Storm Arwen

Anyone else been battered by this over the weekend? BBC were reporting nearly 100mph gusts and I think we got the brunt of it (which is pretty unusual for the NE coast to get hammered by a northerly storm)

I’m still in darkness this evening while huddling around a log burner and candles after the power going off at tea time yesterday. Been around the garden today and can see carnage on a lot of smaller trees and unfortunately a great big elm tree has split and looks like it will need someone proper to do whatever it is you do with chainsaws and ropes to make it safe. Most of the local roads have been blocked with fallen trees and the local village Facebook group has lots of photos of roofless sheds, chimneyless roofs and upturned caravans. No fun!

Woke up this morning in Buxton Derbyshire to 7" of snow. All roads north, south east and west blocked by fallen trees and jack knifed trucks. Still got power though. Lit both wood burners just in case. Anyone keen to trust snow tyres?

Jim, sounds like you've had it worse than us as we still have power. NE coast of England had also seen some very high winds with damage to; property, trees, fences etc. Roads have been blocked and the sea has turned into resembling a foam party in Ibiza (whatever one of those are)! Oh and it's snowing and lying.
Hope your power is restored soon Jim.
Cheers Ade

Disaster here. Flyball was cancelled.....

Lost a fence panel,soon refitted.

I moved a rockery last week. It didn't move.

I also piled the fallen leaves behind it. There are a few more there today.

I also had Autoglass booked for a replacement 'screen on the Alfa. He turned up and fitted it no problems!

So, what's all the fuss? Been pretty quiet here.....

Soz! Hope you're all back to normal soon!

Guy

Storm Arwen? Pah, a mere apprentice when compared to living with Leah :)

Outside, it looked like we'd had an overnight visit from the Charles Manson Family before they got into the really heavy stuff, when they used to break into places and just move furniture around, to freak people out. Absolutely nothing was where it'd been left (apart from the cars). Biggest problem was a pane blown out of the door to the summer house (yes, very middle class...I'll get there one day, but meanwhile I'm still scum) but amazingly, it'd been blown hard enough that it landed on the sofa. 10 mins work with battens and some panel pins and all was ok again. Lucky.....

Commiserations to all on the Eastern side, where it sounds like you had it worse. Jim, I'm amazed at you saying the leccy was off. I didn't even know you HAD electricity. You live and learn (awaits snarky blue wheel comment) ;)

Day 3 without power. Suppose that’s the payback for being rural. Way back in 2010 when all the snow came I got snowed in for 3 days and my old military spec Landrover couldn’t even make it to the driveway!! Hope the candles last.

Jim, I am feeling a little concerned for you, but as you say, this is one of the benefits for being rural, but you are much closer to the Arbroath smokes than the rest of us. Is it fish for Breakfast, Lunch and tea at the moment? I am also intrigued, how are you keeping your Router going, have you got a wind up radio that you linked to for power.?

Robin

Ah, don’t be too sympathetic. We are coping and are promised power tomorrow (maybe). It’s a little adventure really. We’ve been charging phones when out in the car and wifi hotspots from them has let us huddle around an iPad watching Netflix in the evening. Tomorrow I will get the chainsaw out and get to work on the easy stuff. The electricity company has sent an email saying we can have £20 takeaway on their expense so we are off out to eat Dominos Pizza in the car since nobody delivers out here anyhow. Living the dream :D

Part of our roof blew off on Friday night, fixed today. phew. Loads of money to be made round here by roofers and those with chainsaws...

Day 4 without power. The bloke who promised it would be back on 2 days ago phoned to promise it will be back on tomorrow or Wednesday so I’ll not read too much into that. A couple of weeks ago we had a burst water pipe and went 3 days without water and central heating so the canny Scotsman in me is smiling because the utility bills should be lower this month :D

The power company have given us a £60 to eat out again and offered to cover the cost of a hotel if we want but unfortunately the 2 German Shepherds can’t come along. The first tree surgeon bloke came out to look at my split tree and muttered about it being a big job and around 2 grand. Eeeeek!! I think I’m gonna shop around!!!

That's getting daft now. Think I'd be taking the £60 eat-out offer and hitting somewhere you can get doggy bags!

And 2 grand to sort a tree? Jeez. What is it, a giant redwood or summat? Get him to take off £500's worth and use the wood to keep warm :)

Blimey Jim. Do we have a picture of this tree?
I think I could come from Cheshire to do it for £2k!
I've got a licence and everyfin.....

I’ll upload a pic when I get my laptop working. He did say it would involve men and ropes and chainsaws and a tractor but at that price I’d have a bash at it myself.. what could possibly go wrong. Tree specialist number 2 and 3 booked for tomorrow morning to take a look. If they quote anything similar then I’m off onto eBay to buy a tractor!

Whatever you do please be careful... I still have the occasional nightmare having seen someone almost lose a leg getting things wrong with a chainsaw....

Yeah, losing a leg just before you get your car, meaning it'd have to go back for an automatic conversion - how bad would that be?? Maybe not as much of an issue if it's somebody else's leg, tho.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by john

Blimey Jim. Do we have a picture of this tree?
I think I could come from Cheshire to do it for £2k!
I've got a licence and everyfin.....

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Whoop Whoop... Day 5 in the Big Brother House and we have electrickery!!

Ok John, you're hired!!

Quote 1 came back closer to 3k than 2k then plus Vat.
Quote 2 took a look and said it was too tricky to do safely for him so went away.
Quote 3 has yet to get back but was talking about long reach cherry-pickers and some sort of logging device.

My split Beech Tree looking pretty sorry for itself and being supported across the limbs of the 3 adjacent trees.

https://i.imgur.com/nyIjkCL.jpg

Not a pretty sight

https://i.imgur.com/eGvvj9q.jpg

And how it usually looks down in the far away corner of that bit of garden (in summer) before the storm.

https://i.imgur.com/nrJrmQh.jpg

I can supply free coffee and subsidised Irn Bru while you're working. ;)

Well that's pretty spectacular isn't it?
It's well hung up but I was rather expecting it to be overhanging your house or garage given the quotes you have had!
There will be a fair bit of pent up force in that which will release on cutting through so it will take a bit of thinking about but I can't see where they are getting those quotes from.
Is the land beyond that fence someone else's?

No, it's well away from the house. I've never had any interaction with tree cutting folk so had no experience of prices. Not sure what I was expecting but it was certainly less than it looks like it might cost. I think there is a cost in trying to preserve as much of the other trees as possible and in making sure that there's nothing left on the ground when they've finished hence the chipping and logging cost. The garden land, as opposed to the field, over the fence is more of mine. We call it "India" 'cause it's far away from the house and if we have a picnic over there it's like going far away. Sad but true :D

Jus leave it and see what happens? It doesn't look a threat to anything, and there'll be another gale along soon enough. Then just pick it all up!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChrisCar6

Jus leave it and see what happens? It doesn't look a threat to anything, and there'll be another gale along soon enough. Then just pick it all up!

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Haha.. someone else said that today. Err.. we're not married are we?? :p

Listen to Chris - he who (seems to have) partaken of the Tree of Knowledge! Leave it alone, with that long branch resting at a jaunty angle, and just make sure you never go underneath it. I too imagined it hanging menacingly over your gaff, but no, it looks like it's halfway to Dundee, so nae bother to anyone ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Normb666

.... and just make sure you never go underneath it.

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First World Problems and all that, but it's gonna hamper my serving action at tennis.

Well Jim, ya know....life's a beech.

If chainsaws won't cut it (see what I did there?) then how about a bit of something entertainingly explosive? Activated from a safe distance, seperate the branch from the trunk and it'll all come down. Simples.

Jim dont forget that loads of people are wanting tree work this week due to the storm and that always drives up prices. Yours doesnt look urgent. Put some sticks in the ground with a rope round to indicate danger and Wait until after Christmas and the price will come down. I rekon about £800 would be fair in norm(al) times including logging up and clearing up especially if they can get vehicle and shredder close.

Go big or go home!!

https://i.imgur.com/sjkzzCV.jpg

That's a beast! I've never even lifted one.
Looks like it's on the deck anyway Jim.
Good result.

Are those special chainsaw proof tracky bottoms?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LPH_UK

Are those special chainsaw proof tracky bottoms?

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For Sale:

1 pair of tracky thigh lengthed shorts. Blue with red splodges. Size medium(ish)
1 pair of training shoes. One sized 11, one sized about 3.
1 pair of underpants. Soiled.
1 safety vest. Worn once. Some chain marks bit should stitch together again.

- presumably job done? Any limbs accidentally removed along the way ? (I mean yours not the tree's)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stratos Fear

- presumably job done? Any limbs accidentally removed along the way ? (I mean yours not the tree's)

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Yeah, job mostly done. The tidy-up continues tomorrow but the main bit is done.
The main cost was in trying to preserve as much of the trees as possible so in ended up a bit like Jenga for big boys. In the end it all seemed to work well. I've never seen a chipper like the thing we were using tho. It took in 8inch diameter branches and spat out sawdust. Definitely wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of that. There was also a mini log mover so in the end we shifted almost 7 tons of Beech tree trunk in a couple of hours.

https://i.imgur.com/ohBeZbT.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/jIxRY2p.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CpvcIKD.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KlG5Uos.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cnN4nT4.jpg

In addition to now being skint I'm also knackered!! :)

I bet it wasn't you up on the 'Cherry picker'?

I bet you’re correct!! ;)

7 tons! That's a lot. I hope you've still got the logs!? 7 tons of good firewood has got to be worth over a grand? Equipment like that don't come cheap.