Report: Fun in the sun!

Finally, we have found a local source of working WiFi. So this blog is brought to you courtesy of the Inn at Ravenglass.

As it was only the first week of digging, the main thing happening was opening up all three of the trenches again and carefully cleaning them up, so we could see where we left the contexts at the end of the dig in September 2013.

Trench 1, with trenches 2 & 3 in the distance

There is also a mysterious fourth trench ... This will be used for Outreach activities particularly on school visits, but also on our Open Days on Friday 12^th September, Saturday 13^th September and 27^th September, so that visitors can have a go at digging

Meanwhile, at the compound we were settling into a new routine of putting up two gazebos each morning, and then taking them down again at the end of the day.  One gazebo is the Lake District's, where the Outreach Team, led by Holly & Kim, are welcoming visitors, giving them more information about the site, as well as taking people on tours. Ably backing them up are Ravenglass regulars Brian & Leo. The other blue canopied gazebo, which will always be behind the the first, is for our finds washers. If you do a session there, expect to be part of the visitor experience too!

Lake District gazebo and finds washing gazebo

Although we have many diggers from the local community returning this year, there are plenty of new faces too. But everyone, on their first day, has to have an introductory talk, including background about the site, health and safety, housekeeping, and so on.

Director Kurt takes roll call

The weather is being very kind to us so far this year, so the Finds Hut team (Janice, Rosalie and Sandra) are starting to bag up properly dry finds and happily contemplating even marking some of the pottery – no marking happened at all last year. 

WiFi willing, there will be another site report on Wednesday, when we're back from our 'weekend.'