Pizza oven!

Just behind the square runs the railway line from Salford Crescent into Manchester, but between the gardens and the tracks is a piece of land where the canal used to run.

The residents of the square rent this from Salford City Council for a reasonable annual sum, and it is divided into three parts: a bit of wild woodland; the allotments (of which the Minx has one); and a communal area, which is where the chickens live, and where a pizza oven has been built by a handful of the more practical residents.

Tonight we fired it up and had a few people over to make and eat pizza. Earlier in the day, we'd been to Amato's, the Italian wholesaler near Piccadilly, which has a little pop-up shop from which we bought the pizza dough and various cold meats. (Oh, and - unexpectedly - a coffee machine.)

The oven takes a good while to heat up, but that was fine, as we all had a drink and chatted: me, the Minx, Keith and Annette, and Ruth and her new chap, Frank, who was a terrific guy.

The pizzas all turned out brilliantly, and we had a great evening, including an appearance by Yoss, later on, who seems to be able to get on with anyone.