Having kicked off 2011 in the most exceptional style, I thought it was about time I scrawled a few lines about the coming 12 months and what we hope to achieve. We have three events planned for the coming year. We kick off on the bank holiday weekend at the end of May where we will once again gather friends and family for our annual bash. This will include all the normal edible delicacies and will hopefully, subject to me pulling my finger out, see our first full on pizza party christening my premier pizza oven construction. If it all goes pear shaped we may have to settle for bread and cheese instead. We will probably be missing the Danish contingent this year as they are working on an extension to the family. It does mean there will be more of us for 2012 so keep up the good work guys.
The second event for 2011 will be a weekend of softball and revelling. This will be the first weekend in August and may well see Thames Valley fielding a team once again to take on the might of the rest of the world.
Another softball weekend is planned for the second weekend in October when the usual crowd will gather and enjoy each others company washed down with vast quantities of alcohol and humour.
As always it is open house here so if you fancy coming over, feel free to drop in any time. Those with their ears to the ground will know that Jane has still had no news on a permanent contract yet. I have my fingers crossed for her because, once sorted, it means I can get on and replace the roof on the house. My focus for the year is to grow more veg and make as much use of the green house as I possibly can.
As mentioned previously, one of my objectives for this year is to build a pizza oven in the garden. Well I've kicked the project off now, even though I haven't yet got a final design or all the materials to complete the job. I do however have a vision in my head which seems to be the basis for most things that I do. Yesterday I moved the barrell that was on the spot where the oven is going and today I have dug and concreted the foundations. I hope to get the walls built up to waist height and the insulated slab cast for the base, prior to the arrival of Steve and Laura on 21st February. All my research has shown that the majority of structures are built from concrete blocks but I feel these will not be in keeping with the house. I have opted for using local stone slavaged from Chateau Antoine and will top the oven off with a slate roof similar in style to the roof on a fairy tale tower.
