getthegat

We service, repair and modify VW campers and they have gone through the roof. Anything under 15 - 20 K will want work (these are the 1970 - 1980s models) they are slow and thirsty. The 50s and 60s models make 20, 30, 40, 50 grand regularly and it's not difficult to get above those numbers. We had one in recently that the guy had done 130K on it, not with us unfortunately. So much as I love them and they can totally change your life, unless you win the lottery, stay clear of the VW market. Sorry but I have no knowledge of any other makes, but lack of use is often an issue, parts start seizing up and corrosion creeps in. Fiat's I would imagine are like any Fiat, thin tin and cheaply put together. American stuff may be better, but as mentioned before, size could create problems. If you shop around and take someone who knows what they are looking at, you may get an 80s or 90s VW type 25 for your budget, but this time of year is the wrong time to buy. If you're anywhere near Southend and find something, I may be able to take a look for you. Best of luck.

Got birds appearing above one or two fields on the power lines, but none dropping in yet. Fingers crossed it won't be long. Nothing anywhere here in my part of Essex. I've got maze, wheat, grass fields and linseed this year.

Cool. That's really good of you. Looks very do-able. It's an oldy that I have, use to be my Uncles, then dad's, both now sadly gone. Dad worked many years in the forestry commission and I loved going to work with him. Great days. Thanks again.

Nice report all the same, and miles better than my morning, missed one pigeon, got one gull, saw 2 foxes, a hare,6 Mallard and 3 rabbits. Met the farm manager who said he will let me know when the next grass fields are being cut.

I managed to damage my chain and bar recently, got it stuck and bent the bar. The chain was just about shot anyway. How hard a job to change these parts is it? Can I buy online, or should I possibly pay a little more and go to a parts sales establishment? Any advice much appreciated.

Yep, as expected, a total flop. Other than the joy of seeing 2 foxes, hearing a couple of cookoos, seeing a hare and a couple of rabits, no birds came to play. Now very trashed and needing a catch up sleep. Hey ho, corn will soon be ripening.

Definitely a case of best laid plans. The field I was watching all week produced nothing, so I went on the hunt for a reasonable second option. Found a field with a bit of action yesterday and a cut silage field next door. Decided on an early start but girlfriends son made it even earlier by coming home with a mate at 2.30, drunk, the dog barked and woke us all, then they stayed talking (loudly) for another half hour. The missus couldn't go back to sleep, so I had a Kindle light in my face, I eventually got off, only to wake at 4.10. Decided I might as well get out, so here we are with a dead field, mossies, a hide that I made from a fishing umbrella, partially broken, my eyes blurry and a knackered body. Christ I hope it picks up or I might have to go to work. Signed; Fed up of Essex

No idea, but it looks quite alien or at least foreign. Maybe the seed you bought is produced somewhere other than the UK, IE China, pretty much everything else comes from there.

Any idea if these products and methods will remove oil stains?

One of the wheat fields beside our workshop has tractor tracks from the spraying and yesterday a few birds were dropping in. Way too early I reckon, the corn is not even milky yet. Who knows what they were thinking, but these areas could be fruitful in a week or three.

I know very little of army, navy or air force life, other than what I've seen on TV, learnt at school and the small amount relatives talked about, and yet I feel something very deep, emotional and somehow connected, whenever I am presented with memories of the two big wars. What those people did for their country, to protect their families and future generations, was astonishing. We now call it bravery, they called it doing their duty, doing no more than they were asked to do and no more than the next man. Modern day soldiers are no less brave, but boy is the world a very different place now. Not having your enemy wearing a uniform, not even knowing if the enemy's are men or women or children, how can a person cope with that. I love my guns and my shooting, but only as pest control, shooting human beings, suicide bombers, road side bombs, terrorism on an unprecedented scale.......Glad it's not me. Very grateful and thankful to all the brave soles, past and present.

Think you may be right, I've been hoping for a bit of a build up of birds, but so far it a big fat no. So I'll be scouting elsewhere in the next few days to see if anywhere else can offer better chances. I saw my first couple of birds landing in some very unripe wheat this afternoon, it's not even at the milky stage yet. Maybe I'm just wishing for a good few hours and realty will prove different.

I bought an umbrella fishing hide like Dannyboy is showing, but chopped most of the material off as it was too shiny and attached one of my nets to it. It's easy and light to carry, pops up in seconds and standing behind it against a hedge or tree, with some added local foliage, seems to work. It gives plenty of space for the dog to sit and any other parafinalia one might have, that can sometimes get under foot. I guess nothing is perfect all the time and as a hide shooter, it's in our DNA to be always inventing stuff. Weight is a constant issue with our kit, not all of us can drive on our perms, so ever tip has its merits.

Thanks. I'm a great one for getting there early. I don't get many days of shooting, so when I do, I tend to stretch the day to as many hours as possible. 148 in 90 minutes! Wow! I wish.

So ages back, a nice size field near me and one of my perms, was ploughed. Hoping for at least some crows, nothing went near it. Then it was cultivated and seeded, so surely some birds would be interested, but no not a one. Then the crop, maze, started shouting.....still no interest. The plants are looking very healthy now at about 2 - 4 inches high and on Friday there was about a dozen woodies and a couple of crows, happily munching the tops off the plants, so I'll be keeping a close eye all this week, with the hope that by my next day off, Saturday, with any luck there will be a worthwhile number of birds on it. Also the two hay fields either side may be cut by then. So if all the stars align and my luck is in, a day of pigeon and corvids could be on the cards at last. Desperate to try out my newly acquired Dippas as well.Of course the birds may have other ideas 😁