One of my all-time favorite things to do when I was little was to go on trips to the seaside with my grandma.

She'd sit down on the sand with all the other grandmas,

armed with her cooler full of drinks and food,

and I'd go splashing in the water with my brother, sister,

and all the other kids.

Building sand castles, right by the edge of the water was the best.

After building a castle, we dig out the biggest moat to try and stop the castle from crumbling

as the waves edged closer and closer.

Whilst waiting for the tide to come in, I'd go from Rockpool to Rockpool,

meticulously investigating, like a private detective, what treasures lay under the curtains of seaweed.

Fast-moving crabs were always a big hit. But after a while I began noticing other creatures.

What first appeared to be a small white rock was in fact a slow moving limpet.

I'd peer in closer at the underwater garden, using a stick to

gently swirl the water. All of a sudden, a coral-colored starfish would begin to limber up.

Seean enemies would move their tentacles back and forth

like stringy jelly sweets that had come to life,

wafting food towards their open mouths.

I'd spend hours searching for the perfect colt shell and try and vain to nudge barnacles off the rocks.

I even considered collecting some muscles for dinner,

although in the end I left them right where they were.

Firstly, because I knew my grandma wouldn't have been best pleased

with me carrying a soaking bag of smelly muscles in the coach ride home.

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