I don't know what his name is really but he's a nice fellow.
Found him nose down off the drive at an angle in a muddy place (actually there are few unmuddy places) and trying to reverse out, with the driven front wheels of his van digging themselves deeper into the mire.
The driver of a big delivery van (meeting it coming the other way could have been the reason for his predicament), and I, both felt he would do better to drive forward and climb back onto the drive in a curve.
He recognized the sense in that, but being in an anxious flustered state did the manoeuvre with much wheelspin among showers of mud... I feared he would bound across the drive into the deep, horrible ditch on the other side of it. He didn't though.
The interior lights of my jalopy stayed on until I noticed, in the supermarket car park, that the n/s rear door, hideously graunched by me months ago, was only partially closed. I get more gaga by the day.
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What I slightly fear is that the postman will decide to stop coming to the house and start leaving the post at the end of the drive like the newspaper. The post can be quite heavy when mighty tomes arrive from (e.g.) Amazon.
Sheer purgatory, living in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Dunno how I bear it.
Toujours gai though archy, toujours gai... a girl has her pride.
A couple of million tons of something called No. 1 are supposed to be arriving and being laid down the drive to fill the potholes and smooth it all out. There's a rival proposal for tarmac which I don't fancy at all.
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>> There's a rival proposal for tarmac which I don't fancy at all.
There seems to be an anti-tarmac consensus.... TBTG. Roll on the No. 1...
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Just be thankful they're not filling the holes with Number 2.
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What used to be called MOT Type 1 I reckon AC... a coarseish crushed limestone or granite aggregate. Though as there hasn't been a Ministry of Transport for some years I'm sure it must have a more up to date name by now...
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>> What used to be called MOT Type 1 I reckon AC... a coarseish crushed limestone
>> or granite aggregate. Though as there hasn't been a Ministry of Transport for some years
>> I'm sure it must have a more up to date name by now...
www.aggregates4less.co.uk/what-is-type-1-mot/
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The amount of apparently useless information that I remember!!
AC, if it helps put the cost of yours into context a few years ago 'I' needed a new track to provide access to construct 30 hectares of solar farm. It was 2 miles long, and 4m wide (nothing like mixing imperial and metric measures I know...) Level, hadrcore of some kind and topped with Type 1. That came in at £160k, plus the VAT squire, IIRC, though that might have included some other minor works as well... 2 miles is 3,200m give or take. So £60 per m including VAT to construct from scratch?
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My role is essentially advisory and interpretative. My financial involvement will be limited I think.
Anyway the die is cast, the large amounts of No. 1 will arrive and be spread... provided nothing big drops its wheels into the terrible ditch all should be well in a muddy sort of way.
There's a little digger thing that can be used to smooth surfaces in a rough-and-ready way. Piloted by a smiling rock guitarist of some but not supercolossal note.
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An advisory and interpretative role sounds ideal to me!! Though a go with the little digger could be fun...
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I put a hardcore road into my garden, so I could reach the sheds at the bottom in a vehicle*.
A local digger driver did it all, inc laying a bit of pipe for the stream to run under a small portion of it.
Cost me a grand.
I think I had 5 tons of it, (there was half a ton left over). Length wise it was about 120 feet and width wise, say 7 feet mostly, wider at a turn.
* tried it a couple of years back, before the hardcore road, in a series 2 Land Rover with decent tyres on. Got it stuck. My lawn looked like the army had been on manoeuvres.
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Doubtful WP. 5 Tons of fill/covering would not do that area unless 'painted' on!
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>> Doubtful WP. 5 Tons of fill/covering would not do that area unless 'painted' on!
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I agree. I've just shovelled 10 tons by hand over a section of track about that size.
We got some stuff locally called scrapings - mixed stone in sizes from pea to 2".
It's excellent direct on moderately firm bare earth, and covered to a depth of about 2".
For rutted ground or if it's soft or muddy, you need a proper graded foundation from large hardcore up to small stones or shale.
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"We got some stuff locally called scrapings"
I think that would be scalpings
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Thu 10 Dec 15 at 11:13
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>> "We got some stuff locally called scrapings"
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>> I think that would be scalpings
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You are quite right. I have only just learned not to call it scratchings.
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What is hardcore?
Should I Google it?
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See, it just goes to show that the White Collars are no better than the Blue Collars. O:-)
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hardcore roads are designated by blue signs I think... And if private there are no limits...
;)
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>> What used to be called MOT Type 1 I reckon AC... a coarseish crushed limestone or granite >>aggregate. Though as there hasn't been a Ministry of Transport for some years
>> I'm sure it must have a more up to date name by now...
>>
>> www.aggregates4less.co.uk/what-is-type-1-mot/
Don't forget hoggin ('oggin), a much cheaper material to buy.
www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/gardenstructure_hogginpath1.shtml
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Postman Pat - Armel Coussine
