A Thirty Year Old Toy And Some Eight Hundred Year Old Finds

We've had a busy but enjoyable five days in Framlingham. We got back late on Tuesday night and have packed loads into the time we've been home and are now getting ready to head back to Rochester for another few days of babysitting.

We've done a couple of spinning classes and a circuit training class at the college. We've been in the monthly quiz at The Railway too ; we won last month but this time we were half way down the rankings despite a very good score. I've also been writing letters to the district councillors about the reckless overdevelopment that's being planned for the town - that makes me sound like a NIMBY but I'm all for development if done sensibly and for the benefit of the residents and not just the developers. There are scores of arguments against the plans. Here's just one.

This was the scene in the Co-Op car park on Saturday morning with cars driving round and round before exiting without finding a space. Does this show that the town can cope with a 30% increase in residents (and their cars)?

Halloween was a non-event in our road. We stocked up with sweets but the bell didn't ring.

Meanwhile in Rochester, our two year old granddaughter was terrorising her neighbourhood as a bright red and very ferocious crocodile.

After another excellent Saturday cooked breakfast and a stab at the Times2 crossword at The Lemon Tree (finished all bar two this week), it was time for a look around the market and to pick up some food from Hall Farm Butchers and Leo's Deli. 

In the afternoon Marion carried on with her master plan for the garden and planted a superb specimen Mexican Orange Blossom from nearby Crown Nurseries of Ufford. Our neighbour David came and put up some wire trellis for me while I acted as his assistant. Thanks David! I'm a bit useless at DIY and don't possess much more than a screwdriver and hammer by way of tools and, having bought this custom made wirework to support a new rose, Marion didn't want it wrecked by my handiwork.

With the days getting shorter I didn't think I would have time to get out with the detector but David was so quick that I managed to walk down the road and have a quick try. It was a successful ninety five minutes and these were the better finds that I made. Apart from the small medieval buckle and the small pistol balls, there were two medieval to post medieval lace tags, a cut medieval silver halfpenny, a medieval harness pendant and a possible medieval to post medieval hawking bell. The "bell" might be simply a button with holes in it but the local FLO (finds liaison officer) will be able to tell me.

This harness pendant would once have been decorated with a coat of arms and been part of the decoration on a knight's horse.

This cut silver halfpenny dates from around the same period (13th century).

 One of the lace tags.

Our daughter Sarah phoned yesterday to ask if we could get to her old Sindy house easily. She got it as a present from her nana and granddad when she was three and was thinking of handing it down to her own daughters. Fortunately we spent four hours on Thursday afternoon tidying the garage so finding it wasn't too hard.

We fished it out of the garage and put it back together. It's in pretty good condition for thirty plus years old.

Here's Sarah with it on the day that she got it all those years ago.

Busy Days

It's been a hectic week with little time for blogging. We've been helping the Rochester branch of the family with babysitting duties due to the temporary absence of the regular carer. It's wonderful to be able to see so much of our two-year old granddaughter - she's a little angel and has been great company. On the negative side, the five a.m starts are not ideal.

On the plus side we get to see sunrises like this.

But on the negative side there's a huge traffic build up at the Dartford crossing as early as seven o'clock. We arrive in Rochester way too early but if we left Framlingham any later we would be way too late - it's amazing what a difference a fifteen minute delay in leaving can make. We're off there again on Friday and next week we're staying all week so we will avoid the early starts and long drives. 


Being with a two year old can be a lot of fun. We told her parents that we would look at some new shoes for her. "Something plain and sensible" were our instructions. 

These were her idea of something plain and sensible! Suffice to say she ended up with a very nice dark blue pair. 

While we've been back in Framlingham we've been keeping very busy. We've taken up spinning classes at Fram Leisure up at the college. We've got Becky, who is a great instructor, to keep us going and the classes provide forty five minutes of intensive exercise. Spinning apart, Marion's redesigning the garden planting and has bought two trees and lots of shrubs and climbing plants which she's managed to find time to plant . She's got plans for another few dozen plants but they may have to be delayed until spring.

We even managed to get to Cineworld in Ipswich to see Boyhood which we missed first time around. It's a unique piece of cinema being filmed over twelve years. We experience the life of  Mason (Ellar Coltrane) as he grows from five to eighteen. It is a warm and fascinating piece. With each of the cast ageing as the film progresses it removes the need for unconvincing make up or different actors and I imagine that the script was a work in progress throughout the twelve years as the director Richard Linklater (whose daughter Lorelei who plays Mason's sister Samantha and also grows up on screen) could never be certain how his cast's circumstances would change over more than a decade. There are some wonderful and very real performances especially from Ethan Hawke who starred in Linklater's "Before" series of films. Not a great deal happens but it is an extremely likeable and real depiction of a modern multi-parent family life - a must for any cinema lover.

I also found time to get out with the detector at the weekend. Although this group of finds doesn't look particularly exciting they include a medieval silver penny and a medieval silver farthing plus one particularly fascinating coin.

This is a Danish silver Skilling of Christian IV dated 1620. It's in very good condition and it's intriguing to find a Danish coin from this period here in Suffolk. I did a bit of research and local dignitary Sir Robert Hitcham, who was around in the 1600s was Attorney General to Queen Anne of Denmark. Could this coin be linked to that connection? We'll never know for sure but I doubt that many Danes were visiting here in the 17th century.

I'll leave you today with a final reminder of my Goodreads book giveaway which finishes on Friday.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Give Me Your Tomorrow

by John Brassey

Giveaway ends October 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Last Week's Finds

I had three sessions out with the detector again last week. The field that I have been searching is due to be planted very soon so I'm going to keep trying there until it's not available even though the good finds are, understandably, starting to decline. 

Although looking at all this (over 180 bits) that I tipped out of the finds bag when I got home after each outing it's clear that there is still plenty of stuff to be found - any one of these items could have been something interesting rather than the scrap lead which has been predominant in the last three trips. I would love to know why so many tiny lead fragments turn up in fields. 

Here are close ups of some of the finds from these piles.

Damaged post medieval double loop sword belt hanger 

Victorian silver Torquay souvenir brooch

Queen's IV Dragoons button c1790

Musket and pistol balls

Lead pot mends

Post medieval pimple button and stud

Copper alloy vessel fragment

Post medieval button with rose design

Post medieval lead button

Spindle weight

Freemason button

Royal Artillery Button c1800

Damaged post medieval spectacle buckle

13th Century Medieval cut quarter penny - either King John or Henry III 

Medieval cut half penny 13th century

Charles I rose farthing c1630

Southwold token "A half for the poores (sic) advantage" 

Medieval buckle or brooch

Lead cloth bag seal post medieval

18th or 19th century clog clasp

French Dauphine type jetton from South Eastern France c1373-1415 sadly plough damaged.

This dog or cat tag "Boots" has the local newsagents' Fax number on it. Hopefully Boots only lost his or her collar.

A good post medieval complete double disc type lead cloth bag seal with SR initials 

This lead fragment may be a stylus

Keeping The Retirement Active

I saw a sticker on a car parked near ours the other day. "On An Adventure Before Dementia" it proclaimed. I didn't know whether to approve or disapprove of the mixed messages it conveyed - to live life to the full before the inevitable onset of decay is an admirable aim but to assume that we're all going to end up with dementia is, hopefully, wide of the mark. Our neighbour is almost into his nineties but still as bright as a button (as were those one hundred year olds still driving in a documentary last night) and, although both of us have witnessed dementia in grandparents I'm hoping that it's a problem that doesn't mar our retirement.

At least the sticker didn't announce "Busy Spending Our Kids' Inheritance" - I hate that one - so mean spirited. But we continue to eat drink and be merry as much as possible with a mindful eye on the kids' and grandchildren's futures and fill as many of our waking moments as we possibly can. 

I last blogged about the incredible performance of The Crucible at the Old Vic and was delighted that it was my most read blog since I found some Roman gold jewellery with the detector. It took me to over 100,000 hits. I know that's not many and some bloggers get twice that daily but it was a nice milestone to reach. Anyway, I'll be losing readers if I continue to waffle on like this. 

After that theatre trip and dinner in Soho, we did a bit of shopping for presents on Oxford St before heading back to the Apex London Wall hotel where we had a very comfortable night in a spacious and well appointed room with a wonderful bathroom. Being close to Suffolk's London terminus Liverpool St it was ideally placed for us. Slightly more expensive than the likes of Premier Inn it was worth the few extra pounds to have just a touch of luxury without being ridiculously extravagant - after all we were only in the hotel for a little over twelve hours.

In the morning it was time for some more shopping. I have only worn a suit once since retiring. On that occasion we took some of our family to a meal at a very upmarket London hotel with a fairly strict dress code but when I got dressed to go and put on the suit I found myself swamped. I had forgotten all about the weight loss a few years back and had to dine with the trousers belted up like a sack of potatoes. Fortunately the jacket spared my embarrassment and covered this unseemly spectacle. So when a wedding invitation arrived recently it was the signal for a new outfit. We went to Selfridges and I bought this really lovely suit by Paul Smith. I can get away with the slim fit now but no, I am not going to be wearing it with no socks and half mast trousers.

We've spent this week in Framlingham. Marion's been active with fitness classes and has been to three or four while I've been out twice with the detector again. Here's what I tipped out of the bag when I got home after each visit.

Here's what was left after disposing of the rubbish and scrap lead.

Even though I've searched this field about eight times now there are still plenty of interesting things turning up. Here are close ups of some of them.

A livery button. Haven't been able to identify the family.

Just a piece of lead but obviously one used for something  - will have to ask the archaeologist.

An Edward II Silver Penny 

It was minted in Durham and dates between 1307 and 1327

A crotal bell in perfect condition - it still rings. It's Post Medieval and probably 17th Century

Part of an old cloth bag seal

Another medieval penny - too clipped to identity 

A white metal (probably silver) name tag for E L Baines. Has a Victorian look to it.

Two more Charles I rose farthings.

Another unidentified lead fitting.

Another bag seal - this one has the initials TP and is probably 17th century.

A Suffolk trade weight probably 17th or 18th century

An apothecary weight with the symbol for one ounce (I think). This could date from the early 17th to the early 19th century.

A strap fitting - possibly medieval

A trader's token. This one is dated 1667 and was issued by William Smith of Yoxford. Sadly it's in terrible condition.

Terrible condition again but this is another local trader's token from the 17th century. This one is a farthing issued by Thomas Knights of Saxmundham. 

This lead scrap has the look of a fragment of a pilgrim's badge.

A door bolt slider - date uncertain.

Some people refer to the hobby as "Treasure Hunting". As you can see, there's certainly no treasure here but there's certainly an insight into what local people mislaid and, with the agreement of the landowner, I'm planning to make a display of everything from this particular field which will be available to anyone interested in local history and could even be loaned to the museum if they are interested.