Many years ago I was engineering manager of a large aluminium rolling mill in Birmingham.
I had about 20 engineers and 300 tradesman in my staff and Bernard, one of my mechanical engineers lived alone on a canal boat 3 miles from work. He was always rather scruffy and "aromatic" despite a barrage of hints from other staff - but was an excellent engineer.
One day he arrived at the office walking with a stick and limping badly. He had a severe pain in his right foot and heel. He was confined to desk work and I had to get another engineer to help with his duties in the factory.
This went on for about a week until one day my secretary came into my office with my morning coffee with most of it in the saucer, because she was howling with laughter. She had to sit down.
When she could speak she said that Bernard had walked into the office this morning without a stick, walking normally and with a smile on his face. The pain had gone.
She had asked him why it had vanished so quickly?
His reply "I found a collar stud in my sock".
Home 
