Flavinus Day

We normally stay firmly at home on Bank Holiday Mondays. Today we broke our tradition with a trip to Hexham for Flavinus Day in Hexham Abbey. The 2000 year old grave of Flavinus stands at the foot of the night stairs in the Abbey. There were lots of different activities, aimed mainly at children, but there was plenty to keep us interested.

We spent most time at the stands for Roman food and the one manned by a Roman surgeon. In both places we learned a lot that surprised us. The food people told about all the different foods the Romans introduced into Britain. They brought hares to breed and eat. (Whether they brought the rabbit is debatable.) Dormice were a delicacy and were kept in terracotta pots. Various breads had been baked and were compared with the versions from Tescos!! There was ewe's milk cheese. Oh yes, the Romans introduced domesticated hens.

They gathered snails, and fed them on milk for 3 days to cleanse their guts. Then they were good to eat. In my blip you see a Roman spoon and a snail (after consumption!)

The surgeon took us through the different plants that were used and explained about the different sorts of surgeons who were employed. The military ones were said to be the best. They had some central training and sent reports about their successes and failures back to Rome, to add to the general knowledge.

We had panninis and tea for lunch in the Abbey café. Our friend Sister Dolores just happened to arrive on a day out with friends, so we had time to chat.

Outdoors there was army drill for the trainee soldiers (almost all boys of course). I struggle with the way this rather glorifies war for children.