Back from a month of excavation at the Roman site of Vindolanda. I can't say I'm over jet lag....at my age it comes in waves but roughly 24 hours after my departure from Newcastle I'm at least momentarily feeling great. When I'm tired I lie down and am unconscious for a while. When I wake up I don't look at the clock to decide whether it makes sense. Coffee and pepperoni pizza are consumed in significant quantities when the whim suggests.
Traveling at the tail end of the Covid era was peculiar. There were fewer direct changes than I expected. Although I must say Heathrow airport choosing to close about 80% of their bathroom capacity was uncalled for. But there were plenty of things that had changed in three years. No more kiosks to print boarding passes, it is pretty much all "wave the phone" now. Even the tedious scrutiny of customs officials entering the UK is gone. You hold up your passport to a camera, smile and go through. I don't want to think about what sort of algorithms go into the machine deciding to give you the green light or the red one with a locked gate.
This was a bigger trip than my usual. Four straight weeks of excavating instead of two. My packing and prep was near perfect. With periodic washing up and thrift store buys I always had enough garments that were in acceptable state. Not easy to do with carry on luggage only and for an activity that involves mud. My lapses were minimal. Three pairs of reading glasses was barely enough. Sat on one pair, lost another. A couple more pairs of socks would have been handy. I again carried along shorts and never wore 'em. As is my usual custom I tossed various worn out items in the bin at the end of my stay.
I figured out buses, trains, a botched airline reservation, several weird variants on how showers work and managed to trek across the landscape via public footpaths that existed only on Ordnance Survey maps. I'm feeling pretty good about that.
Four weeks versus two. I wondered if I would get tired in all the various ways one can. Physically, just plain homesick, etc. Nope. I'd compare it to the difference between having a half pint at your favorite pub - just enough to take the edge off your thirst - versus a full pint savored at leisure.
Ahhh. Tasty. And again in 2023? One hopes, and it is hope that sustains us.
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