The aliens have landed ... at Stockton.
This weird-looking fish, like other Stockton locals, seems to be thinking "where'd my beach go?".
We thought this creature looked pretty weird, but then we googled "weird-looking pink fish with big lips". Then it didn't seem quite so weird after all.
We do feel a bit bad calling this terribly unlucky fish a "creature". He or she needs a name. How about Sofia? Or Sebastian? Yep, we're going with Sebastian from Stockton.
Wonder if there are any other Sebastians at Stockton? We think not. Sebastian is a unique name for a unique creature.
During our Google search, we did find a Pokemon character called Bruxish that looks a bit like Sebastian.
We also came across a blobfish, which has been declared the ugliest animal on Earth. The pink handfish won't be winning any beauty contests, either.
There's been plenty of concern and sympathy for the humans affected by the Stockton erosion crisis. The latest folks to find themselves at the centre of the crisis were Lexie's on the Beach cafe workers, who abruptly learnt they'll be out of a job with the cafe to close as the erosion threat closes in.
But let's make sure we spare a thought for Stockton's marine creatures. As Sebastian has shown, an eroding beach is no party for them either. One minute you're swimming happily in the surf, enjoying life to the fullest, the next you're stuck in the sand, gasping for air and wondering what happened to your beach.
From where we stand, Sebastian is now a symbol of the worsening Stockton erosion crisis. His sad and slightly scary image should not be forgotten.
To The Letter
Ian King, of Warners Bay, sent a letter to the editor of the Lakes Mail newspaper, which is based in the west Lake Macquarie area.
Dubai is a long way from Lake Macquarie. But somehow, Ian's letter ended up in Dubai. It was stamped with a return to sender message at the Dubai Exchange Centre.
"My envelope was correctly addressed to the Lakes Mail, yet somehow ended up in Dubai," Ian said.
"The letter was returned to me three months after it was posted."
Ian's wasn't the only local letter to find its way overseas of late.
A birthday card sent to an address in Swansea in Lake Macquarie ended up in Swansea in Wales.
The receiver put it back in the post where it found its way to the right address, carrying a written message on the back of the envelope that said: "Hope you're not affected by the fires. Best wishes."
Good English
Eunice from Belmont has written a blog post titled "Grandma on Grammer" in which she admits to the occasional mistake in grammar and punctuation and a penchant for modern-day abbreviations.
"I do like to occasionally use focl (fall off chair laughing) or in my case foclngmu (falls off chair laughing now get me up)," she wrote.
Eunice also pointed out that any errors in grammar and punctuation cannot accurately be described as improper English because her surname is, in fact, English.
"Whatever I write or say must be the proper English, as I once pointed out to my boss when I worked in the English Language Centre at the University of Newcastle," she jested.
