Once more it was great to welcome trainees to South Mains. Generally courses have a higher number of men than women attending, but on this occasion it was 1-7. All worked really well together through the first day.
We worked on a section of wall close to the road and on the opposite side from recent occasions, in order to ensure not too much time was spent taking up tree roots.
Malcolm introduced the group to dry stone walling with a short talk on the construction of a dry stone wall, using Gregor’s excellent curved wall as an example. This was a branch project started under Gregor’s supervision and being finished by him.
The group then moved to the project for the day. With the drive closed to farm traffic there was plenty of room to lay out the stone from the dismantled wall, making it so much easier to find the ‘right’ stone later.
In the final stages of dismantling, everyone got to work with various tools, including spades, a pinch bar and even a tramp pick in order to ensure no stone was left unturned. Often the women stand back and allow the men to take over....not today.
At last it was time to lay the foundations. With these in place Malcolm demonstrated setting up the pins and line in order to ensure the wall was straight. There was just enough time to build the first lift before the end of the day. The group did a wonderful job in packing the wall in readiness for day 2.
Day 2: yes, it was excellently prepared. What emerged was that these enthusiastic trainees were really keen to build a wall and get to know everyone else. Coffee break took longer than usual. Lunch break likewise. Nonetheless, they were a hard-working lot. Around half of those present aimed to achieve a project of their own, so sales of information material and useful tools went briskly.
Thanks to Malcolm for his energy and enthusiasm throughout the day. It was 6pm before the group finally departed.
Once again Kirsty and Daan provided great hospitality with delicious soup and wonderful cakes