Graham told me his friend was always moaning about the wooden gate next to her cottage, the one that leads onto the common, which was constantly being left open. She petitioned the parish council, set up a local action group, started fundraising activities, like a bake sale, to fund a new modern springloaded gate that would close automatically. The mayor attended to cut the ribbon at the grand opening. All was well for five minutes until the first person used the gate when a loud metallic ‘bang’ could be heard as the gate slammed shut. This friend said the gate is right next to her bedroom window and wakes her up whenever someone uses it; first thing in the morning when the runners start their routes or in the evening when the dog walkers are out.
Well, Cyril came back from the Lake District and said up there they use a lump of stone on a rope to pull the gates closed; gravity harnessed apparently, and now this friend wishes she’d done that and kept the old wooden gate.
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The task to write a story from a selection of headlines in 10 mins.
