Cob. marvelous Cob!

It really is marvelous.  It dries to a hard surface and looks and feels like a luscious biscuit.  I think it's great.  It feels lovely to work with, also.  I have covered half of the earthbag dome.  The hard work is in digging up the earth and sieving it, as the earth is very stoney.  Schist-like stones that cut the hand when you smooth the stuff over the dome. Ouch! Oh, and also mixing it in the wheel barrow with the enxada (hoe-type tool used for everything).  I'm not mixing it with my feet cos I'm doing it in small batches.  Maybe I should have a go, though...
The intense heat has abated somewhat. Now it is a balmy 30 degrees with a fresh breeze. Very pleasant to work most of the time.  The interior of the dome stays cool during the day.  Now it is beginning to look like a strange haystack.  The builders who are doing up the windmill above us are very curious as to what it is we are making???
Some sheep have been making night raids to the garden.  The swiss chard and the cabbages and the sweetcorn have been muched down to the ground.  Grrr.  Looks like we may have to fence in the garden area, but I'm reluctant to do so because ... well, because I guess I don't want to feel that that's just where the garden is. 
So I hope to finish the dome soon and I will post pictures of it soon.

 The lovely Laura on the beach

 beginning the cob

This is my failed cob bender.  It is beautiful, like a bouncy spider with a crusty cob top!

Meanwhile, we enjoy the lovely warm summer evenings, with children playing in the street and windows open wide and chilled fizzy white wine... Ah, the good life.