Retaining wall by Russ Beardsley

Here is a fine example of a retaining wall. Although not yet complete with coping rocks it does show how the back should be filled with hard material which will allow adequate drainage. In addition the wallend is constructed in traditional style. For more of his work go to http://www.borrowedground.com/ 

On the 1st of March I am posting a very unusual picture.

Turf coping by Jason Hoffman

I have posted several of Jasons dry stone features in the past and this one shows the system of turf coping which was once quite common in the hill farms in the West of Scotland but now rarely seen . Usually the turf is either heather or a double layer of grass. The sods are cut much thicker than those normally provided for lawns. The lower layer is placed with the vegetation down which acts in the same way as a coverband. Often in a dry summer the grass will turn brown but will return to its fresh green whenever the rain arrives. Not a long wait in most parts of our country. To see more of Jason's projects go to http://www.stoneinspired.com/

The next posting on 25th Feb. is a retaining wall by North American waller Russ Beardsley.

Johnny Clasper

Johnny is a sculptor and dry stone waller who blends the two disciplines brilliantly. He clearly is fascinated by dry stone  and scorpions. He calls his work playing. I like that .
For a good look at his creations go to  http://www.johnnyclasper.co.uk/ 

My entry on 21st. Feb shows recent work by Edinburgh dyker Jason Hoffman

More from the UAE

Some dry stone work close to the city of Fujairah. The lower photo shows where a recent archeological dig took place. It is thought that the round structures were ancient burial mounds close to a farm.

My entry on 13th February is of something my Grand-daughter found on the roadside. It raised a question that I could not answer perhaps someone else can.

Landscaping by Willie Cassidy

Another example by local Crieff waller. Willie changed this garden close to an old cottage in a dramatic manner. These three shots show how the building is now protected from water seepage by earth moving and a retaining wall.The first illustrates the earth moving required. Second shows how it looks now and the third is a photo of the cottage before the reconstruction of the garden.
The entry on 15th January show the reconstruction of a well in Switzerland.

Wall End for the New Year

This strong wall end was constructed by local dry stone waller Willie Cassidy. Originally from Glasgow, Willie now lives in my local small town Crieff. He does some fine work and we plan to do some features together in 2011. More news of that later in the year.

Andy Loudon

A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL

This colourful wall helped to earn Andy his Master Certificate with the DSWA. To see more of his work go to http://www.drystone-walling.co.uk/ 

The next entry is a  wall end built by Willie Cassidy a waller in my home town of Crieff.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

A very happy and prosperous 2011 to all.

Colourful Feature

Thsi delightful garden setting was created by Andy Loudon a few years ago.. I felt the bright Autumn colours were a grand cheerup to counter the deep mid winter here in Scotland. More from Andy after New Year along with a link to his website.

Quiet Time after Feast

The cat in this photo sent in by Mark Jurus looks so comfortable. This is how I felt after eating my Christmas dinner. It is that quiet time when even I am happy to relax and not think about building walls for a day or two.
Go to http://rockinwalls.blogspot.com/  to see more about Marks's dry stone activities and another picture of the comfortable cat.
Autumn scene from Andy Loudon on 31st. December.