Saturday 3 January 2015

The Other Heavy Metal Fan: A Detectorist.

Wow, what a cool hobby.

I am so smitten with the idea of starting a hobby as a detectorist. This morning there was a report on the news about a detectorist in England finding coins from the 11th Century. Wow, can you imagine?

Deep down, we are all in love with the idea of hunting for treasure. Maybe it has to do with reading fables as children or maybe it is instinctual after all. Most of us partake in some sort of treasure hunting, don't you think?

  • Lotto
  • Casinos
  • Corporate takeovers
  • advantageous marriages
  • and now this latest trend of detectoring.
Count me in.

Europe with its rich history would and must be the holy grail for this new trend of metal detecting. By the way, a detectorist is a person walking around with a metal detector searching for buried treasure. In the past it used to be a mad uncle doing the metal detecting in the back yard, but it might just be going mainstream.

Imagine my surprise when I realised that there is already a TV series about this. The Detectorists ( Detectorists [DVD] [UK Import] ). It seems I stumbled upon a new and hot trend...

Apart from the lure of lustre, it must be an indescribable feeling to find coins or metal
( mostly gold ) objects that where used a few hundred years ago. Straight away the abstract side of history changes into something we can feel and touch and discover anew.

Gosh, there is no limit to this hobby. Bob, who of course would be my co-detectorist even though he doesn't know it yet, could don a Fedora and whip and relive his childhood dream of being Indiana Jones and I could be his trusty blonde German side kick. A side kick with a metal detector and sturdy boots.

You know, the more I think of this, the more I like it. Fresh air, loads of walking about and discovering our area and unearthing its rich, varied and oh so interesting history.

Biggi

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