Thursday 27 August 2009

sweatshop

The slave-artist in the attic has had a busy, driven day. This panel is going to be finished if it kills her, she says, while simultaneously cursing mightily and emphasising how much she's enjoying herself. She has a grubby sticking-plaster on one finger, and an aching back, and the increase in the sort of language that Nanny wouldn't like is caused by some very fiddly adjustments of the number 9.

Leading was fiddly too, with a bulge that took some work to eliminate, and the design had to be adjusted; hopefully no one will notice an extra strip of lead to one side of the number.

The hole in the 9 was worthy of some more unladylike expressions and a second glass-cutting attempt before the shape was right. My, but Aussies can swear!

Some snipping... some lead....

No one will ever notice this hole, but there wouldn't be a proper 9 without it.

Another long session, and gradually a day's work was beginning to pay off. A large bar of chocolate was eaten.


There was a pause for dinner: garlicky roast lamb, spinach, three kinds of beans from the allotment, and roast potatoes, ditto. But Tricia wouldn't stop to relax - back to her project!


The final slotting in of the plain glass. From nowhere comes an anxious thought: will there be enough of the blue glass for the rest of the border?

We'll worry about that later. These anxieties come when you're tired, and rational thought becomes elusive.

It'll be fine (there's another piece out of view).

At this stage, with no soldering, cementing or cleaning up, it looks rough and ready, but I know it will look splendid when finished.

Tricia has a weekend of family commitments coming up, and we leave for Scotland on Monday, hence the self-imposed pressure to get the transom completed. While she labours, I do meals, tea breaks, shopping, washing, admiring and recording on camera, and generally run about, arranging the final details of our trip to Scotland next week.

I talk to the Lovely Son who, bless his little cycling clips, agrees to come up and look after the house and menagerie in our absence, freeing up the street aunties, who I suspect were rather looking forward to the challenge of managing Millie in my absence. We are going to Mull, staying in a B & B where peace and tranquillity are assured. We don't care what the weather will be like, but the peace and tranquillity sound like heaven.


8 comments:

Pam said...

Oh, oh, oh, I want to come!

The window looks wonderful.

Marie said...

Oh, to be in England...

Sounds good. Sounds so far away.

Anonymous said...

You are both to be heartedly congratulated! That is the best, most splendid stained glass number nine I have ever seen. I would have enjoyed greatly a pic of the lead stretching procedure because I know how I stretch lead but I suspect that no one on this planet does it like I do...

Linda said...

Absolutely beautiful. You both deserve a rest now - lots of photos please!

Susan said...

I'm assuming you're packing the camera - I look forward to a blog tour of Mull. Window looks fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Oooo I know what it feels to be driven like that to finish a creative project - I forget to eat and drink, so I'm sure your "ministering" efforts were much appreciated.Congratulations - soon you'll be able to relax on that trip. Take lots of photos.The leadlight looks wonderful.

rachel said...

Thank you, thank you (bows to audience, with beaming smile). I shall take all the credit, just for being chief cook and bottlewasher while the hired help did the menial glass work.

Lizzie, you must describe your lead-stretching technique - I hope it doesn't involve gripping with your teeth?

Isabelle, you know where Oban is - just text me and drive over there!

Marie, it is far away, but perfectly reachable for the seasoned traveller, and full of glorious gardens. Come over!

Linda & Susan, there will be three cameras with us, and probably not a decent photo taken, for all that one of us has a degree in photography and the other has an anti-shake camera...

BumbleVee said...

Wow.... what a lot of effort and it will look great...

Some of us Canucks have pretty colourful language too....especially when some little thing doesn't go quite as swimmingly as planned....

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