Out and About with…Lisa and Raksha

News and views from the trowel’s edge. This week, it’s two for the price of one as Lisa and Raksha head up to Flaggers!

Talking with my hands, as usual…

…and we finally get the giggles.

…and Raksha doing the same!

Raksha and I got very lucky this week, with a whole day cleared to get out of London and spend time at Flag Fen. What could be better than that?

One of our main priorities right now is to spread the word in the Peterborough area about the dig this summer. Flag Fen is one of those places like

Roundhouses are delightfully warm and weather-proof!

the Statue of Liberty: when you live near it, you never bother to go. I lived in New York City for ten years, and only went to see Lady Liberty in my last week! We know from past records that most of the people who visit Flag Fen are from around the world, rather than those who can claim it as their local heritage. It’s our job to remind the community what an amazing place it is, how special and well-known it is around the world, and hopefully encourage local people to visit us this summer while we’re working.

So, to help with spreading the word in the region, our week began with a radio interview (linked on the www.digventures.com homepage) on BBC

Cambridgeshire, to talk about a fantastic bursary scheme, sponsored by Vivacity, for students with University Centre Peterborough. Raksha and I headed back up to do a podcast and interview with the Moment magazine, which is a really popular and fun regional publication.

It was pretty wet and windy at Flag Fen, so we ducked into one of the roundhouses and started a nice warm fire. It was magical to be snug inside the roundhouse while the weather was so miserable – when the interview was over, none of us wanted to leave! Though we did all smell of woodsmoke for the rest of the day – which is one of my favourite smells, and one that I am sure will be a big part of our camping life this summer during the excavations. We convinced the reporter and editor to join us in the trenches this summer and do a bit of on-site reporting, so we’re looking forward to putting them to work!

Check out the Moment magazine webpage – and stay tuned for the podcast next week, with a nice feature in the June print edition.

…And there’s this other thing about meerkats and beer…but you’re going to have to wait for the story on that one!