Separating the grain from the chaff (or rather the dead leaves from the lapillo pebbles

Any port in a storm, guilia. It works so why not??

No I don't think your mad gilia as I've been doing something along those lines myself!
I have white pebbles and different sized white granite with silica bits in it.
It is all covered with winter leaves etc., It has to have a wash to get the silica clean to reflect the sunshine.
Then they sparkle, and are so lovely.
But like you, I've taken to washing them in a bucket.
I feel such a noodle and do a bucket full then dash off to another job, hoping no one has seen me!
Really, there was I thinking these stones would prevent too much work, when I bought them!!

I had pebbles in one area in my garden here when we moved in. They must have been "new" at that point as they were almost immediately full of leaves once we arrived.
I'm afraid I gave up and dug them out eventually. Pretty but also pretty irritating!

Had I been in the Med rather than the UK, maybe I too would be out with a bucket!
?

It sounds a very sensible and therapeutic exercise to me. Like the kneeler, means once you get on your knees you can stay so for a while. I often weed out the dandelions from the lawn one at a time. Have a lawn weed killer but never used it.

We have granite chips in our front garden and we use the leaf blower to blow them onto the drive then turn the blower onto 'suck'. Easy peasy!

Sadly Kittylester the blower never worked for us. The pebbles were very small and would trap leaves easily... to make it worse it was an area next to a pond and we didn't want them going in there... and also if if rained the soft leaves became a mush in no time. But they looked very smart. ?

Same here NotSpaghetti re mushy soft leaves. Plus our stones are graded in around 3 to 4 sizes and the small ones would be blown out of place.
Nice answer for you though kittylester

Crikey, giulia, that's labour intensive! I put my leaf blower into reverse 'vacuum' mode, add my home made wire extension cage (to keep it six inches above ground) and it sucks up all the leaves but not the gravel!

I must admit, though, that I sneak out with a bucket of soapy water and a washing up sponge - to clean the trunk of a Jaquemontii birch.

It just looks so nice when it's squeaky clean and bright white (just hope the neighbours don't see me)!

The trouble with the leaf blower for me is that lapillo is much lighter than pebbles/granite chips so they would get
sucked up with the dead Leaves.