Another old hand was back on site today, Jackie McKinley taking a busman's holiday from her day job with Wessex Archaeology, who jumped straight in to help in moving yet another big rock. We're getting value for money out of the scaffolding planks and straps for sure:
As seems to be the pattern these days she arrived minus her luggage, so was wearing an assortment of borrowed clothing, but luckily she'd travelled in her digging boots. Thankfully her bags turned up later in the day, via a taxi from the airport to the boat, then on to Rousay.
We had started out the day with a massive photo session so everything was looking its best before we started hoicking rocks out:
Just as well as we had a stream of visitors, including a large group of marine biologists who have been visiting Orkney and working on the Skaill excavation just up the shore from us. They'd been out for a very nice meal at the Lynnfield Hotel (renowned for its large selection of whiskies as well as excellent food) the night before so were a little subdued, but seemed to be suitably impressed and some even bought our fridge magnets. Down in the roundhouse subdivision Elvire, Chloe and Keith were hard at it, working on the nice juicy midden deposits:
Elvire, after her amazing toggle bead of yesterday, had to be content today with a bone spindle whorl, nice but not quite in the same class as the bead:
And here it is in all its glory, properly photographed so its pic can be sent off to Dr Fraser Hunter (an old Orkney hand, having worked on the Tofts Ness excavation in Sanday back in the 1980s, along with a fair few of the current Swandro excavation team) at the National Museums Scotland for his opinion:
Elvire definitely seems to be on a winning streak, we'll have to wait and see what she finds tomorrow!