Dave the soil slave went stone picking for two days this week for a farmer friend.
Four acres were reclaimed and lots and lots of stone awaited us to pick:
We had the Manitou telescopic loader to help us.
I'm stiff as a board tonight but it was good hard graft and there's still life in the old dog yet.
I looked at some drystone walls and thought to myself the farmers long ago must of ploughed their fields and picked the boulders and stones and use them for dividing fields and building walls for livestock to shelter from the prevailing wind and rain. Weren't they resourceful?
We used to go stone picking every year for my grandfather, walking along behind the tractor and tossing the stones out. It always amazed me that no matter how well we thought we'd gathered those stones, there were always more at next year's plowing.
ReplyDeleteI love stones. What will happen to these ones? Any projects in mind? Tim and I just picked up a small load of flagstone last night. It will be a walk way and garden edging around the greenhouse. The person before us got tired of it, and decided to try something new. He asked if we wanted it. Some questions do not need to be asked twice!
If you want to see the residue from the Ice Age go stone picking. I noticed so many boulders rounded by the waters of long gone glaciers. The stones will probably used for drainage stones. Crazy paving is a great way to make an hard paving surface. I love stone. It's such a natural material and dry stone walls are a thing of beauty.
DeleteThey were - my house is built of field stone, earth, a little lime and good dollop of cow shit!
ReplyDeleteThe farmhouse next door is of a similar construction with earth or clay between the stones. They didn't have mortgages way back when. Just you and your neighbours labour and toil and you had your dwelling.
DeleteWaste not, want not as they used to say. Hard work though Dave. Hope you had a long, hot bath and a stiff drink afterwards?
ReplyDeleteIt's like walking a long way JayCee. You discover aching muscles that you didn't know you had. The bath is still full of coal and that skirting board ladder. We burned the skirting boards.😊 Good idea about a stiff drink. Might try a vodka and coke later?
DeleteIt's the same here, fields full of stones and dry stone walls. one of our neighbours spends hours collecting stones and sells them when he has a small mountain.
ReplyDeleteIt's heavy work. Bravo Dave
Your neighbour sounds very resourceful Linda. The stones are great for rockeries and garden walls. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNose picking would be much easier than stone picking. Good work Dave!
ReplyDeleteVery true YP. Thanks!
ReplyDelete