Rain

Just as we finished loading,the skies darkened and some wonderful and necessary rain began to fall...I didn't notice when taking the picture,but isn't that a rainbow?
It seems appropriate- we're reading about the menorah [6-branched candlestick] in this week's parsha and it occurred to me this year that the rainbow and the menorah share the same shape; one shows light from above,the other from below...

Loaded

And God bless all who sail in her. It took us about 5 intense hours to glaze and load the kiln,ready for firing b"h next Wednesday. This will be the third time we've fired the kiln- this time with a reworked firemouth, a layer of clay plaster sealing the firebox and chimney base and the wood cut to length and kept dry under cover. We're hoping to throw some salt,and,optimistically,put in cones from 7 to 12.

Blooming

Plum trees [I think} in full bloom,Yesod HaMaala,on the way to load the kiln @ Sydney's...

Happy Purim!

Breakfast of Champions

It's the brief blood- orange season; we can never find them on the market, but Helen has a friendly local source. The best way to start the day.

Rocks

Four rock samples- I think from young Darya,currently wandering around Morocco- from the Spanish Alps;hit with my large hammer to reduce them to dust,waiting for the next glaze firing to see how they'll react to high heat...

Joys of the Internet

I came upon this Japanese printed paper while looking,probably,for something else entirely...

This You Call Snow?

A smattering of snow in the garden Friday morning. There was more in Ibbikur,Amuka and points north [and lots up on the Hermon], and it has been satisfyingly chilly, but still no respectable snow here in the artists' quarter.

Now It Can Be Told

Four weeks of fairly intensive daily crystal glaze firings are drawing to a close,with more than 80 pots fired [6-7 per small single-phase kiln],not too many binned pieces and a few more/refires to go. It's been a riveting period,with multiple ups and downs,almost every imaginable twist and turn along the way, and at the end I'm not sure if I'm any the wiser about these amazing glazes; with so many variables at play [including aging of the kiln elements and number/shape of pots in a firing] there just isn't any firm ground or baseline to fall back on- it's like being up in the air for a month with no visible means of support. You get used to it after a while,but it's a bit disconcerting.
Now to make a few pots for the Bourry-box wood kiln; Sydney's itching to get a firing in before Pesach [and maybe I should make some Seder plates...]

Available Light

Almond tree blossom,IPhone,Keren HaYesod.

Bug Heaven

It's one of the shots from the collage,but I thought you might like a closer look.
By the way,if you'd be so kind as to click on one of the ads on the blog, I make 50 cents/1 1/2 shekels- so go on,check out that hotel in the Maldives! Every penny makes the water warmer,as Nanny used to say.

Wadi Amud- Looking Good!

Tu b'Shvat is the New Year for planting trees,so after pruning the vine, and armed with cheese sandwiches and dried fruit, Helen and I ventured forth to inspect Wadi Amud, which,as you can see, is looking good.

Tu b'Shvat

Traditionally the time to prune the vine; before and after.