Author Archives: sarthure

We’re building a wall and adding a foundation deposit

Posted on October 14, 2018

So, we like gardening, although we’re often neglectful and the plants that thrive do so because they’re hardy.  This weekend’s project, in which I played a minor role, was to build a three-course curved wall around the fence that holds … Continue reading →

Posted in Excavation, Folk traditions, Foundation deposits, Ireland, Irishness, Material culture, South Australia | Tagged , , , ,

A short visit to Z Ward

Posted on August 12, 2018

It was a cold and wintry afternoon in Adelaide today. What better time to visit an old lunatic asylum? For nearly 90 years, Z Ward was home to the ‘criminally insane’ patients of South Australia’s health system. Opened in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Folk traditions, South Australia | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

St Dymphna’s, Booborowie

Posted on April 10, 2018

At the weekend, it was my great privilege to drive to Booborowie for the decommissioning of St Dymphna’s Catholic Church. It’s not every day one gets to go to the deconsecration of a church, and in fact, this was my first. … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world, Folk traditions, Ireland, South Australia | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Christmas jigsaw puzzle of the ceramic variety

Posted on January 1, 2018

Christmas is an excellent time for jigsaw puzzles. One of my longtime favourite novelists, Margaret Drabble, asserts that ‘jigsaws are a joy at Christmas, the ideal gift, the perfect employment’. Further, she says, they ‘give you an illusion of order and progress when … Continue reading →

Posted in Baker's Flat, Cataloguing, Material culture, Research, hmmm | Tagged , , , ,

Tales from the trenches – Philomena the digging doll

Posted on August 6, 2017

Recently, I was reading The Archaeology of Time Travel. And I was reflecting on the idea that people who visit historic sites experience them in a more ‘real’ way when they’re presented as living history or re-enactments or historical role play. … Continue reading →

Posted in Baker's Flat, Excavation, Field work, Irishness, Museums | Tagged , , , , , ,