stephbg | Road works or A visit from Jackson Pollock

Some time ago, perhaps August, we received a letter from our local council advising that road resurfacing works would be starting in our street in the week starting September 8, and would continue for 8 weeks. We-thank-you-for-your-patience, vital-infrastructure-work, your-rates-at-work, increased-amenity, minimal-disruption yada yada yada.

So we circled the calendar, expressed surprise at the 8-week schedule, pondered how soon we'd be unable to access our own driveway, wondered how far away we'd have to park and carry the shopping, considered possible disruption to anticipated deliveries, made emergency plans should one or both cars become trapped in the driveway behind fresh bitumin or concrete. Etc. As you do.

Cue sound of crickets.

About five weeks after the alleged start date they came along and ripped up all the perfectly serviceable kerbs, except for the bits in front of everyone's driveways. Not long after this, the ripped up bits were replaced with fresh kerb, leaving a pattern of alternating kerb types and messy little gaps that probably spells "Worship Satan" in morse code.

I was mildly surprised to see the new kerbing, for I had thought we'd get a new road surface first. Only mildly surprised, for I lack confidence in my detailed knowledge of road maintenance schedules. We all have our weak points.

About a month after that, the fairies came and blew the loose sand off the surface of the road and I thought "Aha! New road surface ahoy!" Just like that. Really. Aaarrrrr.

But today, Jackson Pollock came to visit.

Yep, from a pale grey road covered in a delicate tracery of dark grey lines filling in old cracks, we now have a pale grey road covered in several layers of squiggly lines of varying darkness, framed by a satanic message in concrete.

Now that's what I call Art.