Cycling

A late start for Duncan, Justin and me due to the UCI world championships and resulting road closures.  Barry was a bit later still having spent the morning trying to finish another Quaker wall at Scotton. The day was dry but the ground was pretty treacherous from the previous days rain.
Duncan, Barry and Justin finished off the 1st section and put toppers on it whilst I slithered around lower down the wall. We now have a mini check end and a few meters to finish off.
The late start meant an new concept - afternoon tea! with tea and very nice ginger biscuits sustaining us till quarter to five, in time for the roads reopening after the cyclists has wizzed through.

Prior to lunch

After Lunch

Afternoon tea!

Flat Topper on!

Front of the wall at the end of the day

Richard H.
No. Wallers: 4

End in sight?

A lovely bright day for Catriona, Barry, Rod, Graham, Duncan and myself to crack on with Justin's wall. The steepness of the current section was eased by a dry spell so the ground was a bit less slippery than usual, but it still proved a bit awkward to manoeuvre the stone in such cramped conditions.Graham and I worked on the newest section, whilst Barry Rod Duncan and Catriona brought the older section to 1 or 2 courses from topper height.

A mornings work

End of the day

Richard H.

No. Wallers: 6

Hillend

The day started pretty unpromisingly, the journey to site peppered some proper downpours, but apart from a soggy first hour the rain stayed away. The sun came out accompanied by a fine gusty wind which late in the day blew our tea and biscuit tray clean orf the wall. 

Conditions underfoot were still less than ideal as Catriona, Duncan, Rod and Graham slithered in the mud and did a valiant job of clearing and partly rebuilding the last section of wall. Justin, meanwhile, cleared the tumbled section of wall that had fallen down to the pathway, then helped me put flat toppers on the completed section of wall.

We left in dribs and drabs and had all left by 4 o'clock.

The photo's are of the end of the day, unfortunately  my phone had a giddy half hour; when it thought it was 3 AM some time last century, and failed to save the photos I'd taken in the morning; presumably because smart phones didn't exist back then and the photos were therefore an anachronism.

Richard H.
No. Wallers: 6

Back to Hillend

Another good turnout today with 5 of us going back to Hillend. The weather forecast promised a fine rain free day, so of course it belted it down, (in fit's and starts).
Barry sorted out a few problems left over from our last stint whilst Catriona and I brought the rest of the wall up to topper height. Graham and Duncan did the selfless work of tidying up the remaining stone and starting to take down the next section.
We retired to Justin's workshop when the rain became really heavy and called it a day at 2 ish when the combination of wetness and a steep bank threatened our unblemished accident record.

 Front of wall at the end of the day

Back of wall at the end of the day

The fruit of Duncan and Graham's dismantling efforts

Richard H.

No. Wallers: 5

Finishing off at Brookside

A good sized team turned out for the last week at Fellbeck. Graham and I scoured the site for toppers, whilst the rest of the gang added the two extra courses needed to bring the wall up to hight. Duncan, Catriona and Barry on one side and Rod on his own on the other side valiantly trying to keep up. The rain came a bit earlier than forecast so we carried on through lunchtime in order to finish off the job; get the toppers on and tidy up.

Morning Break

Richard H.
No. Wallers: 6

A new Waller!

Duncan’s  keen navigation skills meant an early arrival for his introductory walling session so he was ready & waiting when Paul & Barry turned up, soon to be joined by Roderick.  Catriona had sent apologies having to supervise workmen who failed to appear the day before.
After straightening one of the pins that must have been used as a scratching post by a grazing beast, the lines were set and courses laid. Much use of the hammer testified to an awkwardness of available stone. Duncan demonstrated a good eye for stone dimensions and got a feel for the character of the sandstone and we were pleased to have his assistance.
Showery conditions after lunch developed into more persistent rain so we called a halt at 2.30 before getting soaked.
Another course and a half will bring the wall to height: sourcing and shaping toppers will be a challenge on our next visit.

Barry S.
No. Wallers: 4

Soogy Summer

Rich, Catriona & Barry ascended into the Fellbeck cloud to continue the ‘Hammerson’ stint from last week. Despite the inner warmth bestowed by ginger cake, the increasing precipitation drove us away at 2pm. However a good depth of stone brought the courses up quite well during the morning’s work with a sound basis for the next session.

 Morning break

 After the rains came

Barry S.
No Wallers:3