11 July

We're over half way through now, and to celebrate we're having a BBQ tonight - writing this as the BBQ fires up! James has opened 3 new trenches over various geophysical anomolies, uncovering some more ditches(!) including a possible prehistoric ditch running N-S across the site.

The beamslot has been excavated in Area 3, and having extended the trench, we think we have another beamslot running parallel to it (below, top right), with a small posthole next to it! Looks like a building!

Dave from OAEast came out with our 'mushroom on a stick' hi-tech GPS equipment to survey in our trenches. We're teaching everyone how to draw base plans and take levels using dumpy levels as a 'belt and braces' approach - and also because on normal volunteer-lead sites a really accurate GPS is unlikely to be available. James has also been augering the big 'moat' to the west of our site, and has found that it's pretty much flat at the bottom. Since it's about 6m wide at the top, it's probably a hollowway - an old trackway constructed, we suspect, to hide passing peasants from those living in the Big House!

Chris and Lynne are beasting through the lovely loose fill of a Medieval ditch in the bottom of Area 1, and uncovering some really nice pottery! This trench continues to surprise us:

Finally, since we've just had our site tour, here's a group photo of those of us who were on site today!