Hey good looking....

Regular visitors may have noticed a bit of a change going on at Rock HQ, things are getting greener, tidier, more organised even. This is partly due to lack of goat, partly due to wanting to create safe areas for little t to toddle and explore the world without drowning, being eaten, falling to his death or being stung to bits, and also the Bernese Mountain Dog Treasure Hunt has galvanised us into wanting to allow visitors to wander around without treading in 9 different sorts of excrement (that we know about from identified bottoms) or wallowing in mud the depth and consistency more suited to WW1 battlefields than on a family fun day.
So it was with great excitement that I discovered that one of our neighbours, a Berner owner, had transformed the yard of her property with a lorry load of gravel for a pittance of a price. Where there was chaos and weeds was now a smooth carpet of Herefordshire gravel. Having established where she got it from, a local builders merchant, who got it from a quarry (not the one opposite Rock HQ, but one owned by same people 15 miles away) I decided that I would do the same, buy a lorry load of gravel and change our sea of albeit dryish mud into a nice play area.
Obviously the first port of call was the quarry, they would be bound to sell it cheaper than the builders merchants. Epic fail on that front. After the painful experience of talking to a complete idiot who had to take my name and address four times and point blank refused to accept there was anything his company sold that resembled the term Herefordshire gravel I waited patiently for his call back. He cheerily called back, quoting a price over three times what our neighbour paid through the builders merchants, the ones who got it from the same quarry, his employers. I told him so and was shirtlily informed that that was the price take it or leave it.
Having left it I phoned the builders merchants, and told them that my neighbour had got from them a load and I wanted the same, for the same price. He kept telling me it was not possible to get a lorry up our lane, as a fire engine could not get up there. Having lived here nearly 7 years and having had all manner of huge lorries up here I took a different view, yes they have to reverse but they can do it.
He would get back to me.
He did.
The price, four times what our neighbour paid plus VAT. Asked why the difference in price I was told it was because a fire engine could not get up the lane.
Somewhat miffed I called another builders merchant who has been most helpful recently, a Presteigne Building Supplies and told them of my predicament. I was not five two, blonde, and single, (our neighbour is and I am sure this had nothing to do with the first builder being so helpful) but I was in need of 16 tons of gravel.
Quote me happy.
He did.
From the same quarry, the same stone, the same lorries, a whole £580 plus VAT CHEAPER.
 Makes you think doesn't it.