Hello, Irene, Goodbye...

Today I was back on the Kilwinning Community Dig.  This would have been lovely, had it not been for the revolting squally showers which were rolling in from the west all blinkin' day.  Evidently, it's the remnants of Hurricane Irene, which has finally tracked its way across the Atlantic and is now venting what's left of its spleen on the West of Scotland...

The Boss was in one of his Do or Die moods, and so were the volunteers.  Jokes were cracked about the Western Front, going over the top, etcetera.  And there was an awful lot of mud. 

Unfortunately, my trench was severely compromised by the weather conditions.  We're down to quite a low level, which means trowels have taken over from mattocks, and trowelling a claggy glaur (good scots words here) was absolutely impossible by the end of the day.  But we did find a handsome architectural fragment, and a strip of lead window kame. 

And then I went horse-riding.  I have managed to graduate onto very creditable three-loop serpentines (after much practice) in both walk and trot, and while Molly is remembering how to bend laterally at times, trying to do any of the above with energy and impulsion is a bit beyond her.  But the more I work with her, the more she's beginning to improve.

Now the bad news.  I ordered the Dr Who 'Mannequin Mania' box set from Amazon a few weeks back, and evidently it is now no longer available.  Hmm, I thought it was only released a few months back, too.  Sadly, I passed by the opportunity to buy it in HMV, so perhaps this means I'm going to miss out.  I'm loathe to try mail order again in case the same thing happens, so I guess I'll have to wait until the end of the month and see if I can get it in town.

And I'm going to Tiree in October, evidently, to survey a Hebridean blackhouse.  Fancy that!!

Hello, Irene, Goodbye...

Today I was back on the Kilwinning Community Dig.  This would have been lovely, had it not been for the revolting squally showers which were rolling in from the west all blinkin' day.  Evidently, it's the remnants of Hurricane Irene, which has finally tracked its way across the Atlantic and is now venting what's left of its spleen on the West of Scotland...

The Boss was in one of his Do or Die moods, and so were the volunteers.  Jokes were cracked about the Western Front, going over the top, etcetera.  And there was an awful lot of mud. 

Unfortunately, my trench was severely compromised by the weather conditions.  We're down to quite a low level, which means trowels have taken over from mattocks, and trowelling a claggy glaur (good scots words here) was absolutely impossible by the end of the day.  But we did find a handsome architectural fragment, and a strip of lead window kame. 

And then I went horse-riding.  I have managed to graduate onto very creditable three-loop serpentines (after much practice) in both walk and trot, and while Molly is remembering how to bend laterally at times, trying to do any of the above with energy and impulsion is a bit beyond her.  But the more I work with her, the more she's beginning to improve.

Now the bad news.  I ordered the Dr Who 'Mannequin Mania' box set from Amazon a few weeks back, and evidently it is now no longer available.  Hmm, I thought it was only released a few months back, too.  Sadly, I passed by the opportunity to buy it in HMV, so perhaps this means I'm going to miss out.  I'm loathe to try mail order again in case the same thing happens, so I guess I'll have to wait until the end of the month and see if I can get it in town.

And I'm going to Tiree in October, evidently, to survey a Hebridean blackhouse.  Fancy that!!

Avian Update....

Terrible news!!

I just phoned Hessilhead, and evidently Jackdaw #2278 and Pigeon #2287 were both too weak and emaciated to pull through.  They died over the weekend, evidently.

Okay, so it's no great loss to the bird world, but it's quite depressing.  I thought that this time, they at least had a fighting chance...

They don't know the cause, and don't plan to find out, because they don't usually do autopsies unless there's a general problem to address.

But Squinty is still doing well, I'm pleased to say.  Her tail is definitely no longer squint, and she's looking rather dapper now the moult is almost through...

Avian Update....

Terrible news!!

I just phoned Hessilhead, and evidently Jackdaw #2278 and Pigeon #2287 were both too weak and emaciated to pull through.  They died over the weekend, evidently.

Okay, so it's no great loss to the bird world, but it's quite depressing.  I thought that this time, they at least had a fighting chance...

They don't know the cause, and don't plan to find out, because they don't usually do autopsies unless there's a general problem to address.

But Squinty is still doing well, I'm pleased to say.  Her tail is definitely no longer squint, and she's looking rather dapper now the moult is almost through...