There aren’t too many advantages to being an aerodynamicist, but one of them is not having to sweep up fallen leaves in the Autumn. Even when we had a garden the size of a postage stamp, it was a pain. Now we have two-acres and look after a dozen or so hundred-and-fifty-year-old trees, the task has, in previous years, been, how shall I put it, onerous.

Last Autumn, I figured it was time to apply a little TRIZ to the problem: how could I get the leaves to collect themselves?

It didn’t seem too likely, but on the other hand a quick search for free resources highlighted a couple of big ones. Firstly, the prevailing wind direction served to blow all the leaves off the trees and towards the house. Secondly, the shape of the house lends itself to creating an aerodynamic vortex that I could use to coax the leaves into a ‘trap’:

I’d noticed some kind of naturally propensity for leaves to find themselves entering the vortex in previous Autumns, the problem was it didn’t happen as fast as I’d like and when it did happen, the leaves tended to accumulate in front of the door. Which in turn meant that when the door was opened, the leaves tended to migrate into the house.

So what to do? How to increase the vortex flow rate? And how to subtly re-direct the leaves so they entered the vortex but stayed away from the door?

Another search for resources…

Realisation number one: changing the places the cars are parked changes the vortex entry. Park the cars differently and the vortex trap works better.

Realisation number two: outdoor plants. Judicious placing of plant pots lowest pressure point of the vortex and the leaves accumulate around the pots rather than the door.

Add a couple of days of experimental adjustment of car and pot placement and hey presto, we have self-collecting leaves.

Now all I need to do is wait a couple of days for the new mountain to appear, rake them into the wheelbarrow and take them down to the compost bin, then wait another couple of days.

A multiple hour chore now becomes a 20-minute game. Autumn? My new favourite season.