Huzza Fish!

In the immortal words of my favourite book- Moby Dick (which I have never been able to read to the end yet-though my favourite chapter is about chowder). I would like to pay homage to dolphins- or Huzza fish, as they shall henceforth be known.

For in the words of Herman Melville "he always swims in hilarious shoals, which upon the broad sea keep tossing themselves to heaven like caps in a Fourth-of-July crowd. Their appearance is generally hailed with delight by the mariner. Full of fine spirits, they invariably come from the breezy billows to windward. They are the lads that always live before the wind. They are accounted a lucky omen. If you yourself can withstand three cheers at beholding these vivacious fish, then heaven help ye;"

I challenge any man to look at these happy creatures cavorting through the water without yelling -"Huzzah!!!" I know I Can't!

Strange Beasties #2 (Part 1) A series on exotic sharks. The Pool Shark.

Well, thankyou Captain Adam for your fine suggestions. I was intrigued to find out that pool sharks actually exist- and it made a nice change for me to focus on a still/chlorinated water animal, rather than my normal sea beasts.

It always amazes me whenever people do not believe in evolution- how could they not, looking at this fine example? Far from it's bloodthirsty sea loving cousin the pool shark has totally adapted to it's new environment. As well as obviously being more manually dextorous- from the reports that I have heard, the shark has also changed diet. Apart from the odd really stupid/shortsighted bather, this shark primarily survives on a diet of bar snacks (mainly salt and vingar potato chips and pickled eggs).

Strange Sea Beasts #1 The SeaHorse

Using the example of the famed marine biologist Bernard Heuglemans, and his seminal work of (1967) (which I will explain more about as soon as I find myself a secondhand copy) I have decided to classify every strange sea beast -known to man and "doubted" by "skeptics". (For a true and accurate recreation of that sentence, it must be read with a scowl at the end, and a two finger wriggling gesture-for the inverted commas.)

I did not actually believe in this strange sea beastie, until I was enlightened as to it's existence by Margaret at Statistics (which is where I am currently working when not haunting the sea-side like a lost ghost). She even has photographic evidence to prove her claim. (with her kind permission I have posted it here for you to see also.)

I just find the likeness to it's land borne cousin incredible. Unlike those other little pissy things......

Dicing with Death and Giving the Benefit of the Doubt.

Now, as regular readers will know, I am no stranger to dicing with death. In fact it regularly comes to my doorway, and we will often swap polite chit chat, or knock up a quick stir-fry.

Having read the story of my birth, I am sure that you are all thinking "Gee I bet that poor lassie moved inland, and swore never to look at the sea again in her whole life!"

But there you are wrong.

Above is a picture of my preferred place of residence.
Sunny Newcastle- situated smack bang between the harbour and the sea.

"Why? Why!" my parents ask (or more accurately wail) "must she always be tempting cruel fate -knowing as she does that the cruel tentacled beastie has chosen her as it's prey. "

I choose to live here- facing fortune square in the face. Though often looking from side to side for signs of rippling in the water indicating which direction the tentacled grappler may come. I love my life, and I find that it is richer for it's uncertainty and adventure.

I like to give this sea creature the benefit of the doubt. Is it my destiny to meet my doom by it's tentacle? Or is this strange creature in some benevolent way looking out for me, with a plan to claim me as one of it's own?

Wise words.....

"Men of the future-perhaps very soon-can live as fishes!"
-Jacque Cousteau

While..."HOT!"
is all I have to say!

The story of my birth.

You may ask how a young woman like me could have such an affinity for strange sea creatures. But somtimes life is just like that. For me, the whole obsession started on the day of my birth.

I was born in the middle of a strange unseasonal tempest, in the small suburban town in sunny, sleepy Lake Macquarie. The wind roared and screamed- hail and rain had lashed against the windows for days before my birth. People could sense that something paranormal was afoot.

People walked around muttering, and looking strangely at one another.... what has happened to our sleepy little town they pondered........something was just not right. On the day of my birth, the wind screamed louder than ever - and an unearthly screaming was heard just off the coast.

As I was born, the tempest suddenly faded, leaving the loveliest day ever. A day that has seldom been seen -breathtaking in its supreme serenity and beauty. The only abberation was that passers by reported seeing a tentacled arm disappearing with a lonely trail of bubbles -making it's way to the sea. Biding it's time.

Since that day my destiny has been set.

Well you learn something new every day.

Oodako - Giant OctopusFilm Appearances: King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) The Oodako is a gigantic octopus which roams the shallow waters off the shores of Faro Island. When the creature comes ashore one evening to attack the native village, the gigantic ape King Kong senses the presenceof an enemy and attacks the creature, dispatching the Oodako with littletrouble.

*Length: 25 Meters*Weight:20,000 Tons

Favourite sayings #1

A shrimp in the hand is worth two in the sea.

Cheese Fish

In my long and esteemed travels I am no stranger to amazement, but I came across one of the stranger of the strange things that I have ever seen in the sultry south seas last autumn.

These pesky little fish are one of the greatest wonders of nature -darting around their watery home, there is no better sight for sore and salty eyes. A good eating fish, the natives of the area report that these fish are best served raw, and occassionally on crackers.

Missing in action

Hey, sorry about that everyone.

Sometimes the sea just calls for me, and I go missing for several months. I arrive back, sometimes a bit wetter, but always a lot wiser than when I embarked. Oh the stories that I could tell! Oh the sights that I have seen.

Pull up a chair by the fire, and after a puff on my pipe..... I may begin to tell you of the wonders.....

ships ahoy!

http://www.cartoonbank.com/prints_covers.aspmscssid=8QS8W3DHC35X8LQ401HBD6SVQ4490B66&sitetype=1

This photo is of the great whale invasion of cruise ships in late 1990. Confused by their shared usual habits of roaming the seven seas. Whales everywhere tried to board cruise ships in the mistaken belief that their quality of life would be better wearing oversize floral dresses and playing shuttlecock. Sadly the poor quality of dinner conversation cured them of this misapprehension and they have since recommenced swimming by themselves.