Hot & Humid

Recent family WhatsApp messaging has included various items on BBQs, Peat Bogs, Monaco, Cannes & Pizza ovens. I won't include photos here of people dressed up on the beach at Cannes before dinner, nor the yacht marina at Monaco nor the new charcoal BBQ skills my son has acquired.

Instead, back to the real world in northern climes. Yesterday on her birthday, daughter Kate got the grandchildren started on working in their strip of bog and today loading the tractor & trailer (extra photo) with a few sods for the winter & for the occasional summer BBQ. I don't think they use peat in their pizza oven that made it's debut last year. Like me, they have had difficulties getting to use it much. While it is great, it does need time, lots of time, (hours) to get fired up & then in 10 minutes, the pizzas are done & eaten. Think they are good if a large group/party and/or one is into bread baking.

Spurred on by the family coming soon, I did manage to persuade she who is to be obeyed to agree to at least relocate our pizza oven 50m to the terrace where it stands a better chance of being used. Reading my journal entry from two years ago when we got it, I can claim to have been right. (Doesn't happen often)

We don't have a handy modern tractor with all the adjustable attachments, power steering, hydraulics that was used to install it 2 years ago. Turned out to be an interesting event, somehow managing to get the tractor to lift it just high enough to get the extra-long pallet truck underneath it and then very slowly move it around. The self-constructed base looks like pallets but is the wrong size.

Somehow we managed it, sweating away in the humid weather. Sun now but lots of thunderstorms predicted for the late afternoon & evening.

Once done, I had to mow the totally overgrown horse field outside our property. It was a very long, hard task for me & the tractor. Last year son in law Barry was here at this time & being a specialist he had done it but then it was a fraction of today's work. We had hoped a farmer would want it for his cows but no luck. Shame a big waste.

In the evening I tried out the new (used) gas BBQ for the first time with some spare ribs & jacket potatoes. My first gas experience. Worked a treat.

Today's photos & extras are thus full of sweat, more child labour but above all, as Bliper Nigel would say Tractor Porn. One of the extras of the mass of tractors on the bog in Ireland with each strip owner turning up with their machines has a large choice.