CREDIT CRUNCH SKIP

A 7 am knock on the door certainly sharpens the mind! Davie the Builder arrived this morning with this (on the street outside the house).

Now we live in a quiet suburban street ... but hey ... it is a lovely morning (again!) and there's a job to be done! (Disregard the white camper van in the driveway. It is Alastair C's. He is heading off this morning. Phew! Just in time as Davie needs to reverse that trailer into the space. This is so the roofers can fling the roof tiles into it.)

Yes, you may ask, why not just hire a skip (dumpster to Americans) for the job? May I remind you this is Scotland (a) everyone ... read "men" ... have deep pockets and (b) why do something straightforward when a more interesting alternative is available?!

Now I want to talk about art. See that tractor? See that trailer? If ever there was a case for Pure Art it is the site of a lad i.e. Davie, reversing a trailer into a tight space!

You should have seen the 3 of us (Alastair C., Iain and I standing on the porch in awe as he deftly swung it into the driveway!)

It's now 7:15 am. The street hasn't stirred. For a fella whose probably been up since 5 am it is unhooking time and back to the farm to start his day job of building houses.