Amazing irregular echinoid find!!

Irregular echinoid - real (from Greece) and fossil (from Hampshire

Alternative rear view of irregular echinoid showing hole

On our honeymoon in 2005 Andrew and I went to Stoupa in the Pelleponese (spelt wrong) in Greece. We went scube diving. Andrew could go deeper than me and found the shell of an irregular echinoid (larger photo), very similar to a Sea Potato but not quite the same!The latin should perhaps be pseudoechinoidius stormtrooperius!!

In December 2011, during the Christmas holidays, we went walking from Ashley Park in the New Forest and headed towards Hampton Ridge - one of our usual routes. I saw an orangey-round stone and when I picked it up I was AMAZED to see that I had found a perfectly formed fossil of exactly the same irregular echinoid. It was lovely and, I have to say, slightly spooky. It felt a bit too unlikely to be a co-incidence. Anyway who knows what, if anything, the find means. I would just like to think that it means something....

The photos of both are attached for anyone's interest. The geology/archaology/biology of it all is something I will look into in another life...

January 2012 - Walking in south Wales

Looking towards Fan Brycheiniog 802 m. I lost my gloves somewhere near here.

Andrew on the way up The Black Mountain - looking south

It looks beautiful but the wind chill took it to about minus 10 degrees C.
Andrew lost his bum pad somewhere near here!!! 

A row of Welsh ponies and horses lined up to charge

There was a bit of a stand-off...

 

Very moody weather near Table Mountain

Me and Andrew on top of Table Mountain with the Sugarloaf in the background. It was VERY cold!!

Lovely dry stone walling near Table Mountain

Looking back towards Table Mountain from near Crickhowell