National Trust gives vandals ideas…
The National Trust has allowed a temporary moustache to be put on the Cerne Abbas Giant for charity fundraising. Sorry to be spoilsports but it’s a bad idea and NT have a terrible previous record. Next time they go to the police moaning that a public asset in their care has been permanently damaged by graffiti perhaps they’ll think about this temporary “bit of fun for a good cause”…

Staffordshire Hoard gives people ideas…
Two years ago we suggested having a “dig pit” where people could search for treasure with a detector at the Staffordshire Hoard exhibition in Washington DC wasn’t a very good message. However it was pointed out it was an American idea, not one that had come from the team in England. However, a Staffordshire Hoard Exhibition over here will spend the next three years touring community venues throughout the West Midlands and at it visitors can “try their hand at detecting for treasure”. Minelab and the other detector manufacturers will be rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of all those new recruits…

Detectorists’ leader has no idea whatsoever!
A gentleman known as “Remic” (who is the “rep” for the NCMD – the “recognised voice of metal detecting”) has been making some pretty extraordinary claims. Holes dug by alleged nighthawks at Whitby Abbey were actually dug by archaeologists trying to discredit the hobby. Coins “planted” at a rally and identified as such by PAS were also put there by archaeologists. Now he’s excelled himself. All those nighthawking holes we’ve been photographing at the Staffordshire Hoard field were dug by an archaeologist (Paul Barford!)

Talk that a lot of detectorists are deeply embarrassed by the ongoing antics of their rep are not exactly exaggerated. In addition, sooner or later one of his colleagues will quietly point out to the hapless Remic that in saying archaeologists dug the holes he is defending not detectorists but nighthawks!!

(We should stress however that it is not known whether it is true that when last week he inadvertently stood next to ten short planks he was seen to exceed their width by quite a margin.)