h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I met my first last week
I was circumspect
It had right of way

You may have guessed as author of the piece I was also the reminiscee. Never swam so fast in me lfe!

Yup, I can imagine!

I didn't move too fast, but I was definitely backing off pdq

The fastest I ever swam was when I disturbed a grey shark having a snooze under a huge bit of plate coral on the reef. I kicked back to the boat just as speedily as I could, whilst trying to remain calm, keep my heart rate steady etc. Yeah right!

Ah, I ain't come close to a shark before. Stepping on a sea cucumber was about the most heart wrenching thing I've done while swimming in a reef. But that was more disgust than fear...bleurgh!

Actually, the Moray Eels gave me the screaming abdabs rather more than the sharks. They are somehow very primeval and unpleasant.

My husband speared one thinking it was a Coral Trout (in amongst the coral, an easy mistake) and he had one helluva job untangling it from the spear/twine without getting a finger inside its mouth. Fortunately he did it a long way from the boat, so all I had to do was watch and shiver, whilst he did the heroics

Oh, mon capitaine, you are my hero...

Although, the only experience of Morays I've had is watching the Little Mermiad with my youngster, so I shouldn't mock

Little Mermaid Morays? Hmmm... not quite the same

did all sorts of stupid / heroic things on the reef. "Popped" a shark in the head once because it was trying to eat his net of coral trout and crayfish, which had taken a good 3 hours to collect. The result was an extremely (and literally) stunned shark which did half a dozen nose - tail flickflacks across the surface of the ocean with cheering it on It recovered about 5 minutes later and disappeared quick-sharp (or quick-shark)

Ah, sometimes I miss Oz.

btw, nice to see you about again.

Thanks Matt

I love Australia. I do miss bits of UK, but on the whole I am where I'm supposed to be

Are the clocks changing in UK tonight? NSW and Vic return to normal (aka Qld) time today

Yeah, it was 1am, and now it's 2am - so I really should get some rest. The ankle-biter will still be up at the crack of dawn!

I feel the other way though, England feels like the place my bones should be.

Strange isn't it?

Strange indeed, but as long as you're where you feel right, it's enough. I like the idea that some things are meant to be - for no apparent reason.

And aren't we lucky that we have the opportunity to be the place we feel most comfortable? A couple of hundred years ago chances are I'd have been here under some kind of duress - and no chance to change my mind if I didn't like it. No Boomerang Poms in the 19th Century

Sleep well