MEN AT WORK

Now I know you'll find this hard to believe but I winge a lot. One of my eternal gripes is the constant road works which we seem to get on the stretch of motorway near us and this seems to have spread to smaller roads which are closer still.

Thumbing through Grampa's book, 'Pierrot's Album', which I introduced you to in my post called simply,'Pierrot', I discover that my affliction is clearly hereditary. I was born in 59 Tanworth Lane, Shirley and Grampa lived two doors away in 55.

He wrote this little poem in 1931 - 78 years ago! This was the year he moved into his house and it was before the road had been surfaced. The poem was published in the local paper and as you will see, proves that "there is nothing new under the sun".

INFRA DIG

In Shirley's heard a sweet refrain

"Let's go and dig up Tanworth Lane".

Builders, sewermen, gas-men too,

All dig holes to obscure our view.

They dig a deep hole for a drain

And then they cover it up again.

The gas-man then he doth appear

Saying "Come on Bill, our course is clear,

We really must have a hole down here".

Saturdays, Sundays there's no rest,

They dig and dig with added zest.

We take much mud into our houses

And Oh! you should see poor Pa's "trousis!".

When Father Xmas comes by heck!

He'll fall and break his poor old neck.

.........................

Perhaps some day our good surveyor

Will send his men with tarmac layer

And thus rejoice the poor ratepayer.