First snow

Today we had our first flurry of snow. It was quite heavy and blustery while it lasted but that wasn't for long - in the time it took Hermione to run downstairs, put on her coat and shoes it had stopped.

Today we dug up the cuneiform and hieroglyphics which we buried a couple of weeks ago. It didn't go quite as planned. I had hoped and assumed that the hieroglyphics written in ink on paper would have become soggy and illegible while the cuneiform on clay would still be clear. Well, that was not the case.





Our experiment had not taken into account waterproofing agents which must be added to some inks these days, or the fact that air drying clay would absorb moisture from the soil and turn mushy. The hieroglyphics were still quite clear while the clay cuneiform was falling apart.

We chatted about the ink and what had happened to the clay. Hopefully all was not lost, Hermione was briefly interested in how that clay had become soggy again. I allowed myself a brief *oh why do I bother?* moment before getting on with the rest of the day.

In all honesty I don't think wild men on horses would have interested Hermione for long today. She has spent a lot of time quite transfixed with her sewing. Quite a sedate pursuit for her, considering she is still usually to be found swinging from trees singing Abba and Beach Boys hits at the top of her voice.