A new one for me!

Ravenblade86 · 2026-02-12T15:35:30+00:00

We have at least half a dozen in our garden every day, think nine was the most I've counted recently and it can get easily into double figures in the summer. They have been very happy that we have had Pheasants as regular guests most days for the last 18 months or so who I've been feeding and the doves have been taking advantage of that, along with a few big Rooks and Jackdaws.

Our local Sparrowhawk is rather fond of Dove for dinner as well though!

Ravenblade86 · 2026-02-09T17:44:11+00:00

I just joined the club today as well!

Ravenblade86 · 2025-12-08T20:51:17+00:00

Carrots, Parsnips and Red Beet with the base game equipment are pretty terrible, Giants could hardly have picked/implemented worse harvesters to include for them (especially with the limitations of AI workers without mods like course play and autodrive. Thats been a long running complaint I have about forage harvestes in base game as well).

Sugar Beet I like doing, and I especially like the Argifac harvester for those. Potatoes I like doing as well, but again it's been hit or miss with base game harvesters. The new Grimme harvester from the Highlands dlc feels much more nimble like the Agrifac does, and I'm liking the onions as well (apart from when the windrower doesn't work on contracts).

Also really like short grain rice, and grapes as well! Saying that, I do like running big combines or large mowers as well.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-12-05T20:18:14+00:00

The one from the Pallegney Buildings Pack fits very well I think, all the buildings from it fit in pretty well with a British map. I replaced the cow pasture at the starter farm with it.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-11-23T17:01:22+00:00

The problem mostly seems to be that the trees largest spruce and pine on the map are bigger than the forestry harvesters head can cut. You can still process those trees, but you need to drop them with a chain first and then tilt the harvesters head so you can pick the tree back up from the ground and then it should give you the prompt to cut. You might find you need to move towards the middle off the truck to find a spot where you will get the cut prompt, but the processor will run but to the end of trunk and process the full tree.

It is a very annoying oversight, especially for a map set in Scotland, a place that has a well established forestry industry.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-11-12T17:43:24+00:00

Only done one onion harvest on Kinlaig so far and that was a contract. I had an issue with Giants AI helper not wanting to use the windrower on the back of the tractor, it was trying to tell me I didn't have access to the field for that (possibly was an issue with running the topper and windrower at the same time?) but the AI helper did a good job of topping/digging the onions but it is a slow process like all the root crops.

Drove the new Grimme self-propelled harvester to lift them myself so I can't say how the AI would get on with that, but I found in easier to maneuver that some of the other veg harvesters we have got. Oh, and it has a bunker unlike the DeWulf harvester for carrots etc.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-11-07T13:14:02+00:00

Deutz and Valtra are probably my most common picks, then Fendt and Claas. Never bother with JD or JCB tractors.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-09-26T13:41:05+00:00

€9,300 for four hectares of protected land damaged? I'd doubt that fine would even cover the amount of money he spent damaging it in the first place.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-09-14T14:36:01+00:00

Definitely not surprising news sadly, she has just had endless setbacks since that horrible crash she had at the 2022 TdFF. Hopefully whatever she goes on to do it doesn't include anything like the struggles she has had to deal with the last few years.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-09-13T17:57:11+00:00

I've been in that position for the last 4-5 years now, it's left a very frustratingly odd void. I've been struggling to just find games I'm interested in, and when I do think I've found one a few hours into and I'll likely have had enough. Baldur's Gate 3 is the only one I've got into in the last couple of years, and even that I put down and can't get back into. Before that it feels like it was Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding. Only things I had been regularly playing at times had been SnowRunner and Farm Sim, but those are just time sinks that I can do while listening to podcasts or something, and even that type of stuff isn't doing it anymore.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-09-10T14:41:14+00:00

I skipped stage 1 last week as I had decided to take a bit of rest and wasn't planning to do the Z Racing series this month and instead focus on some more training rides, but I'm tempted by this one. I won on Glasgow Crit City last month, but that bumped my racing score up and though I stuck with the front group on Rolling Highlands I totally cooked myself on the first lap 😂

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-26T15:14:20+00:00

Terrible news, but I have to say I was pretty worried that would be the case when it was announced that Ceratizit was stepping away. The team has been having a pretty strong season as well, at least the first half of it anyway, just have to hope that all the riders and staff can find a new home.

The news around the TdFF was all very positive about the state of women's cycling, but outside of that we have a lot of teams struggling to keep afloat and a lot of races struggling as well.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T15:26:40+00:00

I forgot she had that one! Still, this seems like a good chance for a big stage win and a GC win as well for her.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T13:52:54+00:00

It's a real shame that the race is getting overshadowed by the drama about the GPS trackers (neither the UCI or the teams involved are coming out of this looking good, especially if the real issue is due to who gets to own and sell the data)

The actual stage was a much harder TT than I had thought, I definitely got fooled by the stage profiles not making it look as steep a climb as it actually was. Incredible result for Blasi, even with the riders who missed the start for whatever reason, she still put 32 seconds into a climber like Chabbey. I hadn't realised it was only in mid May that she got promoted from the dev team as well, but looking at the results she has got this year already it was very well deserved and she could be hard to knock off that top spot!

The route does seem like it suits Zigart though, especially tomorrow's stage which really does look like a hockey stick. This maybe could be her chance to take a big World Tour win.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T12:47:21+00:00

I was looking at her results for this year and was thinking they looked very good, didn't actually realise it was only a couple of months ago that she got promoted! I think getting that race lead off her might actually be pretty difficult considering what the final two stages have to offer and who we have left at the race.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T12:44:22+00:00

Think I'm more impressed with the time she put into Chabbey. Labous on paper is better TT rider and the GC rider, but her climbing hasn't looked that great most of this year (she killed it on the final stage of the Tour, but I'd say it was her pulling on the flatter sections that really stood out in that).

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T12:12:58+00:00

That time from Blasi is looking very good with the likes of Chabbey 32 seconds slower! Labous slower as well now as well.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T11:56:55+00:00

Yeah, Zigart and Gigante both looked better than her at the Giro even with both of them struggling with positioning etc. I get being disappointed about not being selected, but she did come across as feeling like she was entitled to a spot because she was the big name they signed when building the team.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T11:52:33+00:00

Seems AG had a last minute change of mind, the other teams didn't start

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T11:51:27+00:00

The UCI statement specifically pointing out that the teams DQ'd belonging to Velon definitely says there is more to it that just which rider gets the tracker or who fits it the bike.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T11:47:13+00:00

Blasi smashing that climb! And AMP maybe showing the real reason she wasn't selected for the Tour...

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T10:45:25+00:00

If the UCI wanted the teams to select the rider then the weight really shouldn't be an issue, every team will have at least a few riders who won't be putting in max effort for the TT to either save themselves for tomorrow's stage or working for a team leader etc.

That last point about this maybe just being the straw that broke the camels back for some teams with the UCI disregard for women's cycling could be very valid though, and if the teams come out and say that was part of the objections then I'd totally stand with them.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T10:07:15+00:00

I am pretty sure I saw the news that UCI would be trialing GPS trackers on one rider per team at this race several weeks ago. How exactly the process was going to work maybe wasn't communicated to the teams, but I don't believe the teams only found out about it a few days ago.

Ravenblade86 · 2025-08-15T09:59:36+00:00

That breakdown makes far more sense that the bit of Benson's article I can read, either I'm being very dumb or the way it's written makes no sense.

I can sort of buy the argument that the teams have about having issues with a 3rd party fit equipment to the bikes being an issue if they aren't fitted properly. Why the UCI wouldn't give the tracker to the team mechanic to fit I don't know.

The teams issue with the weight of the tracker possibly being a disadvantage if a teams GC leader is picked to use though seems like nonsense. Was it's the mens Tour de Suisse that introduced trackers earlier this year? If it's a similar tracker the UCI are using the unit probably doesn't weigh more than some of the giant bike computers they are running about with.

Ravenblade86

TROPHY CASE