The arrival (pt 2) or 'pulling your weight'

Soooooo 'chainsaw' huh? Yep.

I got a brilliant and very detailed lesson on how a chainsaw works - (most of which) I recall;

• It has a chain with spikes which feed into a groove around the metal blade - these have teeth on the outside (two directions thereof), which need sharpening before use with a small circular file.
• The tension of the chain can be altered and should be checked before use so that the chain doesn't suddenly fling off at several hundred rpm. There is a 'right' tension.
• It needs cleaning before use otherwise the chain may suddenly catch on some dirt in the blade's groove and ping out (and remove your arm) and so that oil can be fed into the blade-grooves so the chain moves nicely and is protected from wet and dirt.
• The petrol it uses is red, because it is mixed with oil on account of the saw using a two-stroke engine.
• Different oil is used to lubricate the chain.
• Starting it up should be done when it's lying on the ground.
•  Must be used with PPE of earguards and visor.
• Has a cool brake disguised as a guard in front of the handle so that if the saw snaps back and the guard hits your arm, the chain stops and won't take your arm with it.
• It's very dangerous and I'm not allowed to use it.

So I did the 'donkey work' (along with a chap who's been helping out) and we moved several treesworth of branches to a pile near the bonfire, ready to be burnt at a later time, while Mark chainsawed them off the trunks. I might be a citydweller, but judging by the size of the pile, I kept up with the pace and could qualify for a 'tree-hauling' award any day now.

As it started to get dark, Mark told us to down tools and that we'd go and do evening checks. This involved checking each tank to see that the fish were doing ok, feeding them and cleaning the sieve filters (these're done every day to maintain the water quality).

The fish are *beautiful*. I'll try for some photos tomorrow.