Landlocked Mermaid

This weekend just past was spent diving! So instead of Marine Creature of the Month, you are getting all the details!  We stayed at Tyn Ros again, with aim to dive Abersoch and Porth Ysgaden. The rough plan was for two dives on Saturday and one on Sunday. There was a wreck dive, low tide dive, and drift dive on the cards. However, they were all subject to weather conditions. Suffice to say, things did not go exactly to plan. But that's life for you. There are loads of these sorts of pictures at Tyn Ros. On the Saturday, we headed down to Abersoch to gear up and get in the water. There was a bit of a breeze, but due to positioning along the coastline the sea was in better conditions at Abersoch than at Porth Ysgaden. The word "lumpy" was used to describe the other side. We got into the water a little later than planned. After the boats had been launched, it became apparent that we'd need to leave it an hour or so to get the best out of the water. So we...

The Ideas I love this time of year. Hallowe'en is my favourite holiday. I am one of those people who will actively deny that Christmas is a thing until at least November 1st. And more than one year I have left my Hallowe'en decs up until December. It just reaches a point where there's no point taking them down without replacing them! Now, this holiday is a minefield for avoiding plastic pollution. The decorations are plastic. The pre-made costumes are plastic. The sweets are bite-sized and wrapped and wrapped and wrapped in plastic! It is a daunting amount of plastic which goes into Hallowe'en and I am glad I have a few months of experience with reduced plastic living, because otherwise this would be a headache. I don't have to worry about hosting a party this year, my sister has claimed that one. But I would like to do plastic free trick or treating, I will definitely be dressing up, and I want to deck the house in bats and ghouls! At this stage I ...

I am back with everyone's favourite shark experts! This time we play Addy vs Dylan: Pictionary. They didn't playing for doughnuts today, just for fun. And it was a lot of fun! Enjoy roughly ten minutes of chaos.

When I started this blog, one of the first things I said was that I am a massive shark nerd. Now, I haven't really done much to show this - plushies, bling and tattoos aside. So I thought this top five could be dedicated to my top five sharks. As most of the reasons are "I think sharks are 😍😍", I will include a fact on them too. Top Five Sharks 5. Black Tip Reef Shark Photo from Monterey Bay Aquarium It would be a little weird if I didn't include the shark I have permenanty inked on my skin in the top five. I just think these sharks are iconic; they are your typical shark shape, but they have the black tips to make them just that little bit different and recognisable. I'm fairly certain we had a toy one when I was a child; so the love must have started at an early age! These sharks are sleek, nocturnal, and curious things - known for stealing spears from fishermen! Fact: Their iconic black tip is part of their camouflage.  4. Goblin S...

Between working weekends recently and healing tattoos, I've barely been in the water. Not even gone in the pool until this Thursday just gone! While pining after the water I've been mentally compiling a bit of a diving bucket list. It's only three places long so far, but I can always add to it as I think of them. My Pinterest is partually to blame for this, as it keeps showing me this pin: Scuba Diving Map I'm fairly certain it is available as a poster, so I may be convincing the fella we need one. The Diving Bucket List (So Far) The Caribbean Now this probably stems from watching Pirates of the Caribbean a lot as a teen. I wasn't always oogling Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, I was eyeballing the location and the underwater shots. This wanderlust has been further fuelled by Death in Paradise . Photo from Caribbean Diving The Caribbean is home to sharks, corals, sponges - all sorts of life. The water always seems so clear and...

Dunkleosteus Dunkleosteus skull. Photo from Earth Touch Kingdom: Animalia Class: Placodermi Conservation Status: Extinct (EX) Found: Northern Hemisphere (based on fossil locations) Era: Late Devonian Lived: 358-382 million years ago Diet: Carnivorous, most likely other armoured fish Weight: 1 tonne* Size: 6m (19.7ft)* Habitat: Deep water *Based on the largest of the ten known species. Dunkleosteus were ancient, armoured fish which inhabited the Earth over 350 million years ago, first discovered in 1873. They belong to the Placoderm family, which derives its meaning from "plate" in Greek (plax-) and "derm" in reference to skin. They were fish with articulated armour plates around their heads and thorax. The ocean used to be full of these types of fish and the Dunkleosteus were among the biggest. Well, some of them were. There are ten known species of Dunkleosteus, the largest being D.terrelli . This was the one tonne...

My second person to attain the "Merfolk" title is probably the obvious choice, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Now, I knew he was something to do with the sea, but my knowledge extended as far as that episode of Friends where Pheobe yells, "I love Jacques Cousteau!" After some digging, I have found out he has done basically everything! So without further waffle... Jacques-Yves Cousteau Photo from Smithosian Magazine Lived: Paris, France (or aboard Calypso ) Era: 20th Century Life Span: 1910-1997 Occupation: Oceanographer, Filmmaker, Naval Officer Like I said before, there is very little Jacque Cousteau has not done. He has made over 120 documentaries for film and television. He has written over 50 books. He has created an environmental protection foundation which is still going string twenty years after his death with over 50,000 members. But that is the short version. This man packed a lot of life into his 87 years. In my notes, I feel like I hav...

Over the last couple weeks I have been scrolling deep into Pinterest for recipes. Not for food, I google those, but for beauty and cleaning products. I have been compiling a board, you can check it out here ! I've been toying with the idea of making my own products since I couldn't find a conditioner bar which suited me. And I've finally had an afternoon free where I can make a mess and have some fun! All the ingredients. I decided to start with three, mostly because I was limited by ingredients. But I figured that was a good thing because if I am terrible at this or they don't work then I haven't spent much on it. But if they do work, then I can venture onto bigger things! The three I have gone for are: Hand Scrub Deep Hair Conditioner Facial Sugar Scrub Ingredients aside, I went for these three because I have a greater need for these. My job is hard on my hands - so much cracked skin! - so I need to pamper them more often. ...

I have realised that I am a little bit scared of octopuses*. I don't know if it's their fluidity or the fact I had a dream where one was stuck to my sister's leg or what... But I thought doing some research into the smallest, therefore cutest, octopus would help me love them a little. It's done a pretty good job, I'd say. So let me introduce you to the... Atlantic Pygmy Octopus Photo from Everything Octopus Kingdom: Animalia Class: Cephalopoda Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) Found: The Atlantic; Caribbean, Cayman Islands Diet: Carnivorous; clams and crustaceans Weight: 30g (1oz) Size: Mantle - 4.5cm (1.8in); Arms - 9cm (3.5in); Total - 13.5cm (5.3in) Habitat: Warm, coastal waters, shelf and sea bed It is a widely known fact that octopuses are very intelligent creatures. They are often escaping aquariums , there was that one which predicted the 2010 World Cup , and they are Professor Layton level puzzle solvers . Atlant...