Flights of fancy and landing with a thump

 This is where we should hang out drinking cold shandy.... At Quebramar in Milfontes.
Instead we are slogging away at the earthbags...

And here is a picture of Isabella and her classmates with their teacher, Ana, at their end of year party.

I got so excited last week over building a bigger better bender... I could hardly sleep.  And as soon as I had time I started to dig a level site and then create the amazing cob bender.  First of all I had to downsize as the steel rebar was too bendy to make it the size I had imagined.  That was a bit of a blow...  Then I got excited by the new shape, like a spider, and covered the top in chicken wire and then cob.  All well.  The next day it had dried to a fine biscuit and looked amazing.  So I began to do more.   It began to sag, and then the wind began to blow it over to one side.  Darn!  The rebar is just not up for what I want it to do.   So I had to admit defeat and take off the still wet cob.  It bounced back into shape and I have left it there.  I will concentrate on the earthbag dome for the next few days.  It is nearly finished.  I will have somewhere to live on our land, one day.  I must be patient.  Meanwhile.... It is too hot to do anything.
R has made a very comfortable and good looking chair for sitting around outside.  He is making another one  so we can sit in the shade and pant.  Over 35 degrees in the shade.