Sandstone and gritstone setts being laid - 568 m2 courtyard and drive

[cookiewales]

Check this out - Cookie and crew at work!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD_Hjn8l8Kg



Edited By cookiewales on 1259010140

[cookiewales]

Curteousy of Noony Speilberg!!!

More from the crew laying the BIG SETTS......

Hopefully music included

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LkwD-mF41w

[Dave_L]

What a ballache of a job!!

[Pablo]

I'm too tall to lay like that it gives me terrible headaches. It's good to see you taking the time to set out before you start I'm forever catching my lot trying to cut corners and crack on when I'm not around but they don't realise the time and effort it saves and how much better the finish is.

[Bob_A]

Lots of bending over involved in that youtube video.
Doesn't it give you backache?

[cookiewales]

have to say thats the only way to lay the big ones ten tons to 25m2 and 3ton silo mix is what give es the backacke plus the big belly lovely work when you can get it am fed up sat at home chasing work .at the moment applied for a few formans jobs and after 37 years work plus timeserved brickwork and stonework am told i need all sorts of certs cosh cash bosh am all for safe working at the end of the day you are your own safety man so why should us old timers have to go back to school and pay for the privleg to be taught by some whipper snapper.who would not have a clue about hard work and where to start rant over. back to looking for work.for someone who apprecates skills and craic not a plastic card that says i can walk on site. but does not say i can do the job ha ha :p used to laught at the old timers in my younger days but they taught us right from wrong in work love and life oh the good .old days long may they return cheers cookie :;): :;): :;):

[Bob_A]

What a world we live in where a plastic card is more important than 37+ of craftsmanship.
Total bollocks :0

Funnily enough I have a plastic card called an IOSH Passport.
I got it through my employer after spending a couple of hours on a computer answering multiple choice questions.
If you attempt the course enough times you'll eventually get enough answers right to earn yourself a pass.

[mickg]

I would not of thought a person of your skill and expertises will be out of work for too long cookie

[rab1]

cscs cards are the biggest con ever and the whole construction fell for it big time, your now not allowed on 90% of sites without one. if you claim to be a brickie/spark or anything else for that matter once your on a site and your not, within 5min everyone else knows your not.

mate passed the refrigeration card test and he`s a brickie. he read the Q&A book and sat the test and passed. according to his card now he is qualified to fit industrial fridges and refrigerant gas systems.

can read the headline now, 200 people gassed to death in your local asda (other shops are available). :O

[Tony McC]

Going back to Cookie's extremely valid point about why tradesmen with as many years as he has under his belt have to sit a 'test' to get a meaningless placky card, I've been trying to get Construction Skills to accept/inaugurate EWPA (Experienced Worker Practical Assessment) for paviors and streetmasons, but at the last meeting, it was knocked back yet again until we get the apprenticeship scheme up and running.

In essence, EWPA allows experienced tradesmen to demonstrate their skills to an approved assessor over a single day. No tests, no portfolios, no excessive paperwork, just a practical demonstration of your skills, and you get the prized Blue card (or Gold, if you can fasten your own shoe laces as well).

Next meeting is scheduled for February. If there is any progress at all, I'll make an announcement on the website.

[rab1]

"grandfathers rights" were available until October. now, no matter how experienced you are. you will have to sit a training course at a registered collage.

had a gold card, now it`s blue because i`m a sheet metal worker to trade and it`s no longer recognized as a trade, had to explain to some 18 year old girl what a c&g was. she told me to do an nvq and i could get the gold card again. 4yrs with tests against 12 wks with no tests.

hope they finally see sense tony and understand that 30yrs experience of a trade cannot be learnt in a book. that's why my mate sat the refrigeration course, read 20 pages in a book and passed. dose that now make him qualified?. according to the cscs people it dose.

[cookiewales]

wished i knew of the grandad rights as i have 4 grandsons funny that missed them for my digger 5 years ago cost me 400 pound for the day for a piece of plastic thats now run out whoops looks like im walking and shoveling by hand mick sometimes skills and knowhow dont get you the work but am spreading the word every where fingers crossed you never know what youtube could throw up have even looked at bricklaying again but not on site would have to have to much plastic card time ah well as long as we have health and love and more to the point beer vouchers :p

[lutonlagerlout]

I am in a similar boat, didnt finish my brickwork apprenticeship (went off chasing the money) never done any paperwork stuff except a site safety course 10 years ago in chertsey and so now if we run out of work i need a raft of paperwork to get on a site

when a man of cookies capabilities is sat at home its looking real bad for the rest of us

gonna do the lotto now,if i win i guarantee you all 1 thing





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. a free brew cabin xmas party
LLL

[rab1]

"grandfathers rights" was when your employer could sign a form and state that you were experienced and qualified to do the job. you automatically received a blue card or gold depending if you had any formal qualifications.

the cards cost £25 + passport photo, think around £17.50 for the h/s test which you must pass before you can apply for the card. at one time most builders would accept an out of date card or no card as long as you passed the basic h/s test.

got my first card about 6yrs ago, 50 of us in a hall and basically told to sign here, congratulations you passed. ???