First firing of 2015 of the pizza oven

https://plus.google.com/photos/104639314363628976710/albums/6016916720412402337

I have moved from blogger to self hosted WordPress as things kept going wrong with blogger.

The latest problem was the images disappeared, caused by me deleting some images on my phone to make some room, and this automatically deleted them from the google cloud too.

A bit frustrating about the images, but the migration was simple and I used this advice to do it…

http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-switch-from-blogger-to-wordpress-without-losing-google-rankings/

As we walked along the canal from paddington Station to Little Venice we were overtaken by a guy capturing google streetmap images

I worked near Cheltenham for Andy Marks and his wife Brenda at Skyscan aerial photography 20 years ago. We have kept in touch, and he recently told me about an upcoming fascinating announcement by Elon Musk, the founder of so many interesting venture including PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla cars.

Elon’s next project is to forward the cause of the Hyperloop tube transport project, which will allow people to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco at 800 mph.

The thing is Andy has been working on this idea in his portacabin (shed !) for over a decade, and he has overcome many of the practical problems of a pneumatic hyperloop which the Musk project will need to face. Using his background in engineering, particularly to do with seals, Andy has figured out how to make the tubes airtight, efficient and even allowed for points or switches, which means the tubes can form a network, not just a loop.

He has designed valves in the hyperloop, allowing for short sections of the tube to be under pressure at a time. Each ‘car’ requires low pressure ahead of it and high pressure behind it, although a surprisingly small difference goes a long way.

On August 12th Elon Musk will announce what his intentions are for hyperloop transport, and he has hinted that it will be an open source project, and in some shape or form also a power storage device. The tension is building, and interest is spreading. Andy would like to be involved, so that he can contribute and his part of the solution will see the light of day, and actually be built.

Edit: there is an article about him published here
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/matt-clough/the-shed-trumps-silicon-valley_b_3724674.html

Tastes like tabasco seawater with upper notes of radish.

High in anti oxidants hopefully. Gonna make me live forever.

It is called hot turnip juice but actually served chilled.

For his Christmas present Sam got to play with some Lion cubs for 30 minutes at the zoo.

see the pics here

Oven begins, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.

The first of the bricks cemented into place using Ciment Fondue refractory mortar which can withstand high temperatures.

Concrete pad, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.

Finished the concrete pad and Sam smoothed it with a float.

We mixed the concrete in a wheel barrow with a 5:1 ratio

start of the pizza oven project, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.

Barney and Sam were a massive help as I ran out of steam half way through mixing the concrete.

Here is Barney checking the shuttering is level.

2 chicks hatched so far, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.

Sam has named them Dufrais and Augustina

We’ll see. :o)

Even if one of them is a tad small, at least they are laying. Had a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, Moroccan flat bread spread with Harissa and an espresso made with a coffee pod.

Should chickens be laying at this time of year?

Lemur feeding, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.

Lemur feeding

Not all of them have horse poo on them, result!

I’d only had one pint honest.

Sam bought 3 more bantams for his flock.

First prize plus loads of other rosettes at Moreton Show for the Kelly’s, our old landlords.

We are in a new town 4 miles from the coast, not much to see, stopped at a restaurant for a quick lunch and ended up buying the 2nd most expensive meal of my life !!!

5.90 Euros with a solid stainless steel body and a soft rubbery handle cover.

I’m loving having a coffee instead of a beer, when in a bar which is odd for me! Half a teaspoon of sugar, quick stir, 2 sips later and its gone. Watching the barista’s is good entertainment too, but it is so much easier using a coffee pod.

I don’t know where lost pens and odd socks disappear to, but whenever the mountain of them is found there will also be found a pile of marble nobs, as it seems all the statues in Rome are missing there’s.

It was on the road outside an apartment. Anyone care to translate as it must be important?

Like a young Keith Floyd, but not as drunk.

I’m not sure how to make moules mariniere, so I made it up as I went along. It has been 20 hours since and no-one died, so that is good.

Collisium is good but Palatine Hill is more interesting and the ruins are much bigger than I expected. We had to dash from shaded area to shaded area to stay alive, as it is 34 c.

Just as well Derek brought his birth certificate as it for him a 12 euro discount at the Colliseum ! They were asking for ID to prove he was a pensioner and be was the first to have a birth certificate on him. He has carried that around for 60 years and this was the first time it came in handy.

This room has air con so we can relax away from the sun. Barnaby is now on his third Chris Ryan book, which makes me proud.

Sam making an appetizers with a squid we bought together. His name was Squidward and he died in a good cause.

Made of concrete though. The art of concreting was lost for centuries and reinvented by the Malley family Dublin.

Secret nun cam bags one as she passes.

They’re EVERYWHERE ! What’s going on ?

Union meeting at the Colliseum means it is closed for the morning, and we got here super early to beat the heat. Oh boy it is hot but there are water fountains all over dispensing beautiful cold water which we take advantage of whenever we see them.

Bloomin’ hot today so went on an open top bus tour that had a roof (so and open sided bus tour really) and then spent the afternoon underground in the catacombs looking at 2000 year old graves. I couldn’t care less what we were looking at ‘cos the temperature under ground was 16c and I could have been looking at portraits of Margaret Thatcher for all I’d care.

In the supermarket here in Rome they sell all the spare parts for cafeteria pots that you might need, even handles !

This year my holiday beard style is Amish. Today at the zoo I was mistaken for Norwegian, (and confusingly, Spanish !)

5 minutes after finishing this meal the restaurant suffered a power cut and we sat in total blackout for ages. Wendy refused to sneak off without paying the bill, of course.

Crema is the foam on the surface of a good espresso but using this pot produces no crema.

Enjoying plenty of coffees, at home and when out and about. This is how the apartment is equiped, with stove-top espresso pot, enough for 3 demi-tasse.

Has elephants, lions, tigers and best of all brown bears that you can watch swimming through a glass walled tank. We later saw one peeing like a dog and Wendy reckons our garden in Canada smelt the same.

You can see St Peters beyond the park, which looks close enough to walk to. Trouble is the park enjoys the worlds largest collection of broken glass, rubble and humping hobos.

Highlight so far was watching Derek return his wallet to his ‘secret’ pocket after passing through the Gatwick security. It is pinned into his trousers and he looked dodgy rummaging around in there for ages. Should be pickpocket proof though.

Lucky the lavender chick, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.

One of Sam’s fertilised eggs he bought at the farm park hatched. See him/her peeking from under his adopted mum.

This is the Little Thor viral video ad Monty was in. Sonia, his trainer, took him to London for the day and got him the part.

IMG_0031.jpg, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.

At the halfway (26Km) point and Andy Grelak and mysel can still smile.

http://www.honc.org.uk/