Do you remember your first pay rise?

[Rusty]

I do, 19% in July 1979. I was 19 and living at home so hadn’t quite made the connection with inflation, that was a problem for my parents wasn’t it?

[arbocop]

I do, 19% in July 1979. I was 19 and living at home so hadn’t quite made the connection with inflation, that was a problem for my parents wasn’t it?

 

I've never had a a pay rise of more than about 5% without getting a different job. My pay rise this year was nought.

[tony tinca]

I do, 19% in July 1979. I was 19 and living at home so hadn’t quite made the connection with inflation, that was a problem for my parents wasn’t it?

 

 

I was on the YTS scheme (scam ) training to be a motor mechanic in 1989 my weekly wage was $26.50 and then in 1990 it went up to the $29.50 and in that first year i still managed to save $1000 in the bank which is incredible considering i earn 20 times that now and dont seem to save a penny

[arbocop]

I was on the YTS scheme (scam ) training to be a motor mechanic in 1989 my weekly wage was $26.50 and then in 1990 it went up to the $29.50 and in that first year i still managed to save $1000 in the bank which is incredible considering i earn 20 times that now and dont seem to save a penny

 

 

I did a YTS in trout farming and fishery management in 1986!

[JV44]

Yes 1982 October left the gardener/handyman job at a big house locally to work on the Christmas tree harvest on our local estate and my money went from circa £141 a month [really c$£p] to the same in 2 days on the trees [price work and very good for then ] so as a 19 year old went from earning considerably less than my mates to a lot more most excellent ....untill dad discovered my pay packet and put my keep up... bloody liberty...

[arbocop]

Yes 1982 October left the gardener/handyman job at a big house locally to work on the Christmas tree harvest on our local estate and my money went from circa £141 a month [really c$£p] to the same in 2 days on the trees [price work and very good for then ] so as a 19 year old went from earning considerably less than my mates to a lot more most excellent ....untill dad discovered my pay packet and put my keep up... bloody liberty...

 

 

Yattendon?

[JV44]

Yattendon?

Yes Mike thats where i live and in your days as a Tree officer i am sure you must have dealt with them like most big estates i would imagine ,I remember the needle rash you got from handling thousands of the bloody things a day like it was yesterday .

There was another temp worker there then by the name of Micael Ryan who went on to be famous for all the wrong reasons ,very quite guy didnt mix in.....my mate sold him a shotgun quite legitamately and we had no idea what he would go on to do .......

 

Anyway all that asside the money was great and the biggest payrise i have ever had or likely to Steve.

[jason.p]

Yes, I remember it well. I was working as delivery boy in a local grocers shop getting one and six an hour. I finally plucked up courage to ask for a rise and got an extra 3d. Boy, was I chuffed

[Leon Roskilly]

I went from £4.17s.6d a week to £5 in 1958

 

(I had to give Mum £3 for my keep and my tube season ticket was 10 bob + bus fare tuppence each way)

 

(A three course meal in a local cafe was half-a-crown)

 

 

[tony tinca]

Yes Mike thats where i live and in your days as a Tree officer i am sure you must have dealt with them like most big estates i would imagine ,I remember the needle rash you got from handling thousands of the bloody things a day like it was yesterday .

There was another temp worker there then by the name of Micael Ryan who went on to be famous for all the wrong reasons ,very quite guy didnt mix in.....my mate sold him a shotgun quite legitamately and we had no idea what he would go on to do .......

 

Anyway all that asside the money was great and the biggest payrise i have ever had or likely to Steve.

 

 

Me and my grandad have a 1& 1/2 acre xmas tree plot at the back of our houses with about 3000 trees

Its something my grandad started 40 years ago and ive gradually taken over the reigns as hes 80 now.

We let people walk around and choose thier tree and then we price it and either dig it or saw it for them , when its really busy we hope they want it sawn as it only takes seconds as you know .

My grandad seems to get the rash worse than i do but theres nothing that would stop me keeping the bussiness going for as long as we have the land as its such a good extra income 3 weeks a year.

 

We have just planted 200 of the nordmann firs as people in recent years have been asking for them , they are harder to plant and take twice as long to grow thou but a 6ft tree sells for about 40 pounds so probebly worth it .

 

I cant personally see the point of people wanting to pay nearly 3 times as much for a tree just because its non needle drop when our trees are so fresh out the ground that they are gonna hold their needles anyway but if its what people are asking for then im happy to oblige .

 

Have you had experience with these trees or just the good old norwegien spruce ?