She sells sea shells by the sea shore...

Today J, the MiL and I went to Sheringham to check out the Crab and Lobster Festival. I don't generally do crowd scenes (very nervous of photographing people, especially if there are children around) so instead here's a tiny part of the amazing Peter Coke Shell Collection, which wasn't actually open but I sweet talked the chap in the lifeboat museum next door into letting us have a look round because the MiL was interested.

Peter Coke (related to the family at Holkham Hall) turns out to be the actor who played Paul Temple in the radio detective series that had the Coronation Scot as it's theme music, which some of you may remember (amongst other careers). We were told that he first worked with shells to patch up a broken wine glass because the stem of the glass was too pretty to throw away. One thing led to another, and there is now a collection of may millions of shells on display in his amazing creations. Some almost resemble wedding cakes in their ornate complexity. I quite like the skeleton effect of some of these specimens.