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@ 02/07/09 – 21:43:54
...That's my dream. That's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor, and surviving" - words spoken by Marlon Brando in "Apocalypse Now"
The horror, the horror...
Because of their thick slime, snails really can do that.
Cheers, Tom.
P.S. Click the picture to see the snails larger...
bugelugzaflyonthewall
SeasideMan
Pro These particular snails were picked by Helen from our Courgette plants and offered to me to photograph, so I gladly accepted. We put them on sticks, turned a light on them and this is the result. I was immediately reminded of the Brando quote, so I checked to see if they can do that, and they really can. I don't know if you have seen the film or not, but the quote is a metaphor for Charlie Sheen's progress in the film, his journey into the "Heart of Darkness". An incredibly powerful metaphor, I would say.
I know some people find them disgusting, but snails are truly beautiful, I think. It's how you choose to look at them.
Tom.
bugelugzaflyonthewall
Sadly, I dont recall having seen the film, however I do agree that many of natures more obscure exhibits are amazing to those who seek to appreciate their anomolies.
SeasideMan
Pro Evolution has given us a treasure of life on this little planet of ours...
bugelugzaflyonthewall
that it has...
mojacar
Here is a true story I heard yesterday, one lady a Grandma has decided to write a childrens story about each of the families pets. She was sying she was concerned about the subject matter regarding a 27 year old tortoise.
In the summer months he lives in a pen in the garden, with a box for a home/shelter. He shares this home with a steel capped work boot. The tortoise and boot regularly have sex, the tortoisee been rather loud in his passion, followed by a sigh of relief. This intrigues people and in the warmer evenings, they have barbeques, so that poeple can go, have a glass off wine and watch the tortoise and his boot. She has promised us photos or a video!
As this is all the tortoise does apart from sleep and eat, how does she write this in a child friendly way?
SeasideMan
Pro Haha, that's a funny story. You could write that as a child-friendly story by de-sexing it and making it a friendship between the tortoise and a talking boot. I think...
mojacar
Hi Tom, thanks for the suggestion, will pass it on next Wednesday.
mojacar
Oh by the way, the snail picture is brilliant, i have a lot of snail babies in the garden!
PrincessFiona
Wow! I cant somehow grasp how one can be scared of a snail but i guess its a metaphor for him?
SeasideMan
Pro Yes, it's a metaphor for a dangerous journey - if something goes wrong the snail will be killed.
PrincessFiona
Hmm walking on razor sharp edge?
SeasideMan
Pro Yes exactly, what a terrible journey that would be!
PrincessFiona
horrible!! super Horrible and painful
SeasideMan
Pro Yup. Have you ever seen Apocalypse Now? It's one of the most powerful films ever made.
Tom.
PrincessFiona
No i have not.. But I now want to 
xx
QueeneMab
Spectacular photo.
Hopefully no snails were harmed in the making?
X
SeasideMan
Pro We didn't kill the snails...
QueeneMab
I was fairly certain you would not, but the word razor worried me for them.
I don't know why I have a soft spot for snails since they eat my garden, but for some reason I do.
X
SeasideMan
Pro I find them quite beautiful, and their slow movement seems calming too. For the sake of our vegetables they have to go though - I believe they take a short flight, but it's Helen who deals with that...
QueeneMab
Our garden is very popular with thrushes and blackbirds so they do the dirty work for us, but mainly they take slugs, I do not grieve so much for them as I do not care for them for some irrational reason.
X
SeasideMan
Pro Yuck, I can't stand slugs...
QueeneMab
Strange isn't it? After all, essentially they are the same thing.
X
SeasideMan
Pro It is weird, I suspect the difference is the pretty shells obscuring some of the slime, plus the rather lovely eye stalks.
QueeneMab
Yes, I think so the shells are quite exquisite.
But also possibly some cuteness association from watching Brian on the Magic Roundabout as a kid.
X
SeasideMan
Pro Ah of course, I'd forgotten Brian! Happy memories of Zebedee saying "Time for bed" :-)
QueeneMab
BOL
I think in a few minutes I shall take his advice.
X
Rosiebud
Brilliant pic Tom. 
While you were away at Glasto I took a pic of a snail in my garden eating my lilly. Only after I posted it on here did I notice that he was watching me taking the pic XXX
SeasideMan
Pro Excellent - a nosy snail :-)
jenray
Pro Group sex...
Should have put a warning on the blog...HLOL...great pic, Tom, if they didn't consume my garden at a rate of knots, I'd love 'em...Ray thinks they're great but then he's not into gardening at all... I love that they do make love...tenderly and for a long time!...GBHs...XXX
SeasideMan
Pro My first thought was to call this post Group Sex :-)
Probably a good job I didn't though! There is a snail sex scene in The Wicker Man, described thusly:
"After dropping off a teenage boy for his sexual initiation at the hands of Britt Ekland, Lord Summerisle stands outside in the dark and closely watches two snails mate. Wrapt in admiration for the slimy couple, he muses, "Oh, to be an animal, with no concern for what others' say, for what they think, for shame, for respectability." He, the island's master, practically curses the last word"
Tom.
jenray
Pro LOL...great minds think alike...GBHs...XXX
jenray
Pro Group sex... Should have put a warning on the blog...HLOL...great pic, Tom, if they didn't consume my garden at a rate of knots, I'd love 'em...Ray thinks they're great but then he's not into gardening at all... I love that they do make love...tenderly and for a long time!...GBHs...XXX
jenray
Pro sorry gone up twice...got sidetracked and couldn't remember whether I'd posted it...HLOL...damn these senior moments... GBHs...XXX
dancetotheradio
This is an amazing picture!
Snails are OK but slugs...
We have a road in the woods just next to our house.
And everytime it has rained the whole road is full of slugs. Can't even walk there, you have to step over them every step you take. Hate them.
SeasideMan
Pro Thanks. Ewww, all those slugs...
Munzly
"Dodman, dodman, show your horn,
Here comes a thief to steal your corn."
Norfolk rhyme, do you have something similar over there on the West coast?
SeasideMan
Pro Not that I have heard!
Munzly
OK, I wonder what the Welch is for snail?
SeasideMan
Pro My book tells me it's Malwen or Falwen depending on whether it mutates or not...
Munzly
Um, Malwen. So with the "en" that would be feminine singular, any idea what the pleural or collective name would be?
SeasideMan
Pro Probably Malwoden.
Munzly
Ta! I've always been interested in snails and associated folklaw. We used to do a lot designs based on them when I was into ceramics in a big way. So, I really enjoyed your photo - nice one!
brokendownangel
Pro I don't know why, but I found this really disturbing - it made me shiver x
SeasideMan
Pro It's supposed to do that. That little speech is an intercepted radio recording by the man (Marlon Brando) that Charlie Sheen has to go into the jungle to capture or kill. It's a quite chilling thought.
arctictern
Apart from Rory Gallagher's Walk on Hot Coals, Skid on a Razorblade, lyrics, I recall a film about medieval Germany, where the enemies of the king were put on this giant slide which turned into a razor blade the further you slid down it. Like the guillotine, massive crowds turned out to see enemies of the land sliced in half. I suppose to a snail it is no different to us (well not me...ha ha) walking the beam in gymnastics.
SeasideMan
Pro I remember that film! I wish I could remember what it was called. I remember that one commander had to pick one of his troops to go down it and he asked him "Do you believe in Jesus Christ"? When the guy replied yes, he said "Then go with Christ", i.e. get on that slide! Yuck...
jollyweez
I didn't like "Apocalypse Now." Did you notice, at all, that Brando's son was a caretaker at Michael's Neverland and was very close to him in friendship?
I agree, snails are patient and elegant.
SeasideMan
Pro It's one of the darkest films ever made. Humanity at it's most inhumane and insane.
I didn't know that about Brando's son, that's interesting, thankyou.
Tom.
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What a spectacular subject matter. These are captured well, and the image is authentic, affording speculation as to their freedom or captivity. Where these actually an exhibit for education?