Colonsay

A friend invited me to Colonsay and Oronsay as part of an RSPB work party. The RSPB farm a number of areas of the two islands in a wildlife friendly fashion and there are always lots of jobs need doing, including dykes to repair. Other workers sniggered and called it a busman's holiday as we set to work. The corner of one dyke had tumbled into a gully that pitched out over high cliffs leaving a gap that allowed sheep to cross from one estate to another. I quite like my feet on the ground but the climbers roped up and leapt straight in, perching on the edge while they passed the stone out in a chain. From time to time we caught glimpses of Peregrine falcons as they hunted kittewakes from the colony below us. Packing up towards the end of the day, a group of sheep appeared from over the rise to cross in their usual place. As they got to the corner they realised that the wall now barred their way and they turned back to clamber about fearlessly on the cliffs instead.

Balmaha

First tick of the year last week. The ground has been frozen for weeks yet this blighter got me.

Bearsden

This shows the gable I have been working on with the cement removed, stone repaired and then repointed in lime. (See below for before) Some of the upright joints between the cant stones of the chimney flue - the large square stones set on their sides - had decayed arises - the corners of the blocks - leaving soft edges and insides. I had to cut them back and rebuild between them with stone and mortar. These thicker areas are still drying out, but even so, the stone already looks healthier than it did when the cement was rotting it. One stone under the cement render was no harder than a sandcastle. To remove it, I cut it in half with my finger and brushed it out.