Charles HarperJan 28, 2023

“The Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA) was established in 1968 and is a registered charity that works to advance education in the craft and heritage of dry stone walling for the public benefit.”

Last year I watched a repair to a section of this wall near us. In this picture the blue March sky has a tracery of yellow-grey branches. They are like old bones contorted with new life springing from the yellow grass and lichen covered dyke.

#stone #spring #isleofskye #renewal

Show threadJo H ✈️Jan 28, 2023
@ChaHarper When I was a kid, I helped my Dad repair a section of dry stone wall that had fallen in our garden. It took us all day and a was a giant jigsaw puzzle. It’s still standing 40 years later.
Show threadCharles HarperJan 28, 2023
@futurshox My Dad was a stonemason and he could carry out repairs to fallen sections too. I'm glad there is a continuation of the craft here on Skye.
Show threadJo H ✈️Jan 28, 2023
@ChaHarper We are very definitely not stonemasons! So I remain proud that our work is still standing ;-) Dry stone walls are wonderful. Every now and again I find one here in Texas and it surprises me (I grew up in Gloucestershire). Perhaps the craft lives on a little here, too.
Show threadCharles Harper
@futurshox I found this: “The technique of construction was brought to America primarily by English and Scots-Irish immigrants.” From Wikipedia. I’m not a stonemason. So interesting to know that a craft we had experience of as children is thriving somehow on both sides of the Atlantic.
Jan 28, 2023 at 8:50pmWeb