Tree cutting

Note: The conten below was last edited 24/Aug/2012, left in draft mode and not published until now...

Before we start the work, we had an extremely long quotation period - around 2 months - before we pick this guy. 

One of them, the trader's wife gave a quote that's about 10% cheaper than others, but when we took day off from work, the guy turned up and say no that would need at least $500 extra, blur blur blur - what a rip off and of course didn't proceed - cheapest is certainly not always the best! Also a young guy who's a climber - came in a heavily modified fancy car, but unfortunately not insured/licensed. Another one in nice UTE, insured and licensed, but asking for extremely ridiculous price, ....etc. Finally decided on a medium price one, but feels nice and genuine when he gave quote, most importantly, he provides the quote in writing, and of course licensed and insured.

Cutting the last branch:

Cutting main trunk#1

Cutting main trunk#2

Last part:

"Weepguard Brick Vent" available in Bunnings

Happy New Year every one!



Saw this "Weepguard Brick Vent" available in Bunning's catalog, this is certainly much better than the Weephole vermin I used. But it's not cheap and not sure if can be done by D-I-Y. It would be also be an extra cost if you want your brick layers to install one of this nicely in every weep hole - so make sure you double check with the builder about the extra cost plus the quantity of this Weepguard you need to order.

A much cheaper (but also slower) way to get new plants

I have been doing this for a few months, the success rate is not 100%, but might worth a try if you are interested in saving money and most importantly - can wait patiently :-)

I first saw this Yates Plant Cutting Powder in Bunnings and thought might be a good idea.


It's very simple, just follow the instructions and keep watering it for first few weeks and most of time it should have roots and starts growing. I think it also depends on the type of plant, which season, which part of the plant did you cut, ...etc, also heard that better avoid flowering season and pick the time which is not too hot/cold. You might have to experiment it a bit to work out the best way for different plants.

The photo below is the most recent one I did last week. The one on lower right hand side was the previous one a few weeks back (or months? can't remember...). Yes, I am a bit lazy/greedy and tend to squeeze too many of them into one pot...


And of course, you need to find at least a full grown plant to cut first... Will leave it to you to work that part out :-)

Qantas' decision to ground all domestic and international flights is ridiculous!!!

Got friends traveling overseas tomorrow morning, and we were all shocked to learn that Qantas ridiculously decided to ground all domestic and international flights indefinitely since this afternoon.

With tours and hotels all booked or other arrangements been made, imagine how big the impact is to travellers all over the world!

Unbelievable! Will never fly Qantas again!

New state law change that could spark sales slump

Saw this article from Sydney Morning Herald about a state law change which:

"slashed the statutory warranty period for non-structural defects - such as painting, poor acoustics, faulty wiring, internal fittings and fire hazards - from seven years to two, and to six years for structural problems."

This is ridiculous and a horrible news to everyone. Although reducing a few years of warranty might sound like a huge saving to the builders - specially those who can't do their jobs properly - it's going to have huge impact to all consumers who were interested in building or renovating.

The report also revealed a shocking news which I never heard of:

"no home warranty insurance available to owners in blocks higher than three storeys"

Yes, that's what the article said. If this is true, wonder what would happen to those who already bought an apartment/unit that's higher than three storeys and found any problem with the property?

Gosh! The property market hasn't been that well in the past 12+ months, can't you guys who look after the law stop been so short-sighted and do some proper long term planing that's more beneficial to the general public?