Hi Guys. Another Story. At the ripe old age of 15 I put my age up so I could join the Bush Fire Brigade. Now known locally as the Rural Fire Service. In those days we did things that today would be illegal under the Occupational Health and Safety legislation. In 1958 from memory we had some pretty bad fires in the Blue Mountains which are situated just behind Sydney. I had a Knapsack spray on my back for three days solid. At one stage I had just filled the Knapsack from a half dry creek using my cotton base ball cap as a scoop Just as I returned to the fire line we had a wind come up the valley causing the fire to jump our fire break. Well it was every man for himself as we ran for our lives. I took off and in the smoke tripped over an old log and went face first into the mud in the creek bed only to have someone else land on top of me. Then as I disentangled myself and started to run I dumped the water from the Knapsack so I could run faster. I was about to ditch the Knapsack also but we were so short of equipment two guys came along each side and grabbed an arm each and pulled me along behind them. A couple of minutes later we reached the safety of Blackheath Golf Course and as we looked back the fire brought down a set of 66 kV power lines. Talk about Sh__ and cinders, as the lines hit the ground they made a sound like a rolling artillery barrage and sent clouds of ash and lightening skywards. It was most spectacular and a little frightening especially as we were so close. Things settled down on the Monday and so we had a bit of R&R and did maintenance. We had ageing WWII GMC Blitz wagons for tankers and they were never designed to carry the weight of water we put in the tanks and so they needed a lot of TLC. But they were bloody marvellous, in low range four wheel drive they would go up a vertical wall if gravity did not pull them off. We would go up the highway flat out at about 35 MPH with lights flashing but we never turned the siren on because it was too embarrassing as all the traffic streamed past at a prodigious rate. In retrospect it was just as well they did not go faster as there was no crew cab so we had to stand on something akin to a running board down the side of the tank and hang on to a hand rail. But when you were too buggered to pull a hose off a reel you could sit on top of the tank hosing down the fire as the truck was driven through the bush, Anything that got in the way was just pushed over and rolled flat. On the Tuesday we were called down to a lovely small township called Leura. When we got there the fire had gotten into the township and there were a number of buildings alight. We managed to save a number by going into the roof space and fighting the fire under the roof. The roof timbers were so hot most of us ended up with blisters on our hands and knees where we crawled across the timbers. Today you would not be allowed to do that. After about four hours we were urgently called back to Base at Blackheath as the fire was then threatening our own township. That was a black day in the history of Leura. One in three buildings were lost including the Presbyterian church in the middle of town. On another occasion I was down in the Jamison Valley near the Three Sisters (See following link. http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/thingsToDo/threeSisters.asp ) where there had been a fire which we managed to keep in the valley. Now the valley where we were consisted of Sand stone cliffs around several hundred feet high while the valley floor was a "V" shape which was about 150 feet deep with a creek in the bottom. About half way up one side of the "V" there was a walking trail and we had managed to keep the fire between the trail and the cliff face. I was down there with a Chain Saw mopping up after the fire when I was asked to take down a hollow tree about 2 Ft in diameter and thirty feet tall and which was alight up the middle. A bit like a fire cracker streaming sparks and stuff out the top. I wanted to drop the thing lengthwise with the valley so if it rolled down it would get caught on a rock, stump or tree trunk which would arrest it. But the Fire captain wanted it dropped up hill and he won the argument. So I had a young guy with a knapsack keep a stream of water on the chain bar and blade to keep them cool as I cut through the burning log and I got stuck into it. Well I dropped the thing exactly where he wanted it but as it bounced it took off lengthwise across the walking trail and down the valley where it had not been burnt, just like a run away freight train trailing behind it a stream of flames and sparks. In some ways you could say, it was a bit like a wingless FA18 with the afterburners going full blast. Well all hell broke loose the two way radios went into overdrive with everyone shouting over each other and people came running from miles away. Fortunately they managed to put the fire out below the walking trail pretty quickly and then rolled the log into the creek to put the fire out that was burning inside it. Being involved it was pretty serious, but I later met some sight sears who had observed the whole thing from a look out at the top of the valley and they thought it was hilarious. As one guy said I dont know why you guys needed walkie talkies we could hear you yelling at each other up here without them. By the way The saw was a McCulloch Farm Boss. And they were a damed good saw. Pitty they don't still make them.

Ken, I use a pole pruner several times a week and have for years. Of course living in a temperate rainforest with a garden full of trees, the need for one becomes apparent right away. One mistake most people make is reaching up, holding the pole above their head. No, when sawing, try to keep your hands at chest height. Extend the pole to achieve this. You will last a lot longer. Getting up on a ladder and cutting is what you see on America's Funniest Videos. I prefer to use a pole pruner on cloudy days. Not hard to do here. :-) Looking up in the sun, trying to make a cut, is not fun. I have gone through a lot of pole pruners over the years. Fiskars is the one I'm most happy with. As far as a chainsaw on a stick......naw. I don't see the need for it. Don't get me wrong, I have two chainsaws and use them regularly, but not for pruning. Here's a Red Alder I just cut down. The wood turns orange for a few days after it's cut. Notice the Western Red Cedar, Thuja plicata, have been 'skirted'. I did it with a pole pruner. I do have one electric hedge trimmer. (Whoops! Shearer) I use it to shear my "Croc" several times during the summer. It's the only job I do with it. Sumpthin' bit off a few toes. I don't know what it was, but I know it musta been big. Pruning and shearing are two different methods. They require different tools. Depending on the type of pruning, you need the appropriate tool as outlined above. I'll take a hand tool over a gas or electric powered tool in the garden anytime. As a side note, A friend of mine was kidding me about shearing my Crocagtor with an electric 'trimmer'. He wanted to use his gas powered one. I let him do it. He screwed up the Croc so bad I can't show a recent picture. Again, the proper tool for the job is most important. Mike

Kate, I finally managed to take a few pics of the set I was talking about. I could do without the monogram, but... smiles, it was a present. I think if you check a nice department store you'll find some interesting sets, some which might be geared towards weddings but certainly some meant to last forever. A few pics of some of my cake servers and the set. closeup of the handles Boy, that table needs a good cometizing..lol. The server with the stains is a rescue. It was only a dime and I felt sorry for it. LOL. I should try bleaching the poor thing.

GYPSIE - didn't you get the ring saw??? I know several on here use their ring saws for cutting plates, but I save mine for cutting heart shapes and other intricate shapes in glass. I DO use the wet saw for shaving off the burrs on the plate rounds after I break off the pie shapes I cut. You can almost use it as a grinder DAISY: You can get small on this saw, but I tend not to do the REALLY small stuff. Cut your pie shapes very small, if you like - I've cut some as small as 1/4", then use the nippers to cut into individual tiles. You'll learn by doing. Yes, they get very dirty, and there's tons of sludge, which needs to be cleaned out regularly - about every dozen or so plates, to keep your water clean. NT used that sludge in a project, I believe. TX - LOL - get busy, girlie. Once you start, you can't stop. I've just finished sorting into color buckets. I'll nip as I need them. I AM low on inspiration right now. Even though I'm working on a mixed media/assemblage mosaic, I'm not feeling it's great like some of my projects. Some projects go together so fast, and you're so inspired, you can't wait to glue one down to get on w/the next. This one is slow enough that I've cleaned out a corner of the workshop. The whole room needs a cleaning/organizing, but I don't have enough containers and shelves. Those folding shelves were Suzie's and they're gone, and my stuff is on the floor. WHAT A MESS.