The great cycle of life.

"After your death you will be what you were before your birth."
Arthur Schopenhauer. German Philosopher. 1788-1860.

I spend a lot of my time photographing the beautiful side of life on our local beach.  Sometimes, however, I inevitably come across the more brutal side of the struggle for existence. This dead grey seal has been washed up on the beach high tide. The gulls have quickly started the recycling process and within a few days the seal will be gone, converted into gulls!