Helen and Peter in Portugal

This is a short description of my barrel vault build that I have done here in Central Portugal. The final internal size is a 1m squared floor with a arch height of 50cm. I hope you enjoy and get some ideas from it. I wish to thank ukwoodfiredovenforum  for their advice and support. • 1: First I dug out a hole in the flower bed, on top of the stone wall, where the oven was to be built • 2: Set up a form to pour in the concrete base • 3: Pour the concrete base, which was about 5-6 inches deep • 4: On top of the base I cast 4-5 inches of LECA (light weight expanded clay balls) mixed with cement to hold it's form • 5: Then I cast a 2-3 inch heat retaining base, to add to the thermal mass, using calcium aluminate cement with large grain sand, as a flat base for the hearth bricks to sit on • 6-8: I then dry laid the hearth bricks on a dry bed of fine sand and clay mixture, with th...

Every year our village holds its 'Harvest Festival' a procession through the streets with the villages, the local priest and the icons.   Serenaded by a local band who play those religious classics such as 'Yellow Submarine' and the song I know as 'Hitler only has one ball/ Dad's Army theme tune'. It's a time when the village fills with people once again, as the Lisbon dwellers come back to take part in this traditional annual festival.   You can spot the Lisbon dwellers by their shoes....honestly, you can. After the procession, band performance and general standing around waiting for something to happen comes the annual harvest auction.  Money raising for the church and to pay the band fee! Local people donate their home grown produce, usually string upon string of onions, and the biggest squash you can imagine.  These items are then auctioned to the highest bidder as our local shepherd and honey maker tries his hardest to get money ou...

It's been hot, too hot for too long - 35 to 37 degrees most days, making it impossible to do much at all.  It's strange that you end up wishing for a cloud or two.   Massive thunderstorms brought some much needed rain the other night, but by morning the ground was bone dry once again. Needless to say there has been no gardening done since June when this hot weather came to stay. Except emergency watering, which is done every two days.   Not that it seems to have had much impact.  The grass (well the weeds in the grass) have turned brown and dust is forming where grass used to be.  The upside - no need to mow! The African daisies which usually look wonderful have turned a brown colour and need a massive chopping back once the gardening weather improves and the oregano which grows like a weed has given up and is starting to turn a brown/grey colour. The birds stay in their hiding places during the day, but I keep the food and water topped up...