Portobello Beach Edinburgh Day 155

Lucky to time my run between the very heavy squalls. Even luckier to see the sun peep through the cloud curtain and then retreat rapidly! The sea, sheltered here from the westerly gales, is flat calm. The beach deserted . I did keep an eye open for "whale spew" as one UK beachcomber described his find in the media here today. It turned out to be a lump of ambergris worth £100,000!

Some web facts about Ambergris to keep handy for your next beach stroll!

1. Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the intestines of sperm whales

2. It's produced by the whale to protect its gut from the very sharp beaks of squid that it feeds on deep down in the ocean

3. Although called 'whale vomit', it is probably pooped rather than vomited

4. It is excreted hundreds of miles away from land

5. It can float on the ocean for years before washing ashore

6. Years of exposure to the sun and salt water transform the waste into a smooth, grey, lump of compact rock which has a waxy feel to it

7. Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor and as it ages, it acquires a sweet, earthy scent

8. It got its name because it looks like the amber washed up on beaches in the Baltic. Gris comes from the Latin word for grey

9. It is used in the production of perfume and as a result is extremely valuable

10. Scientists refer to ambergris as "floating gold" because of this.