Going home…again

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.