Apologies for taking so long to write the second installment on the Cobb oven story. Life is so busy as it is, but with Christmas in the mix it is ludicrous!

It was an almost-warm Sunday morning when we set outside to work on the cobb oven. Before sifting the dirt (in the old bed frame in the background) Monte and Georgia covered the concrete of the oven with some loose dirt and some chicken- feed bags. The reason we did this was to create a hole in the oven. Once the dome has set, we will carefully pull the loose dirt out and hope to God that this works (I am desperate for an oven! I want to bake!).

The next stage of construction was mixing some dirt with water. Our soil is very clayey. As you can tell. Georgia had great fun mixing it with her feet, much to Mummy’s and Matty’s horror! I can’t post a photo of Georgia, covered with mud, but let me assure you that her skin was that orange-brown colour you see here. Excellent fun!

The next stage was mixing the clay with straw, which we got from the Brines. The mixture is meant to adhere and become firm and sticky, so it is easy to put on the dome and then sets well. Again, Georgie had a ball stomping in the mixture, but Matty still showed no interest in getting dirty (that’s my boy!).

And finally, the makings of a cobb oven. A few more coats of the sticky mixture and it will be done, and we will have a pizza party with our friends. That’s if it ever stops raining!