One one summer holiday when I was between terms at uni...
I got a job for my mum's boss's daughter's husband (got that?) mowing a lawn. I thought this would be an easy few quid, so I accepted.

Unfortunately, the lawn I was supposed to mow was, without exaggeration, steeper than 45 degrees to the horizontal, and covered in clumps and bumps. I was then shown the lawnmower, which was in fact a petrol-driven hovermower, and instructed to tie a piece of rope around the handle, stand at the top of the hill, and slide the mower down and pull it back up. Also, I had to loop the rope round the safety lever to make sure the engine stayed running. Needless to say I was a little hesitant, but I persevered.

A little after 10 minutes from starting, my mum's boss's daughter came out to check on me, before asking if I wouldn't mind looking after her two young kids while she went to the shops. I couldn't really say no, and hoped they'd just sit inside playing. Instead, they decided to run around playing games in the garden, below the slope. I repeatedly told them to play somewhere else, and they did...for all of a minute...before playing exactly where they were before. On numerous occasions the lawnmower flipped over, and sat upside-down on the floor with the mighty metal blade flailing wildly, which just enticed the kids. They started throwing their toys, sticks and windfall apples on the spinning disc while I desperately scrambled down the slope while telling them to get the hell away from it.

Furthermore, I found myself swearing uncontrollably whenever the mower got stuck, or was about to flip over, which the kids delightedly repeated in my same, exasperated tone.

Over two hours later, I'd finished. Almost every toy that was throwable was lying in shreds on the lawn, alongside splinters of twigs and mouldy apple smoosh. The kids were running round thumping each other calling each other 'fuckers', and I was nearly collapsed from a combination of stress, exhaustion and likely heat stroke. I wandered into the house wondering how the kid's mother could have taken so long at the shops, to find she'd finished long over an hour ago, and was enjoying 'a little bit of piece and quiet' while I was out 'playing' with the kids.
( guffguff fuckes your gradeds balls!, Thu 28 Oct 2010, 18:43, 4 replies)

It never occured to you to stop mowing?

( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 28 Oct 2010, 20:11, closed)

Not really.
I was being paid to mow the lawn, not look after the kids. You can't just stop doing something because kids are pestering you...how are you supposed to get any work done? Usually when you tell people to piss off and stop getting in your way they do it. It's not like their garden and house wasn't big enough.
( guffguff fuckes your gradeds balls!, Fri 29 Oct 2010, 15:07, closed)

It never occurred to you to work 'along' the slope rather than up and down it?

(mersault, Fri 29 Oct 2010, 12:48, closed)

Um...
it was more than 45 degrees to the horizontal...so no. That would have been utterly impractical...
( guffguff fuckes your gradeds balls!, Fri 29 Oct 2010, 15:05, closed)