Square Yard Gardening

I had a job for a few years that involved advertisement sites on buildings and roadsides. If the council refused to grant permission for the advertisement the applicant had the right to appeal against the decision. It was my job to determine who was right - the council or the applicant. I travelled all over Wales looking at these sites. One of the criteria was the distance over which the sign could be seen. Obviously, the applicant wanted it to be visible over a long distance while the local residents took the opposite view. To measure the approximate distance I would pace it out and I soon learnt that my pace was nothing like a yard. Imagine how stupid I would look trying to stretch my legs to pace a yard whilst trying to look inconspicuous in a town centre!! Sometimes I'd take the dog with me so that I could pretend I was dog walking instead of walking up and down the same bit of road from all angles.