The Four Ages of Man May 25, 2016

Confusion, anger, complacency, grumpiness…I have recently taken a leap into stage four… please welcome Mr. Grumpy.

This means that nothing is quite the way I like it.

Driving back from London last week I encountered every type of prick driver imaginable…whilst of course driving my own car like a complete Angel.

(Note: I have to drive like an angel because all I have to do is even think about speeding and I get pulled over.)

Yet …where are the boys in blue when the motorbike undertakes me at well over 100mph swerving between other vehicles then pulling a wheelie as he hits the main lane ahead.

Where are the cameras when the Renault Megane sits in the outside lane doing 65mph and there is no traffic in the adjacent lanes?

Where are the blue flashing lights when you have a lorry sat on your tail but you can’t go anywhere because of traffic in front?

Don’t even get me started on lane and junction discipline. I’m guessing the current driving test doesn’t include this section in the exam anymore because nobody gives way, and nobody understands that traffic coming from the right has priority.

Maybe it’s the number of foreign drivers on the road all expecting to give way to traffic from the left…??

Hotels, waiters…all suffering from being underpaid and over worked –

the gas board, the electricity board…don’t put me on hold again –

banks…no interest in lending you money till you don’t need it –

politicians…all on the take –

…then we have Prince William, Kate, Prince Harry, The Queen, footballers and footballers’ wives…. aaaarrrggggghhhhh…. all of them come under my banner of overpaid and over exposed….. and all of them want publicity when it suits them…. and ‘their privacy’ when it doesn’t …

…and then we have the ex-employee going on Facebook slagging us off that we can do nothing about.

This is the type of person that uses his children as an excuse for being off work and criticizes the company for not getting him home every night in time to put his boys to bed. He moans and complains all the time and nothing is ever good enough for him – he wants to be paid for every second of his time but expects to go home early whenever it suits him…

These are the sort of morons that are driving the country to rack and ruin.

We have foreign immigrants who would kill to have a decent job working for a modern pro-active company at the fore front of their field. But no …it’s not enough to have a well-paid job with the possibility of advancement… he wants to be mollycoddled and praised every second that he is in work and allowed time to be with his precious family whenever it suits him…and to have a van for his personal use…and never to have to work away from home.

Sorry- shooting is far too good for these type of idiots.

Mike C

The Others May 18, 2016

We are rapidly approaching the date of our latest seminar titled ‘The Others’ which premieres at the Museum of Science and Industry on the 25th May (tickets are still available). My overriding thought at this point is …’why oh why… do I do these bloody seminars …’

The amount of effort and money that goes into these things is crazy. I have sleepless nights driving myself mad trying to come up with new ideas and topics that will interest the attendees….and all for what I ask??

It isn’t for the money…and it isn’t for the kudos…so what am I doing???

Hmmmmm

I do love a challenge – so maybe it’s this which keeps me repeating the same mistakes I’ve made in previous years putting our company out at the forefront of public scrutiny.

This year’s topic is ‘The Others’ – the basic premise being the history of invasive species in the UK – looking at how we have arrived at our current position and what we should be doing to prevent further encroachment by ‘other’ invasive species.

Once you have advertised a date for the seminar – it really focuses your brain on having to do research into the topic and makes you alive to learning and reading new material. I’ve bought books, I’ve read articles and I’ve researched the internet for points of interest.

I have found myself going further and further back in time looking at how previous generations have surveyed and discovered ‘alien’ species in the UK. I’ve then looked at how and why these aliens have arrived – which has unearthed an interesting tale of money making and greed from various parties as well as naivety and plain ignorance from others.

I’m convinced that some of the early plant sellers were entrepreneurs after making some quick money. If you discover a plant which grows really quickly, survives in a variety of conditions and will grow from the smallest of cuttings – Japanese knotweed – then from a business point of view you are on to a quick fire way to make money. If you then add in the medicinal benefits of the same plant the you can sell this on a variety of levels …business gold!

People have said to me – … ‘if you went back in time and told Phillippe Von Sielbold The problems that Japanese Knotweed would cause in the future do you think he would not have sold the plant?’.

My answer would be – ‘I guess he would have carried on regardless…’ – he was selling plants as a business …therefore why would he worry about future generations problems?

We then had a whole host of their businesses making decisions which have influenced our flora and fauna;

Tanning industry

Ships sweepings

Ships ballast

Soil and rock aliens

Wool aliens

Cotton aliens

Birdseed aliens

Fodder aliens

The list goes on.

Pretty much all along the same lines – getting rid of problem waste by taking short cuts – and inadvertently spreading viable seed or root with careless abandon.

So whilst I might not be making any money from these type of events it does at least set the mind working along some interesting pathways.

Mike C

The Others May 18, 2016

We are rapidly approaching the date of our latest seminar titled ‘The Others’ which premieres at the Museum of Science and Industry on the 25th May (tickets are still available). My overriding thought at this point is …’why oh why… do I do these bloody seminars …’

The amount of effort and money that goes into these things is crazy. I have sleepless nights driving myself mad trying to come up with new ideas and topics that will interest the attendees….and all for what I ask??

It isn’t for the money…and it isn’t for the kudos…so what am I doing???

Hmmmmm

I do love a challenge – so maybe it’s this which keeps me repeating the same mistakes I’ve made in previous years putting our company out at the forefront of public scrutiny.

This year’s topic is ‘The Others’ – the basic premise being the history of invasive species in the UK – looking at how we have arrived at our current position and what we should be doing to prevent further encroachment by ‘other’ invasive species.

Once you have advertised a date for the seminar – it really focuses your brain on having to do research into the topic and makes you alive to learning and reading new material. I’ve bought books, I’ve read articles and I’ve researched the internet for points of interest.

I have found myself going further and further back in time looking at how previous generations have surveyed and discovered ‘alien’ species in the UK. I’ve then looked at how and why these aliens have arrived – which has unearthed an interesting tale of money making and greed from various parties as well as naivety and plain ignorance from others.

I’m convinced that some of the early plant sellers were entrepreneurs after making some quick money. If you discover a plant which grows really quickly, survives in a variety of conditions and will grow from the smallest of cuttings – Japanese knotweed – then from a business point of view you are on to a quick fire way to make money. If you then add in the medicinal benefits of the same plant the you can sell this on a variety of levels …business gold!

People have said to me – … ‘if you went back in time and told Phillippe Von Sielbold The problems that Japanese Knotweed would cause in the future do you think he would not have sold the plant?’.

My answer would be – ‘I guess he would have carried on regardless…’ – he was selling plants as a business …therefore why would he worry about future generations problems?

We then had a whole host of their businesses making decisions which have influenced our flora and fauna;

Tanning industry

Ships sweepings

Ships ballast

Soil and rock aliens

Wool aliens

Cotton aliens

Birdseed aliens

Fodder aliens

The list goes on.

Pretty much all along the same lines – getting rid of problem waste by taking short cuts – and inadvertently spreading viable seed or root with careless abandon.

So whilst I might not be making any money from these type of events it does at least set the mind working along some interesting pathways.

Mike C

Fishing May 11, 2016

I feel that going fishing gives a pretty good take on how the world works.

Sometimes you do everything right and you get absolutely nothing in return.

Sometimes you do something which shouldn’t work …and bang …you get success.

I’m not sure how this helps plan anything… but I’m sure there is something to be said for approaching problems the way one approaches a day on the river.

I have recently had a couple of days on the River Test with Alex, the MD of Japanese Knotweed Solutions. We discussed what we might need for the trip – wet weather gear/dry weather gear/waders/wellies/boots….maybe sun cream…I ended up filling the boot of my car with EVERYTHING I have fishing wise …(just in case)

The river was challenging, fast flowing with deep pools adjacent to fast riffles – it wasn’t going to be easy. Mr Dayes was the first to hook a fish which he did with skill and a perfect cast – I then followed his display by tripping over, catching the end of my rod in some nearby willows, I then stuck my hand in some nettles, dropped my rod ….my line then fell in the water near the edge of the river… and… ‘bang’ – low and behold I was into a fish.

Nothing toooo big but any fish is a good fish on a river like this.

I was also talking to Ann, our Financial Director, during the day about how cash flow was going. I was particularly concerned that one of our bigger clients hadn’t paid a large outstanding debt. I asked Ann whether the £100K had come in and Ann replied – ‘…no …and their accounts department don’t have it on their system…’

My response – ‘bloody hell – we need to get the suppliers paid…’

…she then went on to say ‘…but …ABC and XY and Z have paid early which means we are actually better off than we thought’…

So nothing toooo big but any payment is a good payment when money is needed.

I was also talking to Jonathan one of our surveyors about whether a particular project had made any progress? This is a site that we have surveyed, studied, checked, liaised with planners, archaeologists, ecologists etc. etc. We have everything in place for a major piece of work …yet they just won’t push the button and say yes.

We have worked our collective arses off for this client, yet nothing seems to get the job moving…

Jonathan of course said …’nothing happening as yet – but we need to go back and do some additional survey work…’

My response – ‘bloody hell – we need some work for the lads’

…he then went on to say ‘ …but….ABC and XY and Z have all said yes – so actually we have more work on than we anticipated’…

So nothing toooo big but any work is good work when work is needed.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this…other than to say…without the odd fishing trip, I would go completely bonkers.

…and for those of you planning everything to the ‘Nth’ degree – life doesn’t work like that.

 

Mike C

Different ways of thinking …. May 4, 2016

Stick a bunch of competing businesses in a room and expecting them to ‘get on’ isn’t really a recipe for success is it?

So when these companies have different opinions – why is anyone surprised?

If everybody thought the same – or even acted in the same way – what a boring world it would be.

‘Life’ thrives on challenge and invention – all of which require different people to have different approaches – without these different approaches many of life’s problems would just never have been sorted.

The INNSA steering group are having a bit of a rough time at the moment because several of the board disagree over some of the fundamental standards. It’s a little like school playground with the various characters pointing and sticking their tongues – yet it’s not something to get in a panic about – it’s through these type of squabbles…. that something good will be produced.

I’ve been reading a book recently titled ‘The New Wild’ by Fred Pearce which basically ridicules and questions everything that I do work wise – in fact everything that I do …ever. It’s an interesting read …and well worth a look even if it’s just to get an alternate perspective on the whole ‘invasive species’ issues.

In a nutshell Pearce argues that invasive non-native species are nature’s way of redressing the harm done by man. The space that is left over after we have developed land – built houses or offices – is often damaged beyond repair and it is in these areas that invasive non-native species get a foothold. Pearce argues that without these type of hardy invasive plants – these areas would remain barren and subject to abuse by fly tipping and perhaps erosion. He goes on to state that this is mother earths ‘salve’ to our troubled world and instead of eradicating these plants we should glory in their ability to survive in such harsh conditions?

As I’ve stated, I am open to different opinions – and much of Pearce’s book makes sense – however I do believe that many of his arguments are flawed as without man’s intervention much of our biodiversity would be lost.

Going back to INNSA – I still believe that the benefits of the Trade Body out way any petty arguments between members and hope that the greater good can out way the squabbles.

Different ideas are good – just so long as in the end we do it my way*.

 

Mike C

Nb * Joke.