The Cassowary File

I normally work with plain old clear glass, but I secretly lust after the lovely shiny colour variety, but alas my pockets are deep and my arm short.
So I am trying some locally made glass enamel.
Not really knowing the effects I will get from different thickness and strengths of the glass enamel, I treated this as a painting exercise. The FastBright colours come in a pre-mixed form and have been diluted with water. Firing range is 590 c - 830 c
The glass is 8mm clear float.




Cassowary unfired.



After the firing.
Schedule: 250 C @ 240 dph
650 C @ 400 dph
650 C held for 10 minutes
Cool to room temp
The colours have not changed greatly with the firing with a satin finish. Higher temperatures may yield a glossier finish. (Next project)

Wildlife and Cats

Don't get me wrong, I like cats.
I think they are graceful enchanting creatures, it's the bloody irresponsible owners that are the problem. When someone acquires a dog, they keep them in a fenced yard. A budgie or a guinea pig is kept safe in a cage. Why is it then, that a vast majority of cat owners think that it is ok for their moggie to roam at will? Apart from the danger to their cat from, roads, snakes and here in Queensland the deadly paralysis tick, these un-confined cats kill and maim thousands of native wildlife every year.
Case in point.
A juvenile Northern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) arrived this morning after being found huddled in a carport.
Examination revealed 5 large lacerations and area of torn skin the result of being attacked at night by someones loose cat.



Here he is sleeping off the sedation with his wounds dressed.
Off to the vet tomorrow for antibiotics. Lots of TLC and with luck this little one can go back to his wild life.

As for the owner of said cat . . . . .is it uncharitable to wish him or her, bad karma?

I Love Animals She Said......

Then why have I been called back to this woman's house for the same reason?

The PanelLift garage door installed at her house has a raising mechanism in the form of a fine steel cable rotating around a drum. The rear of her garage is not sealed and so Common Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) use the garage as a daytime sleeping area. The ideal place to sleep is on top of the brick pillars adjacent to the lifting mechanism.
On August 29 2004 I was called to extract a female possum and her joey from the mechanism.
The result was a crushed hind leg on the female and the amputation of the tip of the tail on the baby.
Mum was euthanased and the joey raised, and being able to cope with the loss of the tail tip, was ultimately released.
At the time the resident of the house agreed to have her son (the landlord) install some simple lengths of timber to exclude the possums from the garage so this would not happen again. I love animals, she said.

Obviously her love was short term as no exluding had been undertaken and this time a small just out of pouch joey had both back legs crushed by the mechanism.

If you love animals lady ..... PROVE IT!