It is difficult to believe but it has been over a month since we have done any dry stone walling. The weather has been a major issue (you can’t find the stones under the snow!) as well as turning our attentions to stripping out the cottages ahead of the building work starting.
Today was a great day weather wise – the temperature hit a positively barmy 13C. Although the wind was still cold, it was great to be working outside and only having to wear a t-shirt. Hopefully, we have many more of these days to come.
We spent most of the day building up the section of wall where we had already sorted out the foundations. Hopefully, tomorrow will be get to the top of the wall ready of the coping stones (which seem in very short supply).
Some of the material that has come out of the cottages during the stripping out will be used in the walls. Either in the foundations of the wall where they are out of sight (always a good place to lose the odd bricks) or in the wall itself (making sure no machined faces are on the outward face).
There were two 70’s type stone fireplaces in both of the cottages and much of this material will end up in the wall. I am spreading it throughout the wall so that it is not too noticeable. However, we got a surprise today when we turned one of the pieces over – it turned out to be part of a gravestone. I have no idea if this is a real gravestone or just a waste piece of stone. Either way, not quite what I was expecting to see a 70’s fireplace made out of!
