Having not dug up any gems from the garden before, early potatoes excepted, I came across this silver ring (pictured) where I thought Pocahontas was buried (See 5 posts ago). No detectorist me-just an onlooker on the lookout for finds. Most previous dugouts ended up in the dustbin of historical mediocrity known as the leaning compost heap. (Pictured)
You know the sort of bits and pieces I mean - clay pipes, 1980s Starwars figures, old crocs, toy alligators etc. Like the compost bin itself the list is growing as are my runner beans (pictured). Maybe It'll get to pieces of eight.
Now I reckon, having carried out basic research in the three days traditionally allowed in archaeology, that this slightly pitted unhallmarked object is from the Viking era. I would have photographed it next to a pound coin except I keep giving those to the shoe fairy (Replacing the Milk Tooth fairy snatched in the early seventies) who puts them into my granddaughter's size 2 shoes. Thankfully she shows no signs of being an Imelda Marcos or a Loads of Money entrepreneur so I did find a spare 20p coin in my pocket for getting it, like I do, in proportion.
As a footnote there is hard evidence. (Pictured) It was discovered by my daughter when she was six. She was foraging amongst the raspberry canes (Descendants pictured) which are adjacent to the potato patch. She came across an impression of a sole short long left left footprint. A modern child's size five and a half.
Allowing for coastal erosion, Thames clay shrinkage and hardening times, Dalton's Weekly Law of Partial Pressures and inflation as measured by The Footsie one hundred, the ring is more likely to have been dropped by a young damsel fleeing the viking fleet. It is possible that she had nicked the ring back from their Danegeld.
The ring therefore is in all probability a spillage from the pillage of the village people rather than having been a hand me down from Princess Pocahontas while she was having a final farewell smoke in one of those clay pipes with the last of her baccy before she cast off more than her mortal coil somewhere between Gravesend and Northfleet. In either case it is not Treasure Trove, Your Majesty.
If you have arrived at this point and have not given up the will to live then I would suggest you download 'French and Spanish Cricket for Beginners' from Amazon as there lie a few more gems for you to find, me ansome. It may not be Pokemon but it will take you to places you'd rather not be and my book to the top of the Cricket Book Ratings.
