In another of the parodies, John was supposed to be polishing the cockleshell paving around the pond and hanging out the washing.

As does the surrounding lonely shoreline and saltmarsh, whose muddy tussocks hop with wading birds and whose beaches are composed, in part, of yellow cockleshells.

The Cockleshell Heroes were 10 Royal Marine canoeists whose task was to attach mines to enemy supply ships in Bordeaux.