Summer in the City

Although there is no summer to speak of here and oceans of rain are still falling, it has been warm enough for the squirrel season on my window sill to end. It didn't pass without a conversation with the BBC Springwatch team though, so we'll see if they become an Autumnwatch story if they come back and rebuild at the end of the year.

There were alot of different squirrels using the dray, this is Cyril, I could tell him by the particularly white fluffy bits behind his ears, his bald patch on his tail, partly his face, and his little hands had no rusty brown bits which some of the others did.

Seven changed their forecourt for summer, it's in a covered arcade so their garden furniture on the lawn and picket fence worked well. The neighbouring cat who you may have seen in this post had made this corner his spot on the winter bench, well he just adapted to summer and stayed in exactly the same spot - even though his seat had gone.

Yeh, it's all about stripes this season

Scratchy Siesta

They're still here, even so late in June which just goes to show what the squirrels think of our summer.

A Letter from the Bank

The squirrels appear to have a letter from the bank. I could make out a blue letter B so I think it's from Barclays - don't they use squirrels in their ads? Anyway I love what they've done with it - use it for a doorway - a sound investment in draught control.

Shabby Chic!

I don't see so much of the windowsill squirrels when temperatures rise, but the guy below sheltered from a hail storm recently. The dray has a nice splash of bright blue.

A few people have asked me don't I want to clear up the scruffy dray? No - it's a thing of beauty and it's still a home! I love their use of urban debris - visible in the dray are: plastic bags, paper bags, newspaper, notepaper, ball of wool, jay cloth, woolly upholstery stuffing, wipes and T shirt fabric. It starts as just ivy, then they bring in dry leaves, as it gets colder and wetter in come the more insulatery and waterproof materials. Smart guys.
If you are a squirrel lover, check out this story!

Home Improvements

I know you've been wondering how they are......and look how much the dray has evolved since all the paper and plastic etc came in and they shredded it. It's so tempting to do a pastiche on art critic waffle on this.....in keeping with the 'fibre arts' movement this installation blends a subtle mix of colours and textures and creates a true reflection of the way we live today - yes Art Squirrel has forged something both luscious and impoverished that reflects the contemporary urban struggle, yet recalls jazz improvisation and employs chance to make decisions commenting on survival itself, this is life on the edge.........Stop, no what I really wanted to say is look how much it's changed from it's early days.

People actually get paid to write stuff like that you know......

Soft Furnishings

I'm sure you'll be wanting a squirrel update! I saw as many as 5 at once the other day, one in the dray in my window box and 4 dotted around the courtyard below. They've had some territorial spats but don't really fight. The squirrel who built the dray is the only one I can really tell from the others, he is much snowier behind the ears and has a bald patch mid-tail, I call him Cyril and he shares the dray with a pal sometimes and chases off others. After the main build with leaves they moved in plastic bags, tissues, cardboard etc. even this ball of wool....

...it even matches their coats, I wish they could knit (a waistcoat!) but it's since been chewed up and is spilling out the side of the home now as the dray constantly changes. One of the reasons it's such a thrill to have them so close is because it's so urban here: I watched one bury a whole piece of toast in a plant pot yesterday. I may do some spring watch type posts later on as there are so many creatures actually inside our building, wrens and blue tits nest and foxes scavenge too. I found a dead fox out the back on a hot summers day so I had to bury him on the railway bank, by climbing up there I found enough blackberries for a crumble, I love these wild oases in the city, it's a totally different kind of wildlife out the front of the building!!

Constantly Evolving Art Form

 Better than art........no contest!

Day 5 of the Rebuild

Squirrel has been busy and it seems darker in here as the home gets higher. He builds from the inside out and here he's about to use the entrance that he extended by chewing a dip in the wooden box. It looks ready now - compare it to the post before last to check the progress. A few red berries on top would look nice as we go in to December.

Nuts about Squirrels

 

It's cold enough for my squirrels to return to the kitchen window sill home, but they haven't yet so maybe they wont this winter. The council have cut down one of their trees nearby. Anyway, here's some ingenious refurbishing with a plastic bag on a snowy day that I thought you might enjoy. I spent hours watching these guys, they're so clever.

Cold Weather

The best thing and only good thing about the return of cold weather is the return of the squirrels!

For 3 winters they've built their home in my window box, then they leave in spring. I had wire mesh around a plant to protect it from them, but they destroyed the plant and decided the mesh would make a good basis for a home filling it with leaves, paper, plastic bags etc.
I love having them there and they're fun to watch, scratching, washing, playing, drinking rainwater from the ivy leaves. Of course I fell in love with them and got to be able to tell them all apart.

And this is possibly my all time favourite squirrel photo, aren't they gorgeous?!