Dear Michael,

I rebuilt the wall in the shed, it doesn’t look like much of a job, but it’s solid. What I started work on it I’d walk around the garden, searching out the right sized rocks, and it was a good half hour or so until I realised there were many scattered around my feet. (Things I observed about life (and wall building!) whilst building a wall (of all things!)…
The last rock was the hardest to come by and had to be a very specific size to fit the hole in the, otherwise completed, wall….. it happened to be the one I was sat on!
Amazing how the tiniest rocks, set in the right places, can support the heavier ones, for years to come.
And how taking a single back step to see the whole wall can make you realise that the little area you were plugging away at, though very neat and compact, was not in line with the greater task at hand (and had to be rebuilt.)
Needless to say the foundation level is of greatest importance to the stability of the structure as a whole. But, that said, sensible reshaping of the top layers can go a long way in balancing out the whole thing. And who is to say that the foundations themselves, no matter how heavy the wall resting on them, cannot themselves be rebuilt?
Many small rocks, well positioned, are often more supportive than one big sturdy one. Though two or more of any sized ill-placed rocks means the faintest breeze will send the whole thing crashing down.
Some old rocks will not fit anywhere other than their original position, just as certain fresh rocks will not fill any of the old gaps.
Sometimes a heavy boulder on top helps slot everything into place!
A gap in a certain place will often make no difference to the overall strength of the wall.
Some rocks in the wall are better left untouched.
Some rocks will not fit anywhere in the wall.

Best Wishes,
Michael

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