Thursday 6 April 2017

Flotsam and Jet Sharks


  Well, perhaps not an actual jet-propelled shark, but it made you look, didn't it?!


A smallspotted catshark. Maybe?
  A surprisingly warm and sunny morning had me yearning for a beach walk to make up for the disappointly overcast one last weekend. In a moment of ibuprofen-fuelled charity*, I rang The Mother and asked if both she and The Father would like to come with me.

  They said "Yes".

  Bugger.

  As it happens, they only made it as far as the third groyne before they'd had enough, and went back for a cup of coffee at the Cliff Top Cafe, leaving me to soldier on alone.

  Yay!

Jets. Not Jet-sharks. Unless...

Well, it certainly looks like a jet-propelled shark.

::

  I found this smallspotted catshark laying on the sand right at the top of the beach near the revetments. It was quite dead - probably stranded when the tide went out, or deposited there by a dog (there were plenty of paw prints around).
  I gave it a rinse off as it was covered in sand (see the first photo at the beginning of this post), and took the following photos. I left it in a little pool for the incoming tide to take away (last photo).





::

  This wooden dragonfly (and woodlice/pillpugs) are relatively new additions to the sculpture garden on Overstrand High Street.  That giant spider in the second photo was last seen here (which reminds me: I had a dream about Razorlock, my one-time ginger supermarket lust object, the night before last - I must obsess about analyse it).




::

  I have more photos, but I haven't sorted through them yet, so I'll post those another day. Probably this weekend.


* I've been taking ibuprofen for my sciatica, and I've recently discovered that as well as elevating one's blood pressure (bah!), it also elevates one's mood.
 

18 comments:

  1. You could've took that ome fer dinner bab.
    I'm sure stranger things are routinely sold as food.

    You're so kind, asking family to go on a walk with you. And I really mean that. No really. Insane, but kind with it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After I'd realised what I'd done, I immediately stopped taking the ibuprofen - pain, be damned!

      And haven't I expressed my horror before at being addressed as "bab"?!

      Delete
    2. Yes you have and I apologise profusely. It was my horror at seeing someone taking their elderly relatives down to the beach and the strange juxtaposition of death. I was so worried about what might come next it just slipped out!

      Delete
    3. Yes. Well. I expect I can overlook it this time. Along with the dropped 'aitch, too...

      Delete
  2. All that sunshine has, indeed, upped your kindliness.Walkies with the mater and pater and then the rinsing and returning of a poor little shark.
    It's raining here.Again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ibuprofen and sunshine are a powerful combination - I should concoct a spell! I don't think it's be able to rid you of your rain, though...

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. It seems to be sweeping across the globe. First Dinahmow, then me. You could be next!

      Delete
  4. Yuck. I hope you came to hold my hand when I have a nightmare tonight. That thing is hideous.

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  5. What an amazing find on your nature, beach trek! How did the parents react? Did they feel like eating fish and chips afterwards? Thank you for washing off the sand and giving us a fantastic look at the intriguing colors and shape of the shark. Wow! The sea giveth, and the sea taketh away. That shark was probably hunting for food; now it's food for other critters. It's the circle of life--Norfolk style!

    The spider and dragonfly sculptures are fabulous! They are among my fave critters in the yard, eating up the pests. I'm currently engaged in a diplomatic kerfuffle with pill bugs. I suspect they've been munching on my plants! And I'm exploring options on how to extermin...er resolve my issue with them, without causing a yard wide conflict with the other critters in the yard community.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Parents had buggered off by the time I found "Jaws", so they only got to see the photos afterwards.

      Oh, your poor plants! Hang on a minute... You mean you've managed to keep some plants alive? Don't tell me your sweet potato plant is still in the land of the living?!?

      Delete
  6. my PTSD came reeling back! i saw JAWS in the 70s & never got over it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is that why you have colonics - so you never have to look into the deceptively calm waters of the loo?

      Delete
  7. I'm surprised you didn't have that shark served up with chips. Lovely find and so thoughtful of you to return it to its natural environment... even if it was just a little bit dead. Not to worry... I'm sure it will feed a hoard of other sea creatures for at least a month...
    You have my sympathies in regards to your gammy leg... I'm concerned that you might overdo it tho with all the walking you are getting up to...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know whether I should be taking it easy or using my leg as normal. I keep meaning to sit around doing shit all, but things always crop up!

      Delete
  8. The little shark will sadly not make it on this list. (Don't let Norma see it !)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eeuch! That Montauk Monster is hideous!

      *quickly hides list under the sofa cushions*

      Delete

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