Mud, Snow, Frost, Rugby, Golf……

 

All of these have crossed my path in this one week.  On Saturday I was lucky enough to be at the best game of rugby I have ever seen England play at Twickenham when we soundly beat the All Blacks ending their 20 game unbeaten run.  Since that freezing but glorious day at Twickenham, more cold weather out on site has meant very cold fingers, an abundance of mud, torrential rain and today, snow.  Snow seems to be returning yearly now with a tedious inevitability.  The kids love it, but it is not good for us fencers.  Another 20 year absence would be good and maybe a return to the hard frosty winters we used to have that allowed us to get on the ground when it froze.

Golf.  On Friday, if it doesn't snow any more, or rain, or freeze.  Followed by lunch.  A  very civilised way to spend a winter’s day.

The work during all this weather is stacking up and it’s good to know just before Christmas, that there is a full order book for January and most of February.  Something to get our teeth into in 2013.

Our first newsletter went out last week and if any of you read it, I hope you enjoyed at least some of it.  For those who would like to sign up for future editions, go to the website and click on the banner on the right hand side to subscribe.  The website is at www.jcfc.co.uk.

Some cracking jobs on at the moment, with lots of clearance works, big fires, machine work with the circular saw and plenty of fencing too.

All good stuff!

Technorati Tags: Rugby,Fencing,Snow,frost,newsletter,circular saw

In What Was Always Destined To Be A Short Lived…….

 

 

Indian Summer, it seems we have now well and truly reached Winter and bypassed Autumn altogether.  Not content with plummeting temperatures “it” has now decided to make rain the default whether condition.  All this is great for getting posts into the ground, but terrible for getting over the ground, which is more January like in its sodden state that early Octoberish.  But we must press on and get working as there is lots to do right now.  A good summer of work has given way to a busy Autumn (well winter) and a wide variety of jobs is on the books for us, some even quite local for a change. 

We have just finished working in Claygate, Surrey, for premiership footballer followed by a week in Greenwich Park carrying out tennis court reinstatement work following the glorious fabulous and wonderful Olympics.  Upcoming works include circular saw works and clearance on a golf course in Sussex, more clearance along with Horse Netting and electric fencing at Hickstead and a nice job scrubbing hedges and opening up overgrown field margins at a vineyard near Chichester.

The Royal Parks will get another visit from us when install a deer grid at Hampton Court Palace.

That is if we don’t all float away in the meantime.  I wonder if this winter will give us freezing with snow, sodden with rain, or just possibly one of those cold crisp quite dry seasons I remember as a child?

Rain, Facebook, Quiche, Blackthorn

 

Bloody Hell it’s wet.  Working on some heavy old clay at Hickstead and the water is just sitting on the surface.  Aquaplaning in a tractor in a field is an odd sensation.  Sort of slow motion banana skins.  Looking out of the window now and it’s…… raining.

I always said I would never use FB, had no interest and couldn’t care less.  Obviously I have now carried out a 180deg about turn on this and am now signed up.  However I really have no idea how it is supposed to work, ok I can send friend requests, I can read what people are up to, but there are so many functions and buttons to click on I get completely lost.  It is supposed to be a business tool, but I am pretty sure no one is reading anything I write.  Maybe I need to write something outrageous to see if anyone is paying attention,  something like……

Quiche.  I had it for my supper, with salad, voluntarily, and I liked it.  I LIKE QUICHE.  There we go, now maybe now somebody will pay attention.

After getting attacked by a blackthorn bush yesterday and spending most of the day in A&E with a leg like a puff adder, Rob, I hope you are feeling better and they can get it out on Friday.

Spring has Sprung…

 

Despite the need for some rain its been great to feel the warmth of the sun on one’s face again.  This is my favourite time of year weather-wise and with all the spring growth coming through it seems we can finally leave winter behind….  it may snow again yet of course.  Work has been good these last few weeks and the enquiries keep on coming in for a wide variety of jobs.  Just how we like it.  After the sad demise of my trusty Ford Ranger at the hands of my now former trainee employee, and the more than equitable pay-out from the NFU (Thank you) I bought a decent looking replacement Ranger down in Kent.  Hopefully its not a ringer?!  New man Rob is doing a great job and with Pete back from holiday next week it will be full steam ahead again.  A big post and rail job to start so lets hope the ground isn’t too hard.

It’s the end of the Six Nations today and more in hope than expectation England could still win the Championship, but it’s going to be Wales and they deserve it (through gritted teeth)  It would be a fitting tribute to Merv the Swerv.

Snow, Rugby, Cold Feet, Chapped Hands.

 

Being of a generally sunny disposition and hearing of friends looking forward to the snow, I  left  rather curmudgeonly for being a bit grumpy about its arrival last weekend. This has reasons for it other than just being old.  Last years snow was a bloody nightmare for us and we did nothing of any value for weeks whilst it lasted, apart that is from trying to un wax diesel in the machines tanks.  I didn’t relish the prospect of going through that again.  this weekend was also the beginning of the Six Nations Rugby, my favourite sporting event of the year (with the exception this year of the Olympics maybe) and a brief oasis of proper sport amidst the repetitive durge and nonstop coverage of football.   The potential for snow to spoil this wasn’t helping my mood.  However the Rugby went ahead, England struggled to a win and I have to admit seeing my kids having such fun in the snow made it all worthwhile.  No more though please.

This year we have at least been able to carry on working and despite the blocks of ice I used to call feet we have made good progress over the couple of weeks.  We have finished 1500 metres of raspberry trellis and some road construction at Garson Farm, 500m of stock fencing on some very steep slopes on the Albury Estate and a couple of hundred metres of rabbit fencing and some scarfed post and rail near Woking.  Today we arrived at a new site for a Morrison Construction/Environment Agency job.  A  couple of thousand metres of various types of fencing to here and about 8 inches of snow too….

…and then it went just a little bit crazy

They say we are in a recession, maybe we are. All I know is that the phone has not stopped ringing this week with some quality enquiries for some substantial projects, all of which, needless to say we would like to win.  As is always the case with these things, and it’s typical, everybody wants their work carried out at just about the same time as everybody else's.  Still it’s a good problem to have.  It’s going to be a busy spring.  And have you tried employing anybody who actually wants to do this kind of work?  I posted last week that we need some new blood in this industry.  Well, where are you?  There’s a job going here for someone with a bit of enthusiasm.

Just been looking at the England 6 Nations squad.  I am not sure what I make of it, but I hope that if nothing else these new guys are reminded that it is supposed to be an honour to play for your country.

Technorati Tags: fencing,polo,maneges,rugby

Getting Older.....

There are Old Fencers and Bold Fencers, but there are no Old Bold Fencers! Well we'll see about that. Although this does seem to be an industry struggling to attract new entrants into it. It does not, like all manually based jobs, have much if any glamour attached to it, but look beyond that and here is an industry like farming or forestry that has so much going for it by way of learning skills, dealing with people face to face, experiencing the great outdoors, by which I include, sun, rain, sleet, snow and mud as well as the flora and fauna of this great country. if you are wondering what direction to take in life, don't get bogged down in the feeling that you absolutely have to work in an office, in IT, in The City, in Marketing...... get out of school, of uni, of the office, get outdoors and look for the possibilities they don't tell you about at school.

There are Old Fencers, There may be Bold Fencers, but lets get some Young Fencers around us too and give this industry an injection of youthful thinking.