Distractions
I think this carving came about as a result of trying to help my daughter with her homework. It always seems that whenever we come to an important part, she is looking in the other direction. So I get irritated, we have a row, then we have a bigger row and finally one of us leaves in a high dudgeon. Two hours later things get back to normal except that we are now both too tired to continue. The pattern is always the same and just goes to show what a bad teacher I am.

The young owl is on his first hunting trip, crowding close to his parent, who has little space left to perch on. The parent has just spotted prey but the chick has become hypnotised by the setting sun and is paying no attention whatsoever.

The carving is made from Alaskan Coral, which is not, as I understand it, a true coral but rather a tree-like growth with internal rings. These rings produce the remarkable patterning which so resemble feathers en masse. Unfortunately the material is brittle and seldom solid, often having wide gaps between the rings and the dust when working it is not good for the lungs. I keep using it because its beauty is unsurpassed. Signed on 22ct gold.