Glass and Wood

Today was my last day working for Dave in the glass factory and in honour of the occasion I got my first glass splinter! I punctured the tip of my right ring finger and spilled blood, darn it! I spent afternoon cutting metal frame material in preparation for making flyscreens and had to dodge sharp pointy flying metal that the saw sometimes flicks out at high speed after cutting the mitres!I had ear muffs and goggles on for protection.

This inspired me to use the mitre drop saw when I got home to start making a frame out of some old jarrah for Sophie's mirror. It has been standing against the wall in her room, broken and jagged, so I took it in and cut it and bevelled the edges to make it safer. After cutting the timber and cleaning it up with the electric plane Dad gave Carolyn for her birthday I got inspired to try out my router and router table for the first time.
Hmm! Not so simple! I had to take it apart in order to work out how to attach the blade, not once but twice. I finally managed it just as it was getting dark and I was about to leave to take Jordy to Margaret River for his rehearsals so I only had time for one go at it. I worked it out but the router bit is not the shape I need. I'll have to look for one at Bunnings so I can put the rebate in the frame before I put it all together.
This will have to wait another few days now because I'm off in the morning for a three day chaplains retreat at Fairbridge, near Pinjarra.

Not sure about internet access at Fairbridge so blogging opportunities may be limited, we'll see.

I'm rooming with Cam and Birchy so I'm guaranteed to have a good time, plenty of fun and sport in between the serious bits and the annual Trivial Pursuit Challenge Battle of the Sexes to look forward to. I'll be taking my paints as well although I'm a little short of canvases. I may need to stock up in Bunbury on my way through.

I can't sign off without mentioning the shooting massacre in Virginia this morning. It is hard to comprehend these sort of events. The fact that there have been so many and that they continue to happen is damning. How the gun culture and gun lobby can continue with such power in light of these tragedies is astounding to me, unfathomable.
If you haven't seen Michael Moore's "Bowling For Columbine" and particularly his interview with Charlton Heston, president of the NRA let me recommend it to you as both enlightening and chilling!
Why these sort of people want to take out a whole lot of people as well as themselves is too hard to understand. I pray for comfort for the victim's families.