Dig Diary - Tuesday 29th August - Day 14

Today it rained....and rained......and rained. Rather fortunately for me I couldn't get down to the site until late morning, and I must admit I did wonder whether I should bother going down at all.  In the end I gave Duncan a quick call who was very politely trying to tell me to get my a*se down to the site because it 'might brighten up', and he was right - of course.

When I did finally 'deposit' my kids on my most very kindest mother (creep, creep can you have them thurs and fri too, pleeease?) and arrived on the site it was absolutely p'ing down.  I thought to start with my eyes were playing tricks and it was some kind of mirage as people were actually outside doing something in the rain!! I pulled on my mac and my spotty pink wellies, and took out my equally as pink and spotty umbrella (can anyone spot a common denominator here? answers on a postcard...) and headed towards the small crowd to see where they had escaped from... The blue boiler/romper suit soon gave it away..  Paul ? Was he hoping he might shrink if he got wet through? (Hey that's my excuse).  As I got closer it all became clear - it was the metal detecting man, and a boy helping out called Tom, and they were again pulling finds from the spoil heap left right and centre. I wasn't with them that long but whilst I was there he discovered a pin, a military button and a key about 6 inches long!, Now how on earth did we miss that?! (they were probably in the top soil that the machine dug up).  If I hadn't have seen it myself I almost wouldn't have believed it.  I almost went running to get my own metal detector and then remembered a) I had lent it Allan Perry b) Mine wasn't as good as his and c) & d) I was hungry and it was raining lots.  Besides, he seemed to be having fun and it just wouldn't have been fair on me to intrude (it was bucketing it down). I had a quick chat with Paul about what I had missed.  We had the usual banter, he teased my pink accessories, I teased his boiler/romper suit, I wouldn't be at all surprised if one day I found him sat on the grass in his boiler/romper suit (it has poppers on) with one of those large novelty dummies around his neck…  think George Door's (shooting stars) with a quiff…   I have even thought about sneaking into his house at night and sewing some little bunnies on the front pocket, but if I was caught I thought that might take some explaining to his wife Lisa.

I left the boys to it, and surprise, by the time I got to the office ready and raring to start it was dinner time. I had no option but to sit with them and do nothing as I didn't want anyone to feel guilty that they weren't working through their dinner hour and I was ;0) After dinner the sun came out and it was glorious!! We all set about our jobs, I went to do a drawing of trench 10 with Dominic -  well he did the hard work I just measured where he told me to. Duncan set about taking some levels, Steve was drawing trench 8 and Katherine made herself busy doing various tasks. The metal detecting man (sorry I really should find out his name) was working on a spoil heap near us, he found a button with a Tudor rose design, a spur and some kind of token that says 'BIRMINGHAM P----D' -  it was fascinating. Me and Dom worked happily away whilst chatting (probably too much we discovered after we had done some of it wrong - sorry Duncan), and the sun got hotter and hotter. I found a small cameo necklace surround with stones (probably glass) around the outside edge - a nice pretty piece of jewellery sticking out of the side of the trench. And I would also like o thank Dom for not laughing at me for nearly falling on my backside about 100 times, as wellies are very slippery when wet!

For the last half hour I wandered around site and then decided to annoy Steve from ARCUS for a while, who was still drawing trench 8. I don't get chance to talk to him much, so of course I pick the time when he is really busy concentrating trying to get a drawing done! DOH! I must admit though I like to watch the experts at work.  Steve made that plan look so easy and I was enthralled watching him, and all too soon it was 4.00 home time!!

I can't believe how fast time is going, we have done so much, but we still have so much more to do. Trench 8 needs lots more work now, so I want to urge everyone to come and have a go for the last few days!!!!

Till Thursday..

Rachael Siddle