New Beginnings.

So the fires ravaged the fields removing the unwanted leaves, the workers came wielding specially bent pangas and the fields were completely stripped to the soil. Then the rains came and it rained hard for 2 days straight. Seven days after the fire the new shoots are already starting to sprout, This is a relief, detecting a field with no way of tracking one's progress can be very frustrating, especially when you come across a hole you just dug 20 minutes ago while weaving back and forth trying to cover an area.

The phoenix rising from the ashes.

So with the hope of involving the whole family we ordered a second metal detector. The "Bounty Hunter" now belongs to my daughter and my wife and we were able to buy the Nokta Makro Simplex thanks to the money we've been saving on petrol during lockdown.

New machine, new sounds, new target ID's...eish! I feel like I'm starting over from scratch, digging up foil, bottle caps and other undesirables. There is a lot I've learnt that I can carry over so the learning curve should hopefully be limited to getting to know the new machine.

So far it's racked up 5 coins, 2 harmonica reeds and a cool 2 piece button. The button isn't military as far as I can tell but still an awesome find in a sugarcane field. The most notable coins are, a first-year of mintage 2c from 1965 and a 1962 1/2c, I now have 2 of those.

Oh! I finally found some pottery with markings on.

All in all the best treasure is still the experience. Being able to spend time in beautiful surroundings with my wife and my daughter is priceless. My cardiologist will be happy with the exercise I get these days too as I average about 5 - 7 kilometers of walking a day and some of it at a good pace trying to make it back home in time to start work.

And then there are the sunrise sessions....enough said!