Hello old friends, new friends, and friends-to-be! My name is Harry, and my wife Sam and I live in Maine, USA. (So apologies in advance for any Americanisms that you come across.) In my "real life" I copyedit and proofread computer science texts. But archaeology and history are in my blood. I've been volunteering at Vindolanda every summer since 2003, and hope to be doing so for years to come. I love the fort, the Wall, the region, and the people, and can't wait for each summer to arrive. (A pretty common sentiment among diggers, I know!)

This year there was a growing concensus that folks wanted a place online to stay in touch throughout the "off-season." So with that in mind, I've decided to set up this forum. This is my first foray, so I'm learning as I go. Hopefully in coming months I'll be able to polish any rough edges and make a site to be proud of. To begin, I wanted to create a space where volunteers, staff, and enthusiasts can chat, share pictures, discuss things light & heavy, and learn about goings-on. But in reality, this forum should be a place for every Vindolanda buff to enjoy. So if there's anything anyone likes, doesn't like, wishes was there, etc., please let me know!

Anyway, I look forward to staying in touch with old friends and meeting new ones. And I hope you all find this a fun and useful place.

- Harry

Hi Harry and Sam, have just logged on so will try the site out over the weekend - looks pretty good! Hope you're both OK. I'm looking forward to seeing you both next year. I'm back up at the Wall in a couple of weeks for a weekend of drinking to celebrate David, Hannah and my birthdays!! There will of course be some time for walking!
Speak soon
Anthea

Hello Anthea! Welcome to the Forum! It feels like the Twicey at around 4PM right now I know (well, minus Muttonchops). But hopefully it'll be a fun crowd here soon! Wish I could be a fly on the wall at the multiple-birthday bash. Post pictures... if you dare. :)

- Harry

Hello Anthea, Harry, Sam, Sandy, Andy and everyone else who might take a look at this site....

Couldn't resist the invitation to join all you Founding members, EH work will just have to wait hehehe :D

Great to see this site up and running... good work Harry and Andy! I look forward to keeping in touch with everyone, reading more of Anthea's great excavation commentaries, looking forward to 2007 digging and viewing some great 'boooof' moments ;)

Already looking forward to excavations next summer

Soph x

Great site Harry - Nice job! Hi to everyone else too, I hope you are all well. Anthea sorry I didn't stop when I passed you on the bike the other weekend, by the time I realised it was actually you, I was way down the road. Anyway, I'll try and ratch a few pics out of the hard drive, including an absolute cracker of Anthea, :P and post them as soon as I can.

Justin

Hi Harry and Everyone:

It was a great privilege and a wonderful learning experience to excavate at Vindolanda last year, and I hope to see y'all (there I go again) again in 2007, provided of course that Andrew and Justin don't throw up their hands in horror and ban me from even showing my face anywhere in central Northumberland.

I shall try not to be as manky as I was in 2006, at least.

Hello Everyone,

What a great idea harry setting up this forum....

I would just like to echo what eric said it was a great privilage and a wonderful learning experience last year and I JUST CAN NOT WAIT for the 07 season to start....

Hope everyone is well and with luck i might catch up with a few of you next summer...

Alex...

OOOO Hello everyone! How exciting!

Well just to let everyone know I shall be digging at Vindolanda again this year, YAY what fun! at the end of June, and beginning of July :)

Am having lots of fun at Cambridge... and obviously enjoying all the academic stuff, though slightly disappointed that I won't be able to study Roman Britain stuff until next year :(

But there is lots of mention of Hadrian in my lectures at present: beard, wall and all! (We are actually studying the Second Sophistic, but I'm sure veyr few of you actually care about this, so I'll keep silent on the subject...)

Hope you are all well, and see you soon! (provided i can get accommodation at the Youth Hostel ... :s )

Lots of love,

Felicity XXX

Hello, hope this works. All this computer trickery is a bit much for me. Should be digging again too as long as I can sort out why my form won't go. Technology is very troublesome.


Trudi

Harry-
Great forum. Those of us braving the chill wintery conditions in April talked about the what if of a forum. You have made it happen! Oh and it was wintery in April. To a couple of Florida born, hot weather, diggers sleet is rarely seen! This year I'm thinking June would be more my style for weather.
Thanks again, Harry, and a big HOWDY to all the rest of the forum members.
Matt

Hello everybody! It's so great to see so many familiar names and new ones as well! Felicity, I can't wait to crowd the spoil heap again next year. ]8^) Trudi, well done on the technology bit. Boil any animal heads lately?? Matt, nice to meet you. I grew up in Orlando myself; the move to New England was definitely a shocker.

We were down in the teens last night here in Maine (for you Centigrade people that's about -10 on your scale). Why again did we move here?

Anyway, welcome all to the forum!

- Harry

Wooo... really looking forward to 07 season. Going to be great to see everyone again!! :D

Hi everyone,
I have just discovered the forum. I am so glad it is up and running. Well done Harry for setting it up. I will be back at Vindolanda in 2007, last two weeks of May and can't wait to dig again. Nice to see some familiar names here.
Kate.
Here is my blog addy for anyone who wants to say hello:
http://journals.aol.co.uk/bobandkate/AnAnalysisofLife/

Hi Harry & everyone else!

I've been watching the forum for a while (It's great Harry! :) ) and thought I should really register!

For those of you don't know me, I part of the Vindolanda team, based in the Museum with the pleasurable task of helping Andy process all of the excavation volunteer applications....so I probably know you all on paper!

For those who do know me...I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in 2007 - if not on site, then socialbly!

Really enjoying the forum.....

Fiona

Hello all! Sorry I've been MIA, didn't realize the forum was up and running yet. Harry, fantastic job, I truly admire your computer skills...and we all know that girls admire guys who have skills (for all the Napolean Dynamite fans out there). But really, I big thank you to everyone who worked on this, it's a nice way to keep in touch and see what's going on with everybody.

-Britt

Hey there Everyone-

Well, now that I have just had ALL of your names pass over my eyes I thought I would chime in on this terrific website. I have just entered everyone's bookings into the list of excavators for the 2007 excavation season, and I have one thing to say. FANTASTIC! Oh, one more thing - if you haven't booked in, do it now!! We're filling up fast! We have some terrific weeks planned, full of old names and new ones as well. I can't wait to see everyone again and to meet all those who will be joining us for the first time.

If you don't know me, I'm Beth, and I supervise excavations with Andrew from May-August. I'll be arriving earlier than usual this year in the very beginning of May, but unfortunately I need to leave mid-August in order to revise for some daunting doctoral exams. Wish me luck when you see me - I'll need it!

I look forward to seeing and meeting everyone in 2007. In the meanwhile have a terrific Thanksgiving (actually that's today - a shout out to those rebellious colonists out there) and a very happy winter holiday season! Thanks for everyone's continual support and all of the good times!

Best,
Beth Greene

Woot woot to Turkey Day! Hi Britt, Beth, Fiona, everybody. Awesome to see you guys here! And Beth, I'm -so- psyched you still have the pirate picture. :)

It's great to see so many folks signing up. And I'm working with the service provider to up the file space. Hopefully we'll be able to post larger files soon. Andy's got a few files he's just itching to upload. Talk about mad skills. Keep watching!

- Harry

PS: Did anyone see the BBC and CBBC shows they were filming back in July? How'd they come out??

Hi everyone! my name is Rob, i'll be digging this coming summer from August 12-23.

I'm in 3rd year university here in Canada, taking Classical Studies and Greek and Roman Archaeology, so this is pretty much a dream come true. When i visited Vindolanda this past summer and saw the digs going on, i knew that i had to get involved as soon as possible. anyways, i'm very excited! see some of you in 8 months or so.

Hi Rob! Great to meet you, and welcome to the site. I think you're going to have a blast next August. There's just no place quite like it. If there's anything you'd like to know about what to expect, etc., ask away. I'm sure plenty of folks here would be happy to misinform you to the best of our abilities. :lol:

- Harry

Just saying hello from Co Durham to all the above people.


It is good to see how enthusiastic and loyal to Vindolanda so many seem to be.


look forward to meeting some of you at the site this year


Chris

Hello

Just thought I would say hi, having just joined after a fabulous week of excavating (April 1st -5th). :D

Yes, I was brave enough (or should that be stupid enough! :D ) to excavate for the first week of the season. Judging by the finds, I'd say that it's goin to be a fine season this year!

Heather

Hello!

I'm Heather's big sister and I agree with everything she's just said, so I won't repeat it all!

This site's good, isn't it...

Sarah x

Hello all

Just finished a dig with Andy 8 - 12th April. The weather was great for the time of year, (always bring your sunblock, I have burnt ears).

Finds were interesting and we dug through enough boulder clay to build a new motorway!

A good start for the new season.

Nice to see some new volunteers and a few veterans.

Good luck and happy hunting

Jim & Dilys

Hi Dilys and Jim
I've posted a coupleof photos on the 'Digger's Journal'.
How could you forget to mention all that gravel?!
Hopefully see you again donw a hole somewhere! :blink:
Sue

Dear all

Congratulations Harry and Sam on the birth of little Ruby -

What's been happening on the dig this last week (15 April) Jim and I shared our bit with Paula - another serial digger - from Minnesota - Paula hope you got home ok. We carried on finding part of a wooden key right at the bottom of your bit in amongst the clay and water - we said we would find something else at the end!!

As you know, the Friends Annual Meeting is Saturday evening 30 June 2007, and you will be aware that Robin is retiring - it would be nice if as many diggers as possible were able to attend to give him a good send off! Personally, I can't see Robin every really retiring as the thought of finding anything with inscriptions or writing tablets would see him running to the site. His enthusiasm and passion has truly been the foundation for what is a lifetime's work.

Seriously, pass the word onto all diggers - try and get to V for 30 June 2007 and make it a special celebration for Robin, Pat, Andy, Barbara, Justin, the Board and all the staff who work hard to make V a good day out and encouraging visitors to return.

We're back 26 May, June and August - completely mad, of course. It gets really annoying, our jobs just keeps getting in the way.


Love to all - Carpe Diem - Dig Dig Dig!
Dilys and Jim Quinlan
x

Greetings from Canada.

I've just signed up and I'm looking forward to putting in an application to come and dig in 2009. I've done a little digging and I would love to work at Vindolanda for a week or two. Looking forward to getting to know folks over the next while.

BTW - I've been in Canada since I was 9 years old (44 years ago!) but I was born and mostly raised in Bristol, so a trip to Vindolanda will be a trip home as well.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy the updates on the wedig site as the excavations progress through the season. I will be asking as many volunteers as I can to post their pics and thoughts on the wedig site this year so there should be plenty to wet your appetite.

best,

Andrew

Hello Jim! Great to have you aboard. The site's been a bit quiet through the off-season, but activity should start picking back up as the start of the dig nears. We're simple folk; show us a few squared stones in a row and we start brimming with enthusiasm!

Best,
Harry

Hello Jim,

Big welcome to the site mate....


Alex,

Thanks all for the warm welcome. Seems like a friendly place.

I'll be checking in often to see how the excavations progress this year. I'd also be interested in tips from some "old hands" on how to keep the costs down for accomodation etc. For me to come I have to factor a plane ticket into the picture.

Not that the cost of participating is high. Here in Canada to dig for a week at Fortress Louisburg is something like $850-$900 I believe. :o

Cheers and thanks

Jim

hello to everyone i live in co.durham and its great to see how far you are all travelling from, I hope to see you all soon and have a great year digging hope its better weather this year.

Hello youngrelic69,

Big welcome to the site mate....


Alex,

Hiya

im another newbie from surrey this time though im sure the mammouth drive will make it feel as far as America, im still in college, im hoping to go to nottigham uni to do Classics and Archaeology in october :D in fact i get my A-level results whilst im at Vindo eek!

Anyways i cant wait to start digging again and vindolanda looks amazing!! Bring on the summer :D

Roxi

Hi Everyone I am another newbie so thought I would introduce myself, I have visited Vindolanda over the past weekend. And was so impressed with the site, I joined Friends of Vindolanda. And I look forward to many more visits, and taking more photographs. Hope to see you all next time I am visiting, and hopefully the weather will improve over the next few months. Graham