Digger's Log: Day 2

A bright shiny morning at Cwm Pennant and our second day begins with the frantic search of highly needed cork boards. Got one! What may perhaps be every students worst fear came true and Mark spoke those scary words: "Let's do some gardening!" The task for the day- to clear overgrowth so that a line of sight could be established between the Upper and Lower Houses. To be completely honest I didn't quite realize how much "gardening" was required. The further we got with cutting down trees and removing thorny bushes the growing realization hit me that this was a whole day consuming task. It was just after the lunch, provided by Pete and his budgeting, that Hannah asked for 2 volunteers. Now that a few days are standing between me and that very magic hour, I come to the steady conclusion that was the actual beginning of the Diggatiers learning experience. Let me never forget telling you about out only male Diggatier: Will! That guy goes into a superhuman mode every time he is given a task. Jenna and I should only be so happy that faith, the lovely people in charge of the dig placements at The Archaeology Department at Cardiff Uni, and the stern but approachable Mark Baker all got us in a team with Will. Back to this learning experience I was so flatteringly talking about, I must probably admit I was completely ignorant of how to do the real stuff- those handy, dozens of archaeological practical skills and tricks on site that actually awaken some very odd, deep-flowing emotion in me. It's not as much the practical skills themselves, but being able to understand what they actually lead to... I do degrees. I try not to make a habit out of it, like for example today when I got too carried away while troweling my trench. I did it again! Not to keep the keen readers in suspense, this big thing that Jenna and I were learning to do was setting up a base line. In other words, less fancier than I would like, we were sticking pegs in the already cleared ground beginning from the corner of the Upper House. This was made with the honest intention of setting up the first base line of the project. That, of course, never would have been done by us without the careful help and guidance of Hannah, our bad-ass supervisor. At the time of our peg-experience, Will was taken away from the saw and was simply now moving trees around. Jenna and I got transferred from the Upper House down to the Lower House where we had to continue the base line. The end of our working day out ended up at the midden deposit by the Lower House where we did more clearing. Highly excited and moderately tired, but mostly delighted with everything I was told, we, Diggatiers, headed back the the Training room for some finds cleaning and recording. This was the evening of one very heated discussion over the difference between clay silt and silty clay. May the gods watch over archaeologists and their complete lack of connection to reality, which also makes it the most charming job in the world for all of us. It's funny to me how every day seems so far away in my mind and at the same time too close. Just like on a roller-coaster you just keep on going faster until the very end. Am I still talking about digs or is it all the same?