Pleasure from hidden treasure

In these scary days of hijackings, hostage-taking and international terrorism, the words metal detecting take on an altogether different and much more sinister meaning. What follows has nothing to do with the security measures to be found at airports and left luggage depots.

No, the metal detecting that interests me is the type that keeps grown men (and women) occupied for hours at the beach, on old rubbish dumps and forgotten pathways with little trowels and big hopes of finding something valuable that might otherwise be lost and gone forever.

Personally speaking, I've only ever used a metal detector once. I borrowed one from a neighbour and spent an unpleasant -- and ultimately unrewarding -- hour combing through the rubbish strewn across the back yard of my sister-in-law's semi.Read more »