Discoveries
I have been sort of busy all day.
Herself has been bitching for some time now [nearly forty years?] and her latest cause for complaint is the front driveway.
I had to concede that it did look a tad on the scruffy side as it was half gravel, half weeds and had bits of black stuff flapping around in the breeze. I decided to make a start on it, and in the course of my labours I made a few discoveries.
The first discovery was that the black membrane stuff they lay under gravel to stop the weeds isn't rot proof. I discovered that when I pulled on a loose bit and ended on my arse with a tatty piece in my hand. The fucking stuff had rotted.
The second discovery was that the black membrane doesn't actually work. The idea is to prevent weeds growing but what happened is that shit washed in from the lane during all the numerous rainstorms over the years, had mixed with the gravel and had provided a nice fertile bed for weeds.
The third discovery was that I didn't need an extra ton or two of gravel to fill the thin patches. Over the years, the gravel had sort of migrated to the edges so it was thin in the middle and quite deep around the edges. All I have to do is de-weed the edges and then rake the surplus back into the middle.
The fourth discovery is that gravel is fucking heavy stuff to rake.
The fifth discovery was that dog shit, when left in the rain for a while goes all squishy between the fingers. It's a lot worse than the fresh stuff.
The bits I have repaired look a lot better now.
I'm thinking of charging a toll to use it.
Hot tip.
Twice a year fill a sprayer with white vinegar and a drop or two of washing up liquid and hit those weeds with it, preferably when its sunny and t'weeds will disappear. Or train herself to do it for you!
That's a handy one [especially the last bit]. Anyone know where I can buy a 5 gallon drum of vinegar? Will people queue at the gate thinking I'm selling chips?
We get ours 5l at a time or £1.95 from a Chinese supermarket courtesy of a very good friend who lives within walking distance of it not 150 miles away from it like wot we do. You could have some great fun with the off piste tourists who turn up and ask for directions if you have your vinegar spray in hand, suitably labelled, when
misdirectingsorry directing them. Sadly the manor will not smell like a chip oil afer spraying.Who are you going to charge for using your driveway? K8? Yourself?
K8 or any one of my multitude of visitors. I can also charge myself thereby incurring tax deductable expenses.
Thanks for the tip Bill, does it have to be white vinegar? If red will do there's usually a surplus of home-made wine in the area come September/October and most of it is pretty much 'vinegar'!
No any type and colour will do the job. I use white as it is the cheapest…
Yer man Ron Dennis, team manager of McLaren F1 is so obsessive that twice a year he he has his gravel taken away and washed.