Kaleidoscope in Stone.

This amazing concept was designed and built by Star Rock Builder Thea Alvin at the DSWAC festival. Through the aperture one could get a great view of the Venus gate built at the same time. Thanks to Jason Hoffman for the photo.

An Amphitheatre!

I asked John Shaw-Rimmington what was planned for the 2011 Festival.. A Venus-gate and an Amphitheatre he commented casually. I knew what one was but had no idea about the other. Here  is the theatre after only four days . I couldn't believe how beautiful it was and how quickly it was accomplished. We sat, about 100 of us, listening to wonderful magic in the warm tree shadow slanting evening sunshine. The whole area was transformed beyond recognition. So much more was going on at  the same time. See the next few entries for the Venus-gate the plinth, the stone balancing, the kaleidoscope etc. Wowee. I am so glad that I was there. Oh I forgot to mention the marvelous food. and beer provided by guess who, Rock Hammer.

Helix in Canada

John Shaw-Rimmington has organised the construction of this amazing structure that he named the Rubble Helix. Although dry stone, it is sensibly sitting on a floating bed of concrete. I remember seeing this idea tried out in dominoes in John's kitchen. I was fairly sure it was impossible on a large scale. Happily I have been proved wrong.
From large to small see the entry on 28th October.

Ingliston Bridge

This bridge was built along with Irwin Campbell and his DSWA West of Scotland Branch.  It was part of a Scottish Garden Fair and sadly was only there for a few days.  On 16th September you can see me finishing off a wall round a field (a year and a half of work).

Tigh na Cailleach Rebuilt

Here it is the house rebuilt for the wee people of Glen Lyon. Using techniques which I learned in Slovenia,(thanks to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust) we built a double skin wall with corbelling at the top to support a 300 year old chunk of oak which had a slope of about 5cms from front to back to shed water. On top of that we laid flat rocks then covered the whole roof with peaty turf which is quite acidic and will help to preserve the wood. The helpers were Alex and Ashley Dudley Smith who provided the food, Tom and Pauline Beel who brought the wood, and Mel O'Flynn who took some great photos. All carted rocks from the burn up to the site off and on for two days.
Just as we had laid the last turf in walked Sharon MacLeod, a Canadian living in Boston who is an expert in Celtic literature and traditions. She  sang a very moving and beautiful song of welcome in Gaelic. This was an amazing coincidence, a happening from the other side of the world from a lady who knew of the stones but had never seen them before. We all went home feeling tired and very happy.
Thanks also to Jamie Grant for some of these photos.
Only afterwards did we notice the face on the guardian rock in the doorway.

Tigh na Cailleach

Here is how the house of the wee stone  people of Glen Lyon looked before 6 caring folk made there way up to the remote site to repair it. We had to deal with heavy rain , poor tracks and hoards of midges but we managed and thoroughly enjoyed our trip. We finished the job tired but happy. No one knows when the house was built but we do know that we are helping to continue a tradition which has been maintained for thousands of years.The stone family, ranging in height from the mother ( Cailleach ) around 45 cms high to her youngest child about 10 cms, is taken out in the Spring and returned to their shelter in the Autumn.  This helps to ensure that the crops will grow again successfully the following year.
The next entry on 26th August shows the result of the repair and tells of a visitor out of the intermittent blue who knew about and cared about these remote stones from the other side of the world.

Another fine wall by Andy Loudon

This wall with the inset has the feeling for me of an modern artist's painting.
The post tomorrow is a problem.

Good way to use a large rock!

A family picnic just before the work started.

Castle in the Rocks

This Slovenian amazing castle in the rocks, was occupied for many years by a brigand who seemed to be unassailable. Although under siege for over a year he had 13 kilometers of passages to retreat into and also access to open country for fresh food unknown to the attackers. He was finally killed when one of his men betrayed him . He went each morning at the same time to his toilet in an overhang and he was caught in the act by well directed cannon fire!

The next entry explains the problem of drinking water in a limestone area. 20:06:11

North American Repair

This fine example of Deeside walling was substantially done by a group of wallers from Canada and the USA who were visiting the Royal estate at Balmoral. You can see what they were faced with when they arrived on site.
The entry on 16th June tells the story of an unusual Castle in Slovenia.