Fall's bounty

Today feels like our first Fall day and Summer is closing. but we do have bounty from the garden and orchard to soften the blow.

and the flower borders are still full of colour.

All we need now is for Sooty to hatch.

 Then we can fire up the oven and get back to enjoying hot Pizza.

Pizza Oven.02

We're moving along with the wood-fired oven, aka; pizza oven. Below are some photos of its progress:

Pouring the refractory mortar base for the oven floor.

The base of the oven. The opening below will provide storage for firewood.

The refractory mortar is levelled prior to curing.

The firebrick oven floor.

The oven begins to take shape. The soldier course is laid and the arched opening established.

Wooden forms provide guides for the courses of firebrick.

This arch will eventually be clad with natural stone.

With the oven finished, the first layer of refractory mortar is applied to the exterior of the dome. The bricks you see at the perimeter are placed temporarily simply to hold the mortar in place while it cures.

After installing the clay chimney, the second layer of refractory mortar is applied.

...and the work progresses nicely.