What caused this mysterious wet patch?

[EggBoxes]

As for most of us, yesterday was very hot and dry, so I was surprised to notice a wet patch in the front garden, almost but not quite, a puddle. This was about 5pm. It had a bit of an oily glaze to it, and was about the area of a plastic bag. The leaves on the side of the privet hedge near the patch were also visible wet. The liquid was odourless and tasteless, but felt a bit oily.

Can anyone explain what this was?

You tasted it?

First thought is animal piss. Fox? Wouldn’t have tasted it.

Err, why on earth would you taste it?

What did it smell like?

You drunk liquid off your garden?!

It was odourless, i.e. it had no smell.

I tasted it to try to identify it, because it's a mysterious wet patch and smelling it didn't provide any new information.

I don't think it can be animal (more likely to be cat than fox at that time of day here) because it had zero smell and our dog was not at all interested in it.

You tasted an unknown substance in your garden.

It was probably animal pee. But you tasted an unknown substance.

Wow. 👏👏👏

Omg I feel sick....

Please tell me you're not one of those people who runs their finger round the rim of the toilet 🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

I didn't drink it. I dabbed my finger on a leaf and then touched my finger with my tongue. A tentative taste is one way of identifying an unknown substance. Am I the only one who watches Ray Mears?

Are you under a flight path?

"Start a thread on Mumsnet" they said.
"They're wise and helpful and will solve this mystery" they said.

I had this recently. Check the underside of the leaves of nearby plants. You might find you have a greenfly infestation. They produce a strange sap that can look a little oily.

Then come back at tell us so we can keep thinking if it isn't the greenfly.

I had this recently. Check the underside of the leaves of nearby plants. You might find you have a greenfly infestation. They produce a strange sap that can look a little oily.

Then come back at tell us so we can keep thinking if it isn't the greenfly.

Neighbour's water pistol/hose pipe? Loving that you tasted it.

Are you under a flight path?

Not directly, but this was our thinking too. But I thought aviation fuel would have a smell.

Greenfly - we do have a lot of aphids on the new leaves of a shrub opposite the hedge, but nothing on the hedge and it doesn't explain the sizeable patch on the ground.

Water pistol, hose pipe - we thought there'd be a splatter pattern along the ground, iyswim? A friend had dropped off some cardboard, so it would have shown up very clearly if someone had thrown a drink or squirted a bottle from the pavement.

can t believe people are focused on the tasting.. typical mumsnet.

This happened in my front garden, just this week. Turns out, the water supply pipe is leaking and I've gotta get my (finally looking decent) garden dug up for repair next week. If it doesn't go away, shut off your water supply and see if the meter is still ticking over.

Also love that you tasted it, you're braver than me!

But I thought aviation fuel would have a smell.

It's not aviation fluid you need to worry about dropping from planes, it's the toilet waste.

I was just thinking of ice dropping off the fuselage.

This happened in my front garden, just this week. Turns out, the water supply pipe is leaking

Oh heck. That reminds me. We went away in February and the blink camera picked up a bit of a puddle in the same area. I was so worried that I text a neighbour to check (all was fine). We also had the waterboard come around checking all the meters for leaks. (That was quite cool - they come in to your garden, lift up the stopcock lid and listen with a long metal trumpet thing).

This could be a contender (although it doesn't explain the wet leaves).

If it doesn't go away, shut off your water supply and see if the meter is still ticking over.

Ah, but the leak isn't in line with the supply to the house, it'd be kind of parallel to where the pipe presumably runs to the pavement. Hmm...

ice dropping off the fuselage

Would that be oily? Guess it could be?

We're not really under a direct flight path for planes. We are more likely to get helicopters or RAF practising.