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.
