Setting The Last Rock

One of the delights of dry stone walling for me is the celebrations at the completion of the work. Normally after a interesting project we have a get together of all those involved in the organising and construction of the job. Often there will be food, drink and music in addition to a ceremony which I enjoy where each person present signs their name and writes a message to whoever finds the bottle which we place somewhere in the wall along with coins or some other artifact which may be found 100 years later. The bottle of course has to be emptied before the placing. The wording varies enormously from good wishes to the finder or even a demand to repair the wall if they have broken it down.

The photos shown here are from a wonderful evening in Rossiniere in Switzerland when the final rock was lowered into place amid much rejoicing about repairing mountain paths in the high Alps.