What did you do today?

[DodgeRover]

I hope you will be popping up later to get all the salvage timber?

[fried onions]

Deforestation! Was it a plantation? Still quite an upsetting shock when all the trees are gone.

[Drum]

It's a commercial plantation so was always going to get chopped and replanted.
It always leaves a horrible scar on the landscape when they clear fell. It's even worse if they are not replanting because they leave a right mess of impenetrable hag (stripped branches).

I would much prefer it if they didn't plant them so densely or at least thinned the plantations, but the money is in working these machines to the max. Acres cleared per day.

[fried onions]

Aye, I passed thickets of these evergreens when I used to visit Tywn regularly, then the next trip there was nothing left but churned up soil. Quite a shock.

[mercrocker]

Happens a lot down here.....Much of New Forest is ancient protected woodland but there are commercial forestations surrounding them and these are routinely planted and harvested like any other crop. Suppose I'm used to the 8 year cycle by now but it must have a big impact on wildlife - I consider every tree to be a high-rise city of insects and dependent species but I guess they just all bugger off somewhere else (if there is one).

[AMCrebel]

Got Disco back from the garage - turned out to be a front wheel bearing not the front diff which was good news.

Had the EGR valves blanked as well as they are sticking again and it’s £500+ to replace them (again).

[Arthur Foxhake]

Took delivery of Bournites old Granvia yesterday at around half four. Wuvvum dropped it off and I ran him back to Norfolk, turned around and drove home. Got in around 10:40 PM, had a beer and went to sleep.
The good news is, Dave (Wuvvum) said the gearbox behaved perfectly all the way down and the torque converter had been locking as it should. It has been playing up the whole time he had it but, it seems a fluid change and prodding has sorted it. I drove it this morning and it was changing on time and perfectly smooth.
Which leaves me a dilemma. If the gearbox was still broken, I'd have broken it up no problems. Now it works, I'm not so sure I should.
Haven't inspected the rust yet so, that'll make my mind up, if it's too much or too fiddly, it'll be stripped, if it's easy, I may well keep it and fuck the Audi estate off.

[paulplom]

Aye, those Belgian's can supply tyres including postage for cheaper than anyone over here for some reason. As SiC says though, that will probably change after the acrimonious divorce settlement.

What I saved on the tyres I lost on the fitting though. My usual tyre man has sold up due to ill health and the new owner stung me for £18 a tyre to change . Wish I had asked how much first.

I went to some Eastern Europeans thinking they'd be cheap to swap my four van tyres over. £70! Must be the going rate now. I used to pay a fiver a tyre at my old place although always tipped well.
At least they removed the weights from the rim and put sticky ones on the inside of the alloys.

[Hooli]

£10 a wheel where I normally go.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Granvia dilemma solved. Gearbox playing up again today, it's a breaker.
That's what I bought it for, so, no worries.