This is a difficult thing for a coral biologist to say, but the top spot in my Favourite Sedentary Marine Creatures list has just been taken by a sponge. The Venus’ Flower Basket sponge dwells in the deep sea sediments of the Western Pacific and is probably the only marine creature to have appeal to structural engineers, architects, biologists and die-hard romantics.
Author Archive
11
Mar 08
Mar 08
The accidental novelist
Given a free hour to wander around a bookshop, it will be with an air of expectation that I pick up intriguing-looking books by authors I haven’t heard of (beautiful cover designs attract my attention and ‘The Inheritance of Loss’ by Kiran Desai is a particular favourite of the moment so is currently decorating my dressing table).
The sense of simmering excitement as I enter a bookshop has less to do with the prospect of finding a novel on a theme that sparks my interest than finding evidence for the existence of ‘accidental novelists’.
05
Dec 07
Dec 07
The Little Things in Life
Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." ~A.A. Milne
12
Nov 07
Nov 07
Nothing Vulgar About Beetroot
I think I’m going to start a campaign for a revival of the 19th Century name for the beetroot – blood turnip. It’s an infinitely more evocative name for a humble root vegetable that has hidden depths. Today, many varieties of Beta vulgaris are grown around the world, (when was the last time YOU ate a Burpee’s Golden or a Bull’s Blood beet?)
30
Oct 07
Oct 07
Of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Twenty-three years ago, for one hour a week in the six wintry weeks leading up to Christmas, I sat glued to a televisual feast of magic and mystery. ‘The Box of Delights’ was written by John Masefield in the 1930s and adapted for television by the BBC in 1984, when I was ten and living in the UK.