The dark end.

The candlelit time is over. Christmas is over. I don't get the concept of all of it anyway. I keep surviving the cold and dark time of the year. This year is nearly over now. People make up new year's resolutions. They want everything to be better next year. Of course it doesn't work that way. I for example want to eat more nuts, work less for it and enjoy running up and down trees more. But I always have to make efforts to get what I want and some things are beyond my control. So my advise is to think of today, make today a good day as it's nearly impossible to plan one year ahead. 

Happy New Year and Happy nut nuts! 

ADVENT(-urous) season

No one to hang the tinsel with.

Or mistletoe for that matter.

No one to share a sherry, a gift or a cracker.

No one to say Happy Christmas to.

Or bring you mince pies in bed.

No one to share a nutty nut nut.

No one to chase you up the tree.

No one to make one day any different from the rest. 

No one, but no one, should have no one at Christmas.

Advent season. The most peaceful time of the year. At least that's what they say. People. Such weird creatures. I observe them every day from my drey. Advent season doesn't seem peaceful for them at all. They are always in a rush, all streets and shops are crowded and everyone seems so tense and stressed. I really don't get it. They seem to make it hard on themselves. I try to ignore them while I eat my nuts every day. My tree has lost all its leaves. It gets harder to find nuts, so I have to put a lot of effort into it. My companion nowadays is another squirrel with dark brown fur. We share the drey and help each other find the most delicious nuts. We're a good team and it's good to be with a beloved creature as the days are short and the night is dark and full of terrors. 
So let's not think about all this and enjoy the peacefulness until Christmas. 

No-Vam-Bear

Remember, remember!

The fifth of November...

It's getting darker, it's getting colder. It's grey almost every day, the leaves are falling down. Soon my walnut tree will be dead again. The nuts are falling down, there's mud everywhere. It's a good time to die probably. But not for me. I am hungry, I need to eat. I need to survive the winter. That's why I keep looking for nuts. I need to become as fat as possible. It's about surviving. To be or not to be, that is the question. For now, my tree wears yellow feathers...it's beautiful. In the end it's all about enjoying the moment. We never know if there will be another day to enjoy. So let's enjoy today and make it something special. 

Trick or Treat? Skulls are driving me nuts.

Mr Squirrel's Diaries XVII

Halloween! The scariest time of the year. It's getting dark very early, it's time to get used to sleep early. But sometimes it is just funnier to scare people instead. Look what my cousin in the UK did in order to have fun:

I'm a nice squirrel, I wouldn't scare people like that. But I have to admit that I enjoy some pranks myself. People are dressing up as witches, vampires and zombies. I observe everything from my walnut tree. The nuts are delicious these days. I take my time eating them. Trick or Treat? Hm, I'd rather have another nut. Happy Halloween to everyone!

October Sun

Mr Squirrel's Diaries XVI

It's a clear, bright and harsh October sun

Lights me up so I've nowhere left to run

MATT BERRY

Autumn...maybe my favourite time of the year. The leaves are turning yellow, red and brown and it's not as hot as it used to be in summer. There are less people outside, the garden is mine again. But the best things about autumn is that the walnuts are ready to eat. Fresh nuts everywhere. This is heaven. I overheard people complaining about the weather, the shorter days, the darkness and the cold nights. It seems that they are never happy. How can't they see the beauty of autumn? How can't they appreciate the mild October sun? I'm busy These days eating all the nuts and seeds I can find. My garden is so colourful these days, like the most beautiful rainbow in the sky.

La rentrée - Après Summer in September

Mr Squirrel's Diaries XV

Au pays du lundi, On démarre plein d’énergie. 

Au pays du mardi, On continue comme lundi. 

Au pays du mercredi, On peut dormir jusqu’à midi. 

Au pays du jeudi, On recommence, c’est la vie. 

Au pays du vendredi, On a beaucoup d’amis. 

Au pays du samedi, La semaine est presque finie. 

Au pays du dimanche, On s’embrasse, on chante, on rit. 

M. PENUEL 

That's it. The big reunion. Seeing my beloved Lady S. and my children again after a long summer. Even though it's a short moment of happiness as soon our ways will part again, we're all enjoying it. We're chasing each other up and down the trees and getting as much sun as possible before autumn and winter are coming. 

Every day of the week is the same for us. It's different with the humans. They invented seven different days. So sometimes they're busy, sometimes they relax. And every Monday, they're desperate because a new exhausting week is about to start. Whereas I don't care. My Monday is their Sunday. As is my Tuesday, my Wednesday, my Thursday and my Friday. Soon the nuts are ready to eat. I can't wait! Happy September! Bonne rentrée à tout le monde!

Adventurous August

Mr Squirrel's Diaries XIV

So I'm back in my garden. Back in the game. It feels good to be home. The kids have left the drey, Lady Squirrel has taken good care of them. It's time for them to find a new home and live their life. It's only me and my ladies again. After a month of relaxation and loneliness it feels good to have some company. It's still hot, summer is still there. We are playing our games mostly in the morning or in the evening, to escape the heat. I'm full of energy again. 

Hot hot summer

Mr Squirrel's diary XIII

It is hot. It is summer. Do you even know how hot it is when you're wearing your fur all the time? I tried to stay at home, but it was just too much stress. My ladies had our children and it was so exhausting caring for them all the time that I decided to take some time off. So I went on vacation to the park nearby. The park is beautiful, there is a stream where you can always get enough water to drink. In my garden water is rare in summer. So I packed my things and went to the park. I found a nice little empty drey to sleep for a few weeks and enjoyed the silence and peace. No female squirrels, no chasing, no responsibilities. That's just what I needed. I stayed there from the beginning of July until August. It's the hottest time of the year. All I did was eating some leaves (nuts are too heavy in summer) and drink a lot of water. It was so relaxing.

Me drinking from the stream in the park. 

I am Squirrelman!

Mr Squirrel's Diary XII

Forget about Superman, forget about Spiderman...I am the real hero, I am Squirrelman and I have superpowers. It's not only that I can climb my walnut tree at the speed of light, I can rush down the tree head first and my claws stick to the tree like the most sticky glue so that I can't fall down. I can jump from tree to tree and it feels like flying when I stretch out in the air navigating with my tail. I can build myself a home without any help and I survive even the coldest winter. 
Yeah, we all know that. But the real reason why I call myself Squirrelman is that I found myself not one, not two but three different squirrel ladies and they're all staying with me for the moment. Well, nuts to you, I am the king of the world. 

Me and one of my ladies being real life heroes. 

...and I know things.

Mr Squirrel's Diary XI

There are things in life that you need.I for example need my freedom. I now have many women in my life, which is good - don't get me wrong. But a squirrel needs to eat a nut once in a while without being disturbed. Sometimes the ladies would play together. I always use this time to get away. I also like to sit on my walnut tree and relax. Humans are lighting fires these days to make food. I hate the smell, it makes me want to throw up. Why do they need to prepare their food when there are delicious nuts everywhere? They are disturbing everyone in the garden with that smell. I have the feeling that they want to destroy the harmony of the place. 

Made in Hollywood

Mr Squirrel's Diary X

It's a sunny afternoon. Lady Squirrel and I are chasing each other in my garden. It's exciting. Suddenly, there is a noise. We both look up. There is another female squirrel. Unlike Lady Squirrel, this other female has light fur. She bears a resemblance to me. I am distracted immediately and decide to approach her. Lady Squirrel is also interested in this stranger and after some moments we start chasing each other. Soon Lady Squirrel leaves us and I make a move on the newcomer. She seems interested, so we fight some minutes before we go nuts together. We enjoy the intimate moment to the full. The day couldn't be better. Weeks ago, I was alone, now I have two females in my life. Afterwards, we are sitting next to each other. We are both happy and relaxed and I am listening to the bird's songs. 
Suddenly, there is a noise. I look up. A bird of prey landed on my walnut tree and is looking for prey. We stop moving and pretend to be dead. Lady Squirrel, who is sitting in the walnut tree as well, does the exact same thing. My heart is beating so fast. I hope that he can't see us. Lady S II is watching me anxiously. I don't know what to do. I can't move, so I can't comfort her. After some minutes of stress, the bird of prey flies to another tree in my garden and before we can even realize it, it catches a little titmouse and flies away with the poor little bird. All the other birds in the garden start chirping. They mourn the death of their friend. The twittering of the birds gets louder and louder. We are still motionless and my hard continues beating very fast. A bird got killed in my garden! It could have hit me as well. Life is so unpredictable. I look at Lady S II, she looks lost and scared. We decide to slowly go back to our drey to hide there. What a day! Love, fun, life and death are sometimes just a heartbeat away from one another. 

Meeting Lady S II

Going nuts together <3

A relaxing moment afterwards...

The appearance of the bird of prey

Lady S I is alarmed as well. 

That's what I do. I drink...

Mr Squirrel's Diary IX

Did you know that eating nuts makes you thirsty? Well, you may have noticed that I eat nuts all the time. That's why I have to drink at least once a day. I don't live next to a river or a lake, but in my garden there is this weird little pond on this table tennis table. I go there every day to drink some water. Now that it's getting warmer, I need to drink more. It rains a lot in my city, so the pond is always full of water. The water tastes funny though. I suspect the humans use it for other things then drinking. But I don't care as long as it has water in it every time I'm thirsty. And that happens a lot!

Togetherness

Mr Squirrel's Diary VIII

Oh, how my life has changed. I wake up at dawn and start chasing Lady Squirrel up and down the trees. We would stop for a quick bite occasionally. But it's mostly about chasing each other. I must admit that I sometimes need some minutes for myself and eat a nut. She can be so demanding and often wouldn't allow me to have some time for myself. Life can be so tiring. 

This is me eating a nut. 

This is Lady S. Isn't she a beauty?

Pentecost Love Story

A Pentecost Story

Pentecost. I really don't know what that means, but everyone seems to have a long weekend. Peonies are blossoming in the garden. The sun is shining, I am busy finding nuts. One day, while I am eating a big delicious nut on the table tennis table in my garden, I all of a sudden hear a noise. I haven't heard anything like that for a long time now. It's a short moan. I look up and then I see her. A beautiful red female squirrel is sitting on the wall. She is tiny, her fur is a little darker than mine and she has big beautiful eyes and long fluffy ears. She stares at me and moves her tail. I respond to her with a similar sound and I think: "Hell yeah, finally I can reproduce". So I start chasing her. I'm pretty sure she wants me. Normally I should be the one looking for a female, but I was too busy finding nuts this spring. I am a lucky guy. So off we go. We're chasing each other up and down the trees, jumping from tree to tree, waving our tails, calling each other. She's always next to me. She must be receptive to mating. So that's what we do. I immediately forget about the long lonely winter and my time alone on the walnut tree. Finally I can do what squirrels are supposed to do in spring. Is this the meaning of my life? I really have no time right now to answer that question. Lady S. keeps chasing me, she doesn't give me a break. We start playing early in the morning every day now, when everyone else is still sleeping and we won't stop until it gets dark. It's exhausting but right now I don't care. I enjoy the distraction. 

Spring and Nuts

Mr Squirrel's Diary VII

The walnut tree is so green now. Everything looks different in spring. I can finally hide in the tree, those fat pidgeons can't find me easily anymore. I like that. There is a lot of food around now. But to be honest I only eat nuts. They're delicious. They're my favourite food. I'm really happy now that it's finally warm. I really don't care that I'm alone. I just enjoy my nutty nut nuts.