This is one of my favourites...

It is just the purple form of culinary sage (Salvia officinalis 'Purpurascens') but I really rather like it. I took this in the rain yesterday but in the sun it looks a little happier. This form is said to be the strongest flavoured sage. I can't comment on the veracity of that but it is, in addition to being rather pretty, rather pungent.

Just another nurse

We found another big nurse shark in a cave/overhang the other day. It was behaving as though it would stay in shelter (although it did move around a bit) so I thought I'd wait in the entrance for it to resettle and try for better pictures - I looked around briefly and then turned back to see its head a couple of feet away moving at high speed in my direction.

This was the shot I got as it exited stage left at high speed. Little bit of an adrenalin shot that.

A prickly customer

Back in the UK and returning to our current base from town one night last week we saw this guy wandering across the road. This is the first hedgehog I can remember seeing alive on a road (as opposed to lots and lots of dead ones) so we stopped and I lifted him across the road to his intended destination (if you woke up to find a hedgehog tucked behind your front garden wall that may have been me). Obviously he balled up as they do meaning photo opportunities were a bit rubbish:

Some points to note if you find yourself in a similar position:
a) hedgehogs really are spiky - barehanding (as the americans would say) one will hurt.
b) stopping in the road at night can be dangerous so show a bit of caution and commonsense before stopping.
c) hedgehogs generally are flea-infested filthy little horrors capable of passing on a variety of nastiness to you. If you do move one by bare hand make sure you wash up carefully but if you can avoid touching the 'orrible little varmints do.