I'm off to Scotland to meet up with my friend and fellow waller, Norman Haddow, to work on some projects. He has warned me in a recent email that it's cold and wet and muddy where he is right now. (predictable Scottish weather) Like banging your head against a wall, it gives one a opportunity to feel incredibly good to stop doing it for the day, and come inside and get warm and dry again.
I am bringing a raincoat and gloves and overalls and a lot of changes of clothes. Several of my work pants are pretty well worn so that I probably wont have to bring them back when I hop over the pond again.
Speaking of hopping, here is a picture of I took of Norman in 2003, hopping over a wall. We had been driving around looking at some of the dry stone walls he had repaired the previous year when he noticed that one of the Ben Vorlich copes had disappeared from the new repair and needed replacing. She literally needed merely re-placing.
Norman had guessed right that the missing cope stone was still there, lying in the ground behind the wall, below where she had been knocked or perhaps yanked out of the wall. He jumped over the 'new wall to meet her' and after putting her back in place, hopped back over the wall. A quick fix, and we were on our way.
It all seemed not unlike the minor delay we air passengers experienced today sitting on the runway. The co-pilot radioed ground control about a missing contol, they found the 'new altimeter' and a flight technician speedily fastened it back in place.
A quick fix and we were on our way. Oh that everything were that simple.
A quick fix and we were on our way. Oh that everything were that simple.
