NatureBoy

Don't you start OF!😉 Everyone's been telling me that! I ant that bad a cook! NB

I'll be actively looking for a new girlfriend the other side of this, without to much baggage that can put up with/share my strange rural ways! Recently single (again) and being home alone for the foreseeable future no fun.😉. . . . Plus side is, i haven't got no one else to worry about or provide for! Cooking for one is carp tho and the bed is to big and cold. NB

I was in a hide shooting pigeons last Sunday and got sun burnt! Cold wind chill today. Lost folk walking everywhere. . . . Is it just me or dose the air seem to smell different/fresher at mo? Bit like sea air. NB

The 20 odd 2nd homes and holiday lets i look look after are now mainly fully occupied by the owners there families and friends. They were noticeably pouring in to Suffolk last weekend. Cars so full of clothes bedding and food you couldn't see in them. Was like peak holiday season. Be interesting to see if there's a spike in cases in the popular towns like Southwold Aldebrough and Framlingham etc. Last Sunday was particularity crazy! I love me bikes but there were folk out for the first time, roaring around everywhere with spring fever! More than one accident involving a biker. Today tho main road through village eerily quiet. Snow and hale at times and bitter cold Northerly. NB

Ahh! The old black economy line! Ant heard that onr for a while! No! no one has to say it! I can only speak for the building trades, but the big boys and gov have used that stick to beat us for years every time there's a dip in the economy or they want to squeeze us! They tried it with the CIS scheme. High threshold! Loads of skilled lads packed in because building company's and contractors ripped them off over deductions!. . . Look at wrong doing higher up the line before you keep having a go at us!. . . . I was up against a big utility company a while back doing local authority work and couldn't work out why they aggressively wanted to squeeze me out so i looked them up. Turned out there company is registered in the Netherlands. Has multi million pound turn over yet paid less tax in this country than i did! That's whats wrong! I flagged it up to local council and in press. I/we could do the contracts for a 1/3 of what they were charging and still make good money! Yet i was out and they ended up with/still have all contracts. Top heavy/share holder company's doing dodgy deals at the top with benefits (back handers) using/wasting/taking tax payers money! There's always been a few "Loads of Money" Self employed gobby chancers in the trades. They don't last long! But it's that image you and others tarnish the rest of us with! Many be People/ Gov who wana have a go/get rid the self employed also need to remember the Gov/Ministers expenses scandle? Elected MPs grabbing what tax payers money they can on expenses. . . .John Gummer ( Lord Deben) is a interesting local example of that. Remember him claiming for a tennis courts constructed at his country home ect? Or better still. Him claiming hundreds to have a jackdaws nest removed from his chimney and a duck house built on his pond. Big con! False invoices. Know his gardener who did it and he still get loads of stick about it.😉 Gummer has cottage in his grounds full of casual east European workers he use. Crime rate often goes up locally when they go back home/change. Also have a look at his and his family's environmental company's before judging the self employed. There returns and cosy environmental and "advisory" contracts with the government. Would you say the same about the ol boi doing a bit of gardening for cash to top up his pension! Or ol gal/single mum doing a bit of cleaning and ironing to get by? Are they "the black economy" As you see it? And! You still haven't told us what you do? Any How folks! Most of your local tradesmen/self employed will help you if they can at this time! . . But remember! They will really need your support on the other side of this! I will take on/help as many as i can if i can get the work and play catch up. Have chatted to many this week who are really gona struggle! Another rant over. NB

Maybe anti's do it? They are still on about burning on there web sites etc, Even using some older pics and claiming they recent fires. They gota keep getting attention to try and keep the bucks coming in! NB

Not very good at that kinda thing Old'un. Do a Youtube search. Some great stuff on both. NB

Some interesting banter/ clips on TGS youtube channel on CV19 and the coming season. Harry's Farm interesting regarding crops and rape this year also. NB

Hope so! Tho i not very good at tec stuff! Worst come to the worst i'll try and sell me bikes. They my investments! Anyone wana buy some cheap Harley's!😉 NB

Care to expand on what/why you think what i have said is bull? Would you like to share with us what you do for a living/where you work? Why you so down on the self employed? . . . . And for what it's worth. A bunch of us you dislike set up a CV19 help network last week to help local folk for free. Sorted up running working and publicised in 3 days. Using our many contacts/suppliers and just because we can. It's what community is about at this time. NB

Jobs been pulled Mice. Others are second homes and holiday lets. Some goy there kids at home, folk older or are isolating! Had lean times before i'll tough it out. Be ok for next few months. Have done estimates this week for a Norman church, school, boat, large mural and a beach hut. That's why i like the diversity of what i do and the flexibility of being self employed to be able to do such jobs. And so many people say decorating is boring! 😉 If i get half them jobs and can get back to work in next three months i'll be OK. Not religious but i love working on old churches. Church Dioceses slow payers tho. 60 days from invoice! But hey. That's the joys of being self employed! Some local authorities etc are 90 days. Not many realise that. NB

Gona get worse before it's get better! Wait till the body count gets much higher over the next few days! More will take it seriously! It will put any petty squabbling on here into perspective! It's out there most gona get it! That's Nature! Just got to do what we can to help the NHS deal with it! More testing needed Boris! NB

Yep, Same here Skully!? I been self employed qualified tradesman since i was 21. Nearly 35 years. Always played and paid fair! Always knew and accepted and kinda enjoyed the risks and uncertainty of having/finding work! No paid holidays sick pay or when weather was bad. Enjoy the flexibility, managing my own time and doing different jobs. No longer do site work because of restrictions, bad payers and no money in it now. Building trade has always been hard! . . . I ask how we stand because now suddenly they have asked/stopped us working and no income for the foreseeable future! it is certainly going to be different! These are my big earning months. Had tough times before! Haven't asked for and never expect any hand outs! If they do clobber us after this i do know that a lot of good tradesmen who ride this out will give up. I have found it hard to get good trades people as it was when i needed help. A lot of people think we have it easy! The big boys have always wanted rid of us! This is there chance to squeeze us out if Gov take notice of them! . . . Just more control over those who dare to be individual and try to better themselves! NB

Yeah! Notice Packham done self isolating with his step daughter and needed to keep his public profile! He was on the BBC1 show tonight talking about CV19 and critters at a Somerset animal rescue centre. NB

Good to see they got another local Award winning Suffolk Keeper featured in keeper of the month this week. Doing great work for english partridges and conservation in general. Also using local Suffolk examples in the article about fox dumping. £1,000.00 reward for any evidence on that. Look out for a new feature they maybe running on the Flea Barn project local to me. More good conservation stuff and another piece in the puzzle of local farms that are doing real conservation work to help turtle doves and english partridges. . . . . Boffin on Radio 4 other week reckoned there were only 90 english left in the county. Makes you wonder where they get there misinformation from! Can hear at least 2 calling at back of mine. NB

I would feel better off in a field! Or working in isolation. Four folk been round my door i wouldn't normally see and because they know/seen i am home. First. Neighbour. " As i am stuck at home do you mind if i cut branch off your tree overhanging my garden and remove ivy from fence"? Me. " Up to you but birds are nesting in both". He shrugs and says " I need something to do". Neither have never been a problem for years and first time i have seen him in weeks. As he walks away, " Oh by the way how are you"? Nice! Second. Fella from down the road. Just checking i wouldn't be putting any washing out as he was going to light a bonfire. Great! Third. East European DPD driver doing the i have little English routine, trying to leave a package that's not even for me. Strange! Fourth! Random woman new to village. Seen my van and wondering if i had any spare paint as she wanted to decorate her bathroom. Really! I wonder who or what will turn up this afternoon!? Gurrrrr! Rant over! I am gona hide in a shed and prep some pigeons!

It was said tongue firmly in cheek fella but i could not find right emoji! I just hope it make others realise! It's out there! We'l get it! Let's try and help NHS and others cope with it! NB

Well Said! NB

Wish i had cam on my larsen trap that disappeared other day. Brought all my traps home this morning. Lot of folk wandering where they shouldn't be at mo. Farm opposite me got done 2 nights running other week. 5 others done locally. Everyone a bit twitchy and suspicious at mo! Farmer has put gates up. Bit late now. Lent another my cams. NB

NO! But maybe him having it will make others realise it can touch everyone! NB

Well said O F. Lets just get thro this and do what we can! NB

Charlie is one of us!😉 Hunting, Shooting,Fishing. Supporter of the countryside! Just said on news he became contagious the day after seeing the Queen on 12th March and had several meetings after that. I hope he washed his hands! NB

Rooks, jackdaws and crows all need control at times! Folk are kidding themselves if they think rooks and jackdaws don't predate nests or spread disease/contaminate live stock food stuff! Especially in the dry springs we have had lately! Next few weeks would have been the most effective time to do that targeted control. Including shooting branchers. Have you ever tasted them? They are the best eating! And only time many eat rook. 4 and 20 black birds baked in a pie and all that? Yum! It was/is a much look forward to Spring Favorited in Suffolk. Easy way and time to control them. They will never be endangered. They and pigeons are far to clever and adaptable for that. I like watching there antics. Have a rookery over the road from mine (literally! It's safe) that's been there for many years and part of Spring, and usually has about the same number of nests. Buzzards have been having a go at them in recent years. . . . . . . That's what Wild Justice and other don't seem to get! What we do is pest CONTROL! I wish they weren't so noisy tho! They the first to see and start calling at first light from there lofty vantage point.The worst of the dawn chorus. NB

Wise words MM! I would like to be out as drilling everywhere at mo. Not worth it! Do our bit and stay safe. I was out decoying locally Sunday well out in the sticks and had a good day. But there were a lot of extra people roaming about both on and off the foot paths. And they were just the ones i could see. Some pushing past my truck to get on track (not footpath "lost") and this was with me shooting near by. Strange times and a lot of twitchy folk about in the country. Many with kids. Cops don't need the stress of a call out! Were having enough with rural crime/coursing my way as it was. Think there are only 4 on shift on a good day. Glad i live in countryside and have big ol ex council house garden, garage workshop and sheds to keep me busy. Can walk on to 3 perms from my house but don't seem right to be wandering around with a gun how some folk are at the mo. Seeing more folk wandering the fields from first light. One of my larsen traps disappeared the other day. Keep feeding the birds if you can folks! They are still in the hunger gap! Just seen a kite fly over the back of mine. NB

Breaking news just now! NB