Comment: could miners’ strike have been avoided?
Last weekend, I decided to clear out the stone chips between the concrete slabs in my driveway in preparation for a fresh new batch. Solent gold is out, to be replaced by the stark, chalky whiteness of Cotswold Buff.
On paper, it seemed simple enough: shovel up the old chips into rubble sacks and dig down a couple of inches to ensure that the new chips, once in place, sat flush with the paving stones. I figured it would take a couple of hours at the most. The military believes that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and so I discovered as I dug away for five or six hours at chips entrenched in packed soil. Five minutes of digging equalled ten minutes of panting. Digging is hard work for the novice and two days later, by which time I’d filled 60 rubble sacks with stones and earth, my back, shoulders and stomach were aching and I was on a diet of Nurofen Plus and hot baths.
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