Vindolanda

I have fingers like sausages... swollen, aching, electrically zapped with pins and needles.... have I got carpal tunnel syndrome? My trowel hands (I had to swop to my left as my right hand ended up too sore to use all the time) are killing me even several days after finishing our Roman dig.


We began at Vindolanda (again) in a multinational team; our task was to continue to expose the main road through the fort; 3 on the road, me on the possible drain (Yes I know I sink to a low level!)and H1 was to continue to expose the barrack wall (probably the centurion's dwelling). We had to deturf



then dig out the root/plough zone then start trowelling to get down to any finds in the soil. 6 weeks of hot weather meant the soil was brick hard- after 3 days- pass us the Nurofen for the aching wrists, shoulders, hands..... and pass us the pickaxe! We must be the only archaeologists who managed to lose a Roman wall and road rather than find anything. NOWT!



So our team was broken up and H1 and I got a small room in mid fort. We removed last winter's layer of deposits, photo (see photo above) taken by supervisor Alex and Director Andy then we removed flagstones and started to drop the floor level to the next layer. Please tell me why Romans are so blinking efficient that they have to put a layer of blue/grey clay under flags to prevent any movement of floor surface..... aaagh! solid,heavy,sticky clay & not a thing in it to find except my gammy fingers wrapped in gardening gloves stuffed with folded facecloths to cushion the delicate fingers from trowel.... to no avail.But we dropped the floor level down as can be seen from the second picture of that room (see below).



The redeeming features were a great team (to drink and eat with in the Once Brewed), travelling daily along dogrose and elderflower encrusted Northumbrian lanes and the occasional Magnum and cup of builders' tea to rehydrate in the beating heat. I didn't feel this unfit last year- age?

We have eaten beautiful strawberries grown by 'yours truly'.I am going to pick the mange tout for tomorrow's tea (all 6 of them!) D3's pumpkin plants are like Triffids. June is a month of roses- I am one!



We called in on our 'rainbow' friends J&K on our way to stay with D. in her beautiful barn conversion. We crossed the bridge to Wales ,visited Tintern Abbey and wished I. a happy 70th birthday. A meal in Littleton's 16th century pub and Wii extended the fun. J. came to play boardgames on our return- he never got to the Hoppings at all.