Stayed to dig today. Up at 7, as usual, not feeling too bad. Mind you, with only about 4 hours sleep, I was probably still drunk. People gradually emerged, some a little worse than others.

Spent the morning digging out the drainage ditch – mostly clay though did find one bit of pottery. Very hot and sweating the beer out in torrents. Working with Ray who made the find of the dig last week – a lovely worked metal scabbard from (John thinks) a dagger. Possibly military and got David Rudkin VERY excited.

Had my usual bacon bap for lunch and the café staff actually remembered me! After lunch it was back into the ditch. John wants it dug out to the bottom (the natural) by the end of the dig – so everyone got in and went crazy. Then, at 4.30, the heavens opened and all work stopped as the site filled with water.

I got totally soaked and me with no towel! How could I not take a towel? And me such a devotee of Hitchhikers. After putting all the tools away I went back to the tent and made a cup of coffee while I assessed the possibility of packing up. There was none.

I rang Mirinda at about 5:45 but was very indecisive – it was raining very heavily and I was wet. Eventually she got annoyed and told me to ring her back when I’d made up my mind. However, if it was after 8 my window of opportunity would be tightly shuttered and I’d be spending another (unplanned) night in my tent.

So. I sat in my tent having managed to dry myself with yesterdays t-shirt and pair of underpants. I’d managed to pack my walking pants which were dry and my wicking t-shirt from yesterday which was ok. Although the rain was insistently spattering outside it was warm and dry in the tent. I laid down on my sleeping bag and read.

At 7 I rang Mirinda, miserable and wanting to go home. We worked out that I could pack everything into my pack which I’d then run into the car then I’d pull the tent down in the rain. The plan being to only drench the tent.

At 7.30 the rain eased a bit so I decided to go for it. I moved everything up to the meagre shelter outside the Osbourne Room then downed the tent. None of it took very long but it all still got soaked. As I finished I was chatting to David about the fine sunset sitting aflame upon the horizon. And then it stopped raining completely.

By the time Mirinda turned up everything (except my stuff) was bone dry. Before we left I showed Mirinda the site which now resembles a Lido.

Got home and had a brilliant hot shower! So that is it for this year.

The day started gloriously but with a few heavy clouds in the distance. It’s supposed to rain on the coast this afternoon which would be a pain. My pack is SO much lighter this time around. On the Havant-Fishbourne leg the clouds are getting a little fuller and a lot more foreboding. The trains are all running late. A group on this train have come all the way from Birmingham and have to be in Brighton for a wedding at 2pm. They are going to miss it because the trains are appalling. Poor things.

I arrived and pitched my tent in a gap – there’s a lot more tents there now! I went down to site and was immediately put to work with a shovel and then a mattock. Sam and Nigel were there. Sam said she’d been there since Wednesday and I was missed. How nice is that? Bev was pot washing so saw her at afternoon tea break.

Spent the rest of the afternoon clearing out watery clay from the bottom of the ditches. The site has changed heaps. Lots of new holes all over the place. Bev decided it would be really funny to smear clay all over my face and lots of photos were taken of this hilarious situation – it didn’t really come out as you can see below.

Sam and me on site

Before the bar-b-que, John gave us a tour of the site, explaining the initial thoughts on what the dig had achieved, explaining some things, explaining some were inexplicable. It was as informative as it was mysterious! They now have the job of putting all the data together and coming up with some sort of conclusion.

The bar-b-que was excellent. About 70 people who all started segregated into week groups then set to mingling. Met even MORE nice people. Talked for a while with an old guy who’d hiked to Macchu Picu. He was telling me how great it was seeing it at dawn from the Sun Gate.

At one point a student archaeologist (Leonie) went for a barefoot walk on the mosaics in the palace (tsk tsk). Thank God she took her shoes and socks off first and stuck to the edges.

We all (about 10 of us campers) ended up in the porta-cabin, as usual very drunk. Fell into my tent very late – it was after 3 because that was the last time I managed to focus on my watch.