Ulster Moss Artefacts: Journal

Placeholder -- journal sketch
field sketch, entry 1

Placeholder copy. Went out before the tide turned, following the line where the moss gives way to bare rock. Found the first fragment wedged under a shelf of stone, half-covered by a mat of bladderwrack. It took the better part of an hour to work it free without breaking the surrounding growth.

Placeholder copy. The surface is smoother than I expected -- worn in a way that suggests long tidal action rather than a single impact. No tool marks visible under the hand lens. Logged its position and photographed it in place before lifting it.

Placeholder -- field photo
in situ, second find

Placeholder copy. Returned to the same stretch with the full kit this time. Wind made the fine brushwork difficult, so most of the cleaning was done back at the workbench. Photographed the surrounding context before anything was disturbed -- the moss cover here is unusually dense for this part of the shore.

Placeholder copy. A second, smaller fragment turned up roughly four metres from the first, at a similar depth. Possible they are related, though the materials differ enough that I am not yet confident in that reading.