Monday, March 14, 2011

The hands of time.



Even mortared stone walls when built correctly, meaning built structurally, the way dry stone walls have to be constructed, can withstand great upheaval and various calamities. This old ruin (a modern ruin by British standards) shows how masonry structures, having solid walls which are built stone-upon-stone, are able to last.

The 150 year old house on Isaac Rd near Roseneath Ontario has walls that still stand proud even after fire and time and weather have attacked it. What's more, these same stones (like those in dry stone walls ) can be used again in some other stone structure, instead of having to buy a lot of new material.


We changed our clocks yesterday here in Canada. We moved them ahead one hour. Don't ask me where that hour went. It's just gone until next winter when we turn the clocks back again and presumably we find it again.

I wish we could turn back the hands of time the same way and return to a day when skilled stone masonry flourished here in Canada.

Hopefully the resurgence of interest in proper dry stone walling which we are starting to witness here in Canada will begin to shed some 'daylight' on a time and tradition worth savouring if it can't be 'saved'.