Large new outdoor c&s project

[Paul in Essex]

Hah. very kind of you. I can see Easyjet letting me put that on as a cabin bag.

[Pattock]

Thank you all for your encouragement!

My initial phase of planting is done so it is now a case of watching it all settle in and grow. Meanwhile I have some other side projects - with a surplus of old bricks and a naturally sandy clay soil I thought I'd start to build a cob pizza oven

You know that perlite is an easy and cheap additive to increase the insulation of a clay or concrete oven, I presume? Makes the mixture a lot lighter, too.

[Paul in Essex]

You know that perlite is an easy and cheap additive to increase the insulation of a clay or concrete oven, I presume? Makes the mixture a lot lighter, too.

Yes, I've seen that - it is a great idea. So much stuff on the internet! I'm actually planning to go down the 'lo-tech' route and use barley straw in the mix for the insulation layer, followed by a lime mortar plaster layer Weather permitting I am laying the oven floor today - quarry tiles salvaged from the old house set into a refractory mortar mix.