There are some bloomin' lovely gardens being opened to the public for Crickhowell Open Gardens on Saturday, July 5 from 10.30am to 5pm with tickets being available from the Market Hall in the High Street from 10 am. Visiting ‘real’ gardens is a fabulous way to be inspired, get ‘doable’ ideas, and to chat with the people behind all the hard work, and chequebooks. There will also be plant sales and numerous refreshments and of course it gives you the opportunity to enjoy all the other wonderful things Crickhowell has to offer.

Contact [email protected] for more details.

Whilst having lunch in work last week after a shower of rain, I commented on the petrichor – that lovely smell of rain after a long dry spell. That immediately opened the door to several other unexpected contributions. Did you know that the noise that your rumbling stomach makes is a called a wamble; the day after tomorrow is known as overmorrow; combining an exclamation mark with a question mark at the end of a sentence – which I was always reprimanded for in school - is called an interrobang and that sick feeling you get after eating too much is called crapulence. I have obviously checked all these as I’m reluctant to trust what the lads tell me, especially when they are suffering with crapulence!?

A lot of the organisations and groups I speak for are always looking for new and interesting speakers so I have just the person for you!

Sean Adcock isn’t so much ‘new’, but he is most definitely interesting. A Master Craftsman, winner of over 30 walling competitions around UK, co author of TCV’s ‘Dry Stone Walling Manual’ and ‘Clawdd Construction’ (the only instruction manual on building Welsh stone faced Banks), Sean knows the craft inside out. Recently he spoke at the Jeju Peace Forum in South Korea, about ‘building peace on stone walls’ where he compared stone structures across the world, and how the craft unites people worldwide.

I think too many people choose a career or job with their head – to provide well for them ‘in the end’ – but I’ve learned to choose with your heart, to invest your time into what brings you joy every day and then to just let other good things happen along the way – because they will. And why wait until ‘the end’ to be happy?

You can see some of Sean’s work and contact him through www.dry-stone.co.uk or call him on 0776898080 Based in north Wales, he’s not averse to travelling either, as you will see on his website. Oh and did I mention that he was awarded British Empire Medal in 2024 for services to dry stone walling?

If you have an interest in the craft yourself or just want to support the vitally important work of the Dry Stone Walling Association, then you can become a member at www.dswa.org.uk You don’t even have to lift a stone if you don’t want to. The DSWA will soon have several Trustee vacancies and are also seeking individuals with experience in finance, law, human resources, business operations, and policy to offer relevant support. While professional qualifications are not required, relevant experience in these areas is valuable. You can contribute from wherever you are thanks to virtual meetings and remote collaboration and there are numerous ways to help secure the future of dry stone walling.

Did you know that the small stones used to infill and strengthen the centre of a wall is called ‘hearting’ and the informal verb ‘hearting’ means to love. I can see – and love - the connection.

Anyway, please contact [email protected] to have a chat if you think you can help.