Mattocks!

Yet more DIY has been going on over the last few days here at Chez Valhalla. I've now laid in total about 4 square metres of concrete for my driveway, with just 26 square meters to go. There are two tricky parts to this process, firstly the fact that I want to keep the driveway useable while I work on it; secondly the fact the soil is so compacted after years of being driven and parked on that it's almost as hard as the concrete I'm laying.

The first problem neatly solved itself. It's not possible. Despite displaying reversing skills that would put the World Reversing Champion to shame (is there such a person? If so, why??) I managed to drive straight across some 18 hour old concrete and destroy the edges. Luckily, I then broke my ignition key, thus rendering vehicular travel unviable anyway.

The second problem I've solved by obtaining a mattock. This, for those that don't know, is one of the oldest tools on the planet, a kind of wide bladed pick-axe. It's the sort of thing Ray Mears would use, though obviously, his would be made of deer antlers. In the years that I've been doing things in the garden I have yet to come across a more versatile tool (or as offensive a weapon, for that matter).

Best of all "mattock" sounds almost as much like a swear word as "spatchcock" does.