Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Storm Arwen aftermath

Indeed Gordon .... in reality the ridge isn't a major job (and I have plans to make it more resistant to lift for the next big blow) .... the tree loss is more upsetting as they were about 30 years old and 70 ft tall .... and in spite of being a plantation of spruce was wonderful to walk and ride my horse through ... I was never considering cropping them for the return ... viewing them as something to enjoy in my lifetime .... if they're cleared then I will replant with mixed natural species ... I'll not live to see them grow big, but that's always been the same when planting native hardwoods ... though to put things in perspective I now only have 148,000 others to enjoy 🙂

Pals from over the moss dropped by today ... they also still have no date set for the return of their power .... sheer number of damaged lines makes it a mammoth task for the line engineers ... but they're coping fine (tho I reckon they may revisit their decision to go 'modern' and retrofit a woodburner somewhere in the house ... they certainly seemed to enjoy sitting by ours for an hour today!! 🙂)

Hope you get sorted out soon

K

Stay safe Keith, when tackling either job. Sounds like you could keep a large excavator & grapple saw busy for a week or two!

Keith, hope you get the ridge sorted without too much pain

You are perhaps aware anyway, but there is a considerable shortage of home grown & imported softwood construction timber nationally, from which you could maybe recover some ££, I have a few contacts in the timber & sheet bulk supply chain who manage this stuff if it is of help

Jeez, I had not quite realised the amount of the damage incurred. Gordons before and after pics are indeed shocking, more so to contemplate what it must have been like to be in the area with it all going on around you..!!! We had a bit of a storm, and did without power for three hours or so.

Saw pics on the news last night of an old folks home that had been without power for days...!!!

While we live on an exposed site on the side of the valley but a field away from the outer edge of suburbia, we are used to power cuts on occasion. Seeing images of roof damage causes me to feel most fortunate that we on the West side of the country had none of that. Last year around this time I spent months up on the roof removing moss from every single tile. The last big storm we suffered a few years back we had two trees blocking the road, one an old oak that stood guard at the start of the single track road into our enclave, and the other a large pine that we had to cut into man sized sections to clear the road. Just looking at the pics posted here, I can only begin to imagine the mammoth task involved in clearing up and the repairs required.

On the upside I think events like that can also bring out the very best in folk, and may cause a degree of re-set in community spirit, much required since so many over the years seem to have retreated into a silo lifestyle in this digital age... Hmm..?

There are definitely pleasanter jobs to do in the rain with the temperature in low single figures!! .... that's the ridge back secure on the workshop .... house next (morgan and cat live in here... one has to prioritise!! 🙂




Cooperman ... having never viewed it as a cash crop I will need to do some sums as regards the clear-up .... I'm presuming that even with modern machinery that can handle a tree like a lolly-stick, it will still be less profitable dealing with blow-downs than nicely spaced standing trees .... one good thing is there's no hurry .... as most went over complete with their root ball full of earth they won't even know they're dead for a couple of years, let alone start to rot.


K

Yep, sitting on a ridge is a right bugger for the Chalfonts

Best of luck getting it sorted Keith.

Great photo Keith.
Hope the house goes as well as the workshop/garage

Deary me Keith, is there nothing you won’t try?
If there’s anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask, but most importantly, be careful!

No safety device? Be carefull!

bmgermany ... Safety is always foremost in my mind .... wearing my orange overall with the reflective bits to avoid being struck by low-flying aircraft!! 🙂

K