Dude 2

My final box was a bit more full that the last, and was my second male. The main thing that stood out was the thickness of the leg bones. Overall, the legs were the best preserved part of the skeleton, the skull wasn't in the best shape, and left arm was almost completely missing. Hopefully further research will uncover why there are some lumpy and bendy bits in places that are usually straight and smooth.
xox

Dudette 2

This was my 4th box of bones, and after cleaning and analysis was found to be female. She was a dainty little thing, but with great teeth - the best of the group. Apart from the bones themselves looking female, there was green discolouration on the coller bones, indicating she wore a traditional Anglo-Saxon female chains around her neck area. The only worrying bit about the skeleton is the one whole side of the skull that's missing... Hopefully I'll learn more about what that might be in my investigations.
xox

The British Museum

It's a couple of weeks since we went, but I'll post the images anyway. For one of Ed's modules, it was recommended that he go and see the Enlightenment exhibit at the British Museum. We both thought it would be a great thing for the two of us to as I wanted to go see the Sutton Hoo exhibit, as I studied it last year. Plus, entry is free! We had a great day all together, and we're definitely planning on going to see some of the other free entry museums on London. When you're a student, you need to economise while still educating yourself :)

xox

My Eddie in front of the Museum

Inside the Museum.

One of the collections from the Enlightenment exhibit

A big block of jade from the Enlightenment exhibit

The King's helmet from the Sutton Hoo burial

I can never resist....

Adolescent bones with rickets

Skulls!!

It 1



My Third box context was the most fragmented of the lot. The bags were full of shards, and I wasn't able to put them all together... The bones didn't say much to me either. None of the bones told me anything about the sex of the individual, or their age, so I was at a bit of a loss. Basically, I have to say "I don't know" on this one, which is okay. Chances are it's a male though, because I estimated the height and there weren't many 5'7" women in Anglo-Saxon times!

xox

Hallowe'en Party

Yesterday night, our living room was transformed into a cave in which we hosted our Hallowe'en party. Dressing up was mandatory, so we all got a good kick out of seeing who came as what. Ed dressed up as a pimp, Ben was a mime, Hannah was the Absinthe fairy, George was an Umpa Lumpa, and I dressed up as a 1920's flapper girl. In keeping with my genetic tendencies, I was on the floor with my dress sewing it a half hour before the guests were to arrive....
It was a lovely evening nonetheless, and I glad we did it. For Wednesday, Hannah and I are going to carve pumpkins so if we get any trick-or-treaters, we'll be ready!!
xox

T-minus 30 minutes, and I'm sewing the dress.....

My Handsome Man with me.

The Pimp Man of Copinger Close.....

ME!

Nah (Hannah), our very own Absinth Fairy!

George the 6'7" Umpa Lumpa

Ben, a non-creepy Mime.

Pumpkin decorations :)

'Spiddy' our pet spider!

Ben playing with his fire staffs in the back yard...pretty :)

Dudette 1

These are some photos of Dudette 1, my second box of bones. I had fun using the microscopic attachment to get in close to the cavity.
xox

The whole skeleton layed out.

Top down view of the skull.

Microscopic view of a cavity.

Microscopic view of some enamel.

Dude 1

To earn my degree, I have to complete a project and dissertation in this, my final year. My project consists of cleaning and reassembling the bones from 5 boxes. Presumably there are 5 individuals, but this may not turn out to be the case. These bones are from either the 5th or 6th centuries, and were found in Southern England. So far I have one male, and one female appropriately named: Dude 1 and Dudette 1 respectively. I'm now working on the third box, which I think is going to be 'It 1' as I can't really see whether it's a male or female.
As it is my project, I can take photos of the bones. Below are some photos from Dude 1. I will post photos of Dudette 1 later on.
xox

They're Back!!!


I checked out the pool again to see if there were any more squatters in the skimmer. Sure enough, there were more toads back!! I fished them all out, not without a challenge. Some of them were hiding deep within the leaves in the skimmer, there was a frog, and one little guy with a toe trapped in the basket. I released him safely, and got all the toads and frog out and into the handheld basket. I counted 18 baby toads, 2 big toads, and 1 green frog. I don't know what draws them into the pool, but they seem very happy there.

xox

Toads in the Skimmer!


Today, on my inspection of the pool, I found a few toads living in the skimmer basket. They had quite a happy little living arrangement in the skimmer, because the water level wasn't high enough to let anymore water in, and the leaves in the basket were too dense to drain the basket, so the amphibians were living in the sludge that had accumulated. Once I'd taken out the basket, let the water drain out, and taken out all the stinky leaves, I let all the toads go into a grassy patch away from the pool and other such dangers. Not before taking a view snaps and movies of them, though.

I love toads, not just because of their colour (my favourite colour's green), but also because of my nickname given to me by my Father... "Toad."

Here are a few pictures I took of my little green friends.
xox