Sunday 26th June

What...a...scorcher!!!! Over breakfast I thought, ah well dull but dry, but by the time we'd parked up, we could feel the sun beating down on our backs. And it didn't get any better!!
First up in the sieving tent, me and Rita, tried to open as many panels as we could, to find that because of the windy weather, a lot of the eyelets had been attached to the main fram by plastic ties!. Not to be out-done, we got a fair few panels open. The breeze, when it happened was a welcome relief from the heat and humidity.

After tea-break it got worse as we relocated to context 4003. A right little sun trap. However, frequent stops wer necessary as Madam Blackbird ferreted around for worms and stuff. Me, I prefer a bacon sarnie!


Finds for us today started well as I spotted 2 pins in the soil, but this was followed by a lot of nothingness, but we did a good mornings work, taking back the raised platform to the cellar floor...well not all of it of course but 22 buckets in the morning and 33 after lunch wasn't bad going I don't think.

Meanwhile, Will was all alone in his little trench, trying to make sense of it all.....42 I hear you cry (or was it 41!)


The knot garden is looking, wait for it, blooming marvellous!! The gardeners doing a great job making it look absolutely gorgeous.

Catch up blog

Well for all my fans out there!!!( Who am I kidding) I'm back. It's going to be a short one but lots of nice piccies. My year of barreness has finally ended when in the dying minutes of last Sunday, I pulled from the ground a disc-like object. Will took a look and reckons that it's the 3rd of its kind that we've found on site, and it's a .......token. Still got to do a bit of research on this, but I'm very happy with in. In fact the smile still hasn't left my face!
And this is my star find

A remnant of the old lake bed - sand and gravel.

Knot Grden looking good again this year.

Fame at last for me and Rita. See if you can spot us on the info boards...

The blackbirds have been visiting us again. I wonder if they're the same ones as last year. They're very bold.

Coupkke of drains that Will's uncovered and Halliwell missed...by inches!!!

Never seen a bullet before. How small is that!

Sunday 8th April Day 2

Bit of a mixed day today weather wise. It started off really naff, with a few spots of rain, and then it became glorious.

Will had marked out all the features in the garden, but due to the rain yeasterday, he had to do it all again today. I had a bit of a disaterous start. Will asked me to tidy up a section ready for photographing, but I got a bit too close to the edge and the sides fell in! So a 30min job turned into a bit of a session as Will re-drew the goal posts, so to speak, making the section bigger!!
My section


The marked features


After tea, I started on the opposite quarter of the section from this morning. Nothing much occuring. Bit of glass and bone. The 1st quarter had given up some lovely tudor pottery but also some later bricks. The 2nd quarter gave up 2 bits of blue and white amongst the CBM! Sort of put the kybosh on the dating of this section. I'm so glad I'm not doing the interpreting!

After lunch I spent the afternoon in the sieving tent. It was really quiet all day, with relatively few visitors, but the Stratford Half Marathon was on in the morning presumably with lots of associated events so people went to them instead. We were serenaded most of the afternoon by a very good singer. Goodness knows where he was, but he played some really nice music.

Hot and tired, we left the house and made out way to the ice-cream barge. We've got quite a good tradition now, and more people are joining us.......

Sunday 17th April Day 1

Well it's been a long time, but going back into the garden, it's just like we've never been away. A smaller crowd this year with Adrian, Karen, new girl Rita, Kat, David and another chap (never got his name) with Colin joining us in the afternoon.

For my loyal followers (who am I kidding!) soz I've taken so long to get this blog started but what with Easter, wedding holiday all in the way, then I've been a tad busy. BUT I'M BACK NOW. Yippeeeeeeeee

Oh, right don't get too excited. Photos will come later.

So what did we do? Well a health and safety talk was followed by...guess what..... a stint in the sieving tent!....Oh no it wasn't, that came after I actually got my trowel dirty in the front of the garden chipping off a raised bit of dirt to get it back to the level of the surrounding dirt...then it was off to the sieving tent. Oh joy!

But hey, it's good to be back

Sieving

Will and David contemplating the spoil heap.

Can you guess where it is yet? Yes it's the Knot garden. The quarter we did last year...or did we!!!!


Adrian in his favourite hole

Dig Day Sunday 31st October 2010

This is officially the last day of the dig, so I hobbled along on my crutches. It was very frustrating watching people get on with things and me watching them. Main activities were sieving, although that had slowed down, felting over the exposed archaeology and then putting a layer of soil ontop. This will protect the archaeology until next year.


Adrian was practising being a contortionist in the pit at the front of house, which has given up it's secrets in the form of bone and pot, and when I got down to the sieving tent, David showed me the large pieces of tin glaze which had come out of the pit yesterday. All exciting stuff 'cos there's another 3/4 of the pit left to do next year.

As I walked past the knot garden, it was a shock to see it all filled in. Did I imagine it, or did we really find some fascinating stuff in this little part of paradise.
Will the gardeners ever forgive us for digging up part of their treasure? Life goes on as I noticed that they have already planted out the winter pansies etc.

Walking through to the sieving tent, I was again reminded of the dig's final hours. All the equipment, bar a table and a few sieves, have been removed.

And the final team photo (missing D & H who were in sieving tent)...roll on next March....what on earth am I going to do on Sundays now!!!!!

Dig volunteer's Party Tuesday 19th October 2010

Fortunately this event happened before I went into hospital. Having picked up Clayre and Sue on a disgustingly wet night, we arrived at the SBT very wet!!! We were one of the first to arrive and not suprisingly the last to leave, with Clayre on a mission!!
SBT had laid on a veritable feast of tasty sandwiches, snacks,sausage rolls and finger desserts, all washed down with a choice of red/white/rose wine and elderflower sparkly, for the drivers amongst us. I think I can safely say it was a much appreciated gesture.
It was great to see everyone together from Team Sunday, including those who hadn't been able to make it for a while due to other committments. Unfortunately Colin wasn't able to make it and the only other person missing was Will, but the bust of Mr. WS himself in the following piccie, made a pretty good stand-in!!
Below are a selection of photos taken on the night. Note the "rescue" of the unwanted sandwiches in the last photo.........






Hiya Colin. Can you give me your email address so I can tell you when night out is please?

Dig Day Sunday 17th October 2010

This is my last week of working at New Place. Some joker in hospital admissions has booked me in for an op next week....on my birthday!!!!!!!
Never mind. It's a beautiful day, sun shining, blue sky and warm.
Started off backfilling the knot garden. About 40 barrows between myself, Clayre and Will this morning before t-break!!! Not bad going.
Mind you, it doesn't appear to have made an impact on the spoil heap which looks as large as ever!!
After t-break took over from Heather and David who had been playing squares......!!!!
Did some potwashing before catching D & H busy backfilling........

Heather making an angel....
After lunch, Will took pity and put me out front to dig in the section of the large square pit. Found lots of bone, normal for this pit, plus med and late-med pot.

...and then this beautiful sight wafted over the town.....
All good things must come to an end, so it was with great sadness that I had my last scone and ice-cream.

Just a few pictorial memories....