Landlocked Mermaid

Thank you for staying with me over 2019, here's to a fab 2020! See you in the new year for more mermaid fun!

I am struggling with Christmas this year. Thanks to the atrocious state of my mental health I have no inspiration for gifts, I'm anxious about celebrations, and the whole thing is resulting in stress heart burn. But one thing that I am not struggling with is the Christmas music. This year I am loving the tunes! (Except Last Christmas and Mariah Carey, there will never be love in my heart for those two.) I have been rocking out to the Robbie Williams Christmas album , listening to old favourites , and enduring those slightly questionable cover versions of the old favourites. So what better way to get into the festive cheer by celebrating my favourite Christmas songs! But Emily, you did this last year, I hear you yell at the screen. Yes, yes I did . But I only listed four and one of them was Baby Shark. My partner and I have been discussing our number one favourite Christmas songs recently. Shakin' Steven's Merry Christmas Everyone always comes to mind for me, but t...

December is a time to look back and reflect on the year. So, I am taking the opportunity to look back on all the critters featured on #MCotM this year! February: Giant Clam They live in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, found in tropical waters and reefs like the Great Barrier Reef. They like warm waters, no deeper than 20m (66ft), so it is nice and light for them. This is because they have a symbiotic relationship with algae, who rely on photosynthesis for food. Giant clams are the biggest species of clam, growing up to 120cm (47") and weighing up to 200kg (440lbs). It is believed they can live up to 100 years. They are, unfortunately, being hunted to extinction by humans - for profit and food. It is the only species of clam which cannot completely close its shell. March: Nautilus The nautilus is a type of cephalopod, which is the same family as squid and octopus. They have been around since there were dinosaurs on the planet, making them something of a ...

It occurs to me that I should be thinking about Christmas... But I don't have the brain for it, so it can be Not Christmas for just a little bit longer. So have a Top Five! Final Friday Top Five Disney Sidekicks From Movies In/On/Around Water Yes, that specific. Do you know how few Disney films are based around water? So some real liberties have been taken. Starting with... 5. Ray (The Princess & The Frog) Picture from Disney Wiki Bear with me on this one. So he's in The Princess & The Frog , which has an actual water-y sidekick - Louis the Alligator. But Ray lives in the Bayou which is a swampy habitat. While I like the trumpet playing gator, I like Ray better. He is voiced by Jim Cummings , who voices everyone! From Scar's singing voice to modern Winnie the Pooh, if the film is animated this guy is likely to be in it. Plus, he sings My Belle Evangeline which is not only beautiful but the song my sister walked down the aisle to. It ma...

My partner and I like to have sweet treats in the house. Because we don't buy them from the store anymore (other than the occasional comfort food fueled need), I tend to make things which are quick, easy, and adaptable. Cookies are a firm favourite of mine, as we know from previous posts . I love a good bit of cake, but only every now and then. Cake is not an everyday snack, in my eyes, but cookies are. So I took to the internet to find a good cookie recipe. I found this one from GoodtoKnow.com. My initial cookie desire was to make Ginger Crunch Creams - try and curb a craving, avoid buying the real thing and whatnot. The original recipe was for chocolate chip cookies, but I just didn't include them and poured in the ginger. (Thankfully, not three tablespoons this time!) This recipe also says to include an egg as the dough is forming but when it came to adding it, I felt it wasn't necessary. The dough was forming nicely enough and it meant this recipe was now vegan! ...

When it comes to my clothes, there are some things which I am just loathe to throw away. Even with my sister giving me her judgey look while I cling to something which has not fit me for years. There is still hope that I may one day be able to say no to biscuits and slim down! I'll give you a minute, let the laughter die down. If the title wasn't a give away, I am on about t-shirts here. Over the years, between Qwertee and gigs I have amassed an impressive collection of t-shirts which have a weird amount of sentimental value. However, I am very good at shrinking shirts and they don't always sit on my frame well at the best of times. And, they get old. So when it came to gutting my wardrobe, this seemed like a great way to weed out the ones I don't wear anymore. Except, I really didn't want to throw any away. While they may not sit right on me any more, the t-shirts were still in good nick. I managed to wrangle a few by "demoting" them to pjs. Sti...

Marine Creature of the Month Famous Fish   Picture from Kingdom Hearts Wiki Flotsam & Jetsam  AKA Moray Eels I thought it would be prudent to do my next famous fish in keeping with my Hallowe'en costume. I can get away with this a week into November, right? Christmas starts on the 25th of this month, at the earliest. Kingdom: Animalia Class: Actinopterygii Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) WHAT IS IT? A moray eel is a very long eel, found in warm and temperate waters across the world. They range in size from 11cm to 4m (4" to 13ft). That is well over twice the length (height) of the average human. Moray eels are fish, despite their somewhat reptilian look, and there are roughly two hundred species - hence the vast difference in size. The come in a variety of colours as well as sizes, but all share a distinctive shape. They all have an elongated body with a flattened tail, as well as their lamp-like eyes and a mouth full of teeth. (At le...

🎃Happy Hallowe'en🎃 And Happy All Saint's Day too. As we all know, this is my favourite time of year. We have reached peak Autumn - orange leaves on the ground and trees, not insufferably cold, etc - fuzzy socks are acceptable, and it's all feeling just a little bit spooky. I have already covered my costume , it just remains to be seen if it can survive being worn! Party is not until Saturday. Scoop the goop! Last year , I worked really hard on my trick or treat bags and ended up missing the entire thing thanks to work. It was annoying putting in all that hard work and not getting to enjoy the fruits of my labour. This year, I did not have this issue. I decided to go for a similar approach to making my bags as last year. I ordered in some paper bags, as my stock got used up last year between Christmas and my Grandad's funeral, this time going for some cute pinks ones, because why not. They came in a pack of about 100, so I figured fifty wa...