Nora and i were on our own Saturday / Sunday and we couldn't go and visit 'new baby cousin' because children other than immediate siblings aren't allowed to visit the maternity ward. I say, what a disgrace. So, I asked Nora - what would you like to do that doesn't cost the earth?
The answer was to go on the Thames Clipper for a trip down to Greenwich. The clipper is a wonderful addition to the city, that really opens the place up. I love going on it, and it takes a minuscule amount of time to get to it. London Bridge from Streatham, 5 minute walk and a random wait. When we got to Greenwich the tide was out, and there were a few people rooting around in the stones for Victorian crockery bits. We decided to join them, so spent an hour or so scrapping about in the mud, claiming a decent haul of 17th century-odd clay pipes (well, the stems) and many bits of broken crockery, some from old stone jars. There were also a *ridiculous* number of animal bones. And I mean... a lot. What the hell? The only possible thing I could think of is that they were the bones of dead dogs, and not ancient ones either. Another peculiar and unexpected thing was many, and I mean MANY very very old Oyster shells. Not unexpected given a couple of minutes thought but seeing them all down there was a surprise.
We then trundled around Greenwich market for a while, finding an utterly lovely boardgames shop and a multitude of Christmas present options, had some delicious very home made tasting ice cream then began to toddle back home. All of this on a crisp but delightfully sunny day, as the summer was eeking itself out and becoming Autumn.
Today I mailed what I think is the right department of the museum of London, who do have a service which you can book to have people review your mudlarking finds and you never know, we might be able to go and talk to someone about the bits in half term. Nora meanwhile took her safely stored crockery and pipes to school to show her teacher.
It was a nigh on perfect day with my lovely girl.
