I can relate to that, when you see these old builders limping along the road that is a result of hand digging , back then if you could nt a jcb (3cx) type machine in you had to hand dig as there was none of these smaller diggers made back then. I’m 55 this year and still at it , I refuse to dig footings by hand nowadays it hurts for days after. Flint, sandstone , chalk, clay etc no thankyou .it was shovel, wheelbarrow , skips. Now it’s excavator,dumper, grab truck