Well it never fails. I need a vacation from that extended vacation. We arrived home sunday and I caught a nasty bug and am still sniffling through it. All I yearn for now is to be able to go to the ceramics studio and throw clay, or paint, or even clean my studio. Laying around like a lump or shuffling from the fridge to the couch tethered to a box of kleenex seems to be what I get instead.
sniff.
Sorry you are still feeling bad. My suggestion...old fashioned chicken soup and tea during the day and a Hot Toddy at night before bed that should fix you up.
The pictures of the cooled ash are amazing. They would look great in a piece of jewelry.