Littorina littorea.

Back in Aberdeen after a lovely weekend in Banchory: Anna cooked up a storm over the last two evenings, despite being only 12 days from potentially giving birth!! She really is quite amazing.

So far, 2012 has involved a fair amount of booze, a fiercely fought (and on my part, lost) game of Balderdash, an engagement ring made of string for one of Anna's other friends, a hug from an extremely handsome man (Zack, aged 2 years), toooo much good food, lots of giggles, the assembly of a baby crib, plenty of hugs from Anna's two dogs, and finally, a walk on the beach (despite still feeling quite ill).

Here is a pink periwinkle in the sand. I love the geometry of shells, and I particularly like winkles. They live 5-10 years and can lay up to 100,000 eggs in one go! (Did I mention I'm a marine biologist?!)