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Molly

On Tuesday 6th March, 2012 I collected Molly….my new black labrador puppy.  Full of beans and love she is an absolute gem…except when she is biting and jumping…but that will be trained out of her….she says hoping with every ounce of her body!

Molly was born on Xmas Day 2011 which makes her 11weeks old today…11th March 2012

She is supposedly black, but much to my absolute delight…there is a very strong hint of chocolate in her coat.

I am trying the method of Crate training, which is apparently fabulous for house training.  She loves it…as soon as I put her bedding into the crate, she was in….cuddling up to her favourite rug.  She is fed and sleeps in there and through the day the door is open so she can just wander in and out.

For the first few days, whilst I was still at work, Molly has been babysat by my family….what a lucky girl!

This weekend, I am going to leave her outside on her own for a few hours each day cos I head back to work on Tuesday and she will have to cope with a lack of humans to play with.

Mr Biggles has ‘manned up’ and has been keen to show her who is the boss in this house.  Amongst hissing and swiping….I think Molly is learning.  Here are a few photos from her first few days at home.

 

It is now the 21st March and my has she grown!  She is now 12.5 weeks old.

I have, upon advice from her breeder, bought a sandpit and she loves it!  Thanks Sue.

 

 

 

 

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My Wood Oven Experience

 

Today, early October 2010, is the beginning of my wood oven experience.  I have decided to remove some bricks from the driveway and replace them with a wood oven.  It will be approximately 1.5 x 2.1m in size to accommodate an oven with an internal diameter of 1.1m and a bench space for creating culinary masterpieces.   My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to have this built before December … in time for Xmas!

Firstly I removed the bricks from the driveway.  My nephew,Chris, helped me dig the footings for the slab.

Then Alex the concretor came and poured the slab for me.

Next George (with my assistance) built the base for the oven which could also house wood and any utensils required underneath.

Next we laid the top slab

Once this was dry, building the actual oven was the next step.  The base of heat bricks was laid over some heat insulation material.

Richard and John were extremely helpful in not only assisting me with building the oven, but also for keeping me calm when bricks kept falling into the centre due to the extreme heat conditions. Thanks guys!

 

Beginning to take shape.

Finally it looks like a wood oven!

Time to insulate the oven to ensure it keeps hot…especially for overnight cooking.

Inside the oven.

I then rendered the exterior.

First we light a small fire to ‘cure’ the oven to help stop it from cracking.

The dome was then painted and I mosaiced the top of the bench…including a piece of black porcelain for a ‘clean’ preparation area.

The oven was completed and ready for Xmas….the turkey was sensational…and for the evening, we had friends drop in for pizzas!

Eventually I will build doors to keep the wood dry…but for now…I love my wood oven!

 

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SA Amateur Championships – Bronze Cup

I had a lovely week playing golf at The Vines of Reynella and then at Royal Adelaide.  I was thrilled with how I improved over the week and how much experience in Match Play I gained.  I finished second out of 20 players, losing by 1 hole after 27 holes in the final.  Sue Moffat was the eventual winner, and quite frankly, it was a fabulous day and we both had a really good time. 

Runner Up in the Bronze Cup 2010