Pause for Thought

There are two reasons I haven't been digging in the back garden recently. One is that I had to take a break because of my daughter's wedding, the other is that I have been on an archaeology course for a week. With other volunteers, on a major urban dig, I learnt about the theory and practice of professional archaeology.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend for free as the course was part of a Community Archaeology initiative. Instruction and supervision were outstanding. I have to admit that it was a surprise to find that digging was a minor part of the course with the emphasis being to learn about the methods employed on and off site to fully record what is uncovered. In hindsight I see the sense of that. Reading about archaeology had not prepared me for the rigorousness of the actual practice.

I have dual interests, one for my personal efforts and the other for initiatives within the wider area of the parish in association with a local history group. I need to mull it all over ......

I find myself mulling over the significance to me of single-context recording, the hand-drawing of contexts and the relevance of the matrix to my efforts in the back garden.

Hopefully I won't be mesmerised into inactivity .....