Ice ghosts, glass and irises

Because the weather still persists in being frivolous, the fountain started to freeze this week. As the sun hit it, the ice peeled slowly away like an ice ghost.

This was the briefest phenomenon and disappeared in a few moments, but the image is burned on my mind as well as my SD disk.

So, I'm getting on with my window in spite of being rather daunted by the BBC's MasterCrafts Stained Glass Programme and Sophie Hussain's wonderful work: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=151009&id=339476232559.

I've become more adept at the more complex shapes and am wasting less of the more expensive glass.

I've also learned to mark each piece, especially where they are more or less the same size and configuration, having discovered that turning some pieces (particularly the water glass) means the subtle pattern goes in the wrong direction.

I've also resorted to using the glass saw (to the right of the picture below) for some shapes. I really should get more practice in cutting curves and grozing them accurately, especially concave curves.

I really love this iris. in a way, it's like the ice ghosts and won't last long, but it's very beautiful while it does. There are more beginning to open in the other pots.