Belhaven Community Garden Revisited

Last July (see 27/7/2013 post) we built a dry stone raised bed for Belhaven Community Garden. Since then, they've had properly made wheelchair-accessible paths put in - which are great, but reduced the raised-ness of our bed by about six inches. And as the main reason for raising the bed was to have plants at a good level for wheelchair users to be able to appreciate them, they asked if we'd mind popping back and putting another course on.

One of their gardeners had had a go at it, but he wasn't one of the ones who'd been on the course, and it really was just some stones (and a piece of wood, perhaps meant as a seat) placed on the top of the wall. It still looked quite nice, but perhaps more rockery than dry stone wall.

It wasn't really a big enough job to justify getting the whole branch out, and as I live nearby, and as it was a lovely morning (cold, but bright and sunny), and as the rest of my family were going to help with planting in the garden anyway (all volunteers welcome, between 10.30 and 1.30 every Sunday), I decided to have a crack at it myself (I did text the other branch member who lives locally, but he didn't get my message until too late).

First thing was to take off the new stones, and then remove and set aside the original top 'cope' course of large flat stones, to be replaced after the wall beneath had been made a bit taller.

And then I just had to put it all back again, with another barrowload or two of stone added in ...
After lunch it clouded over a bit, but the rain stayed off, and by about four o'clock I'd got the new course in and replaced the copes.

And the sun even came out again, right at the end.