The Old Curiosity Shop

... would have been a good name for this eccentric bookshop we found in Lyme Regis. This was the main area at the front of the shop:

The proprietor had obviously not been able to stick to books, and had superimposed stuff - on top of, in between and in front of the books. Most of the books behind this clutter display were for sale, but unreachable by anyone more than six inches wide. I've seen some fairly odd bookshops in my time (Hay-on-Wye has its share), but this one took the biscuit.

See the rocking horse in the front of the picture? It is almost identical to one my brother and I had as children. All four legs hang on springs from the frame, giving it a forwards and backwards bouncing movement. We adored it, and I imagine ours must have eventually worn out. This one was for sale for £35, and as it looked in serviceable condition I would have been very tempted if there had been any chance I could have shoe horned it into the car to get it home.

Lyme Regis is at the heart of the fossil rich "Jurassic Coast" - a world heritage site - and is a geologist's dream, but we didn't have time and mobility to to see anything beyond the seafront and this curious bookshop. If you would like to see more of the town and its geological treasures, pay a visit to my friend Missus Wookie, who was there earlier in the week. (Wouldn't we have got a shock if we had run into each other!) When it comes to geology, the best I can do is this picture of rocks on the seashore. I hoped to capture the metallic spots in the darker rocks (mica?) sparkling in the sun but sadly failed. No fossils, I'm afraid, but Missus Wookie has a beauty here.