Limey

It looks like the unseasonal weather we are having is going to give me a chance to start my yearly repointing early.The pic above is of the back of my current project house,its a gothic/queen Anne, Victorian confection built in 1850 by the usual culprit...a wealthy Liverpool merchant.Built on the Wirral to escape Liverpools pollution it has stood up to the rigours of the last century or so quite well.The major task at hand is the removal of cement pointing some misguided idiot has liberaly annointed the house with in the not too distant past.The hard mortar has caused the stonework of the house to start spalling and I need to replace it as soon as possible.I quite enjoy the solitary task of getting up rather high ladders(screw the elf and safety) and removing the offending mortar with various purpose specific tools.I use a lime mortar to replace the cement which means due to its nature its best I do this job in spring and autumn as Lime doesn't like heat or frost as it cures over time by reacting with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.Its a labourious task that usually ends up with the lime eating away the flesh on my hands but it does leave the house looking fit to last another hundred years...unlike me.