Pottering with paua shells on the beach at Eastbourne

Spent a lovely two hours taking photos on the beach at Eastbourne on Sunday. Mish was at work fending off cranky customers, so I got the better deal. Another grey, misty, drizzly warm day - we're having quite a run of days like that.

Changed the blog opening photo to a macro of paua with pebbles (as you can see). Loads of paua shells on Eastbourne beach, and everything wet with sea and rain. That really brings out the amazing aqua range in paua shell colours. This one was lying there with a collection of beach stones in rain, so photographed as found. The middle dark bit was the foot of the shellfish.

Here's another one - with a couple of mussel shells. The green lipped mussels get big in these here parts (and beat the paua in a fritter taste test I reckon). YUM. (And we've had tea - delicious lamb sausages - so not hungry, just shellfish fantasising...mussel soup in garlicky white wine, mussel fritters in a light beer batter, home made paua fritters, mussel chowder with onions and chunky Italian bread..somebody stop me...mussels steaming open on the barbecue...

 And one of the beach, looking south to Wellington Harbour entrance.

Tonight it's the lunar eclipse and can't see thing in Wellington. Rats. Just had a walk outside, it's on now but too cloudy in this part of the world. Good view up north in Hawkes Bay, where we'll be next week, camping out in the van over Easter.

We were remembering two previous full eclipses: standing on Mischa's balcony at Manly Vale and sitting in beach chairs in the yard at Robertson (man, that was a red one).

Have been having hair pull out troubles with the blog - slooooow loading, opening, not opening at all, photos displaying badly - and have switched from Internet Explorer to Google Chrome tonight. Things working heaps better at this end. Hope this presents ok with you.