimilar to the trials and adventures of a certain person up at the hall. There are many that wonder who is in fact who in reality....
This year has got off to a flying start as far as work is concerned. I have never known a January like it and especially during times of economic difficulties (I believe that is the official term for a country on its arse) So far I have work ahead of me that takes me well into July, that's without the summer/autumn tractor work already booked in. Yesterday I was at a site which I first looked at back in August 2010. The project was then shelved when the government cuts came along but now it is full steam ahead again ! This is the second such project I have regained in the last 2 months.
My search for a new/ex-hire tractor is now starting in earnest. Word obviously gets around as I have have been contacted by two of my old dealers from back in the day, one of who I went down to see last weekend. I think I have narrowed it down to three manufacturers now, those being Case, JCB and John Deere. I looked at a low houred Case on Saturday, direct on the farm. Nice machine, fair spec but maybe not quite the horses I need/want. I still might have a snout at a Magnum.
My Fastrac is finally done ! Two F*cking months to the day it went in !!! I honestly ended up going in to the dealers myself, supplying the correct part and then explaining how to fit the f*cking thing !
Apparently the service manager is 'no longer with them'......
The civil engineering and construction side of things seems to be on the up. Enquiries are soaring and we have two jobs coming up in February.
Yes, February... where has January gone ?!!
The lads have been building a timber boat shed last week and it really is a nice bit of work. All hand cut and constructed from scratch. I'll get a couple of photo's and post them on here in the next week.
Right, that's me for the moment.
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