This ice spiral is roughly 1 1/2" tall, found in a frozen pool of water about 2" - 3" deep on a boulder on Tryfan in Snowdonia, Wales at about 2500' on a day when the freezing level was about 500'. There were no overhanging boulders/cliffs etc. How did it form? In other pools, and in the background in this pool, there were 'ice mushrooms', but nothing like this strange spiral formation.  What explains the bubbles on the inside? What explains the spiral shape?

If I freeze cakes with icing on them, when I defrost them the icing becomes soft and sticky. Why?

Paula Paine, Plymouth, Devon, UK

I saw an advert for a certain alcoholic beverage, in which the main character make a piano from ice and them plays it, I was wondering if this would be possible?

If it would work with as much of it made from ice as possible... what would it sound like? What is the limit of the parts that can be made from ice and the ice pisno still work?

To save mixing my gin or vodka martinis with ice and over-diluting them I pre-mix them and put them in my freezer. When I take them out they are a sludgy mixture of randomly aligned ice sheets which melt quite quickly once in a glass. How do these sheets form? I tend to make my martinis about 8 parts vodka or gin to 1 part dry vermouth.

I make ice lollies with pure apple juice to keep the kids hydrated in the heat. But they just suck out the flavour (and sugar) and throw the ice away. This doesn't happen with commercial ice lollies. What the manufacturers' trick and can I copy it at home? 

Last winter, after heavy rain and some severe cold spells, a host of ice cones appeared growing vertically out of our chalky soil. All had a piece of chalk at their base (see photo). We have never seen this before. What's going on, and does the phenomenon have a name?

Marianne Duncan, Winchester, Hampshire, UK

The photo above shows a "snow rope" which developed on the back of a bench as the snow started to melt. The rope sagged until it broke after about a day and a half, and has not repeated itself in similar weather. How did it form? Significantly, perhaps, the area around the bench never gets direct sunlight.

Rod Gunn, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, US

To save mixing my gin or vodka martinis with ice and over-diluting them I pre-mix them and put them in my freezer. When I take them out they are a sludgy mixture. But any solid ice that has formed does so in very thin sheets randomly aligned in the sludge which melt quite quickly once the martini is out of the freezer and in a glass. How do these sheets form? I tend to make my martinis about 8 parts vodka or gin to 1 part dry vermouth.

Thomas Park, London, UK

If I scatter soot or some other dark powder on the ice and snow covering my driveway, will it thaw appreciably faster?