Saturday 10 November 2012

An Obsession with Squirrels?

It is strange to say.... that yes, at present I am a bit obsessed.  I think I've been influenced by the autumn displays so many have in their posts across blogland.  As such, I've been further inspired to create little pockets of autumn in my own home. 

Photos inside my home do not take well.  I do try, but I don't have the right lighting to fully project these images on screen and they seem a little dull - but I shall endeavour to give you a flavour.


I found this lovely nut cracker at the Charity Shop recently.  I'm not sure anyone in our family are nut lovers but I couldn't leave him on the shelf.


In the same visit I brought this beauty home.  I LoVE him. 


He is of course a Sylvac ornament of our native Red Squirrel that only lives in parts of the UK now.  The Grey Squirrel was introduced to this country historically from North America and almost forced our native squirrel to extinction.  Although isolated to different parts of the UK - mainly the islands of Anglesey and Brownsea this type of squirrel has been successfully reintroduced and is thriving.  If you wish, you can find out more about the Red Squirrel here.

Many people will disagree with me on a conservation basis but I do enjoy seeing the mischievous Grey Squirrel in our woodlands. 

Of course I'd love to see red squirrels too but that is beyond my control.  Today, to get a burst of fresh air and interact a bit with nature we took ourselves down to a park close to the sea front, which is a typically Victorian recreational space; with paths, lawns, fountain and woodland.  You can imagine times before us when the rich people living in the gorgeous mansion houses surrounding the park, took in the sea air for medicinal purposes!!

There were amazing colours


And fabulous shapes formed from the trunks of this large tree:

We went to interact with the squirrels and for the children to beat their personal records for scooting the route around the park!! 


After energy was expended it was fascinating to watch the squirrels increase in trust as we sat patiently and offered them monkey nuts. 



The children were surrounded with 5-7 squirrels by the end of an hour.  This was the first time we'd done this since the children were toddlers and I was astonished by how enthralled they became. 



We merrily spent the morning watching the different squirrels and their reactions to us.  I was perched on a bench whilst the others were in the midst of the action on the floor!  One squirrel became incredibly trusting of little B...



Another would take the nuts off and bury them for a later snack!  The excitement in the children's faces was a joy to see.

I have to say I did leave this rather large squirrel on the shelf at the Charity Shop yesterday!! 


Hopefully that means I've got my fix of the squirrel type this year - I think he'd eaten a few too many nuts!

J9 x

I'm linking up with these fabulous parties
  A Favourite Thing
Pink Saturday
Weekly Top Shot



30 comments:

  1. Your fireplace looks lovely and I really love the nut cracker!

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    1. Oh Bless you - thanks!! I really couldn't leave that nutcracker behind!!! J9 x

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  2. So darn cute! We love watching our squirrels too... love your collection of squirrelly bits and I agree... that last fellow had more than his share of the winter pantry! :)

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    1. Thanks Tracy - I've gotten into the autumn theme more this year - it's great to collect these bits cheaply too at the charity shop!! J9 x

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  3. I love squirrels - I watch them all the time on our property. They chase each other up and down trees and seem to have the best time! Love that Sylvac squrirel. Thanks so much for joining in this week!

    xo
    Claudia

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    1. Thanks Claudia for hosting the party! I was certainly lucky in that trip to the charity shop to pick up both squirrels in the same visit! J9 x

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  4. Fun post! Love that tree too! I did a few "squirrelly" posts last month-- or was it Sept? Time does fly!

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    1. Hi Diane - I'll take a look at your squirrelly post!! I've been to that park so many times and not noticed the shapes in that tree before. It's one of the best things about blogging - I've noticed I 'see' a lot more when we're out and about, J9 x

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  5. Your fireplace is so pretty. Love the squirrels!!

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  6. I don't think I've ever seen a chubby squirrel. They are way too active to be overweight. :) I love watching squirrels running up and down trees and just doing their thing. Funny how so many people complain about them being in their yards. They were put on this earth for a purpose and are just doing what squirrels do. So nice to see that you and your family had a lovely time in the park feeding the little guys. Best wishes, Tammy

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    1. Thanks Tammy - I have to say I was a little nervous commenting how much we enjoyed the squirrels when- as you say, many people consider them a nuisance. It was fun anyway so who can argue with that!! J9 x

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  7. I love to watch the squirrels frolicking in our trees! We only have the gray squirrels here -- I don't think I've ever seen a red one, but they sure are pretty! Love your red squirrel figurine. (Looks like your children got the red instead of the squirrel! Darling pics)

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    1. Ah hless you - yes - my daughter is a red head!! It's a shame the red squirrels are so rare but they are beautiful. Mind you - I have a soft spot for red haired things!! J9 x

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  8. Oh, how sweet this post is! We love our Sammy squirrels and I've blogged about them quite often. Your children are adorable - what a fun day they had! Here are links to my squirrels if you're interested in them:

    http://anenchantedcottage.blogspot.com/search?q=sammy

    Have a wonderful week,

    Donna

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    1. Thanks Donna - I'll take a look!! It's so interesting that we all live in different parts of the world, yet enjoy the frollicks of our squirrelly friends! J9 x

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    1. Hi there, it's great fun!! It's always good to get out in the fresh air when the weather allows! Thanks, J9 x

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  10. I love them too! Unfortunately not many of us do. I always feel sorry for them when people moan about them raiding the bird feeders. Hey they need to eat too. I use to feed them and they became quite tame. But I had to stop. I have a little chihuahua that the hawks and coyotes thought I was setting up a buffet of dog squirrel and bunnies just for them. Well as I said before they have to eat too, but not at my house!! Oh well, I'll just have to admire them from afar.

    Thx for sharing a fun post.

    ML

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    1. Oh goodness!! I don't think my little dog would bare sharing our garden with squirrels. My mother has them in her garden though and they are so acrobatic!! I don't blame you protecting your dog - it is amazing how trusting wild squirrels can become. Thanks, J9 x

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  11. Hi Janine! Thanks so much for writing. I'm flad you found some of my Sammy squirrel posts. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you like all little outdoor creatures, so at the end of this comment I'll leave a couple of links to our 'pet' chipmunks as well. They're much tamer than the squirrels in our yard!

    I've been readingb back a bit and I love the way your bedroom came out, LOVED all the items you got while out thrifting (I'd take those end tables if we lived closer!) and how cute are your kids at the beach and petting the pony. It looks like you have some wonderful family outings! Wonderful memories in the making!! Have a great week!

    http://anenchantedcottage.blogspot.com/search?q=chip+whisperer

    http://anenchantedcottage.blogspot.com/search?q=pet+chipmunk

    http://anenchantedcottage.blogspot.com/search?q=pet+chipmunks

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    1. Hi Donna - yes, you're right - I pretty much love every animal in the world excepting a few insects - spiders especially. Before my accident I was a ranger and my degree is in conservation management so I love to fill our time with outdoor pursuits. It's a tad harder now with my mobility / pain issues - but we do our best!! Thanks again - I'll take a look! J9 x

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  12. SO SWEET - love them too! Thank you for sharing on Weekly Top Shot #56!

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    1. Thanks for visiting my blog Madge - you're very welcome!! J9 x

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  13. I love squirrels too! Your photos are great! That tree is incredible.
    We love your blog. Can't wait to explore more.

    The French Hens are your newest members. Have a beautiful weekend!

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    1. Oh thank you so much!! What a lovely comment. Welcome as my new followers, J9 x

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  14. Please think about turning off word verification for comments. :) Linda

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    1. Hi - did you mean this to me? I don't think I have one on it do I?!! I hate those things... could you do me a favour and confirm back to me? Thanks! J9 x

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