Tuesday 27 October 2015

Squirrels, Dogs and Roses


The clocks going back an hour at the weekend has normalised my days more.  Getting up as it goes light is natural for me, and for most other folk I assume, except poor shift workers of whom my son is one.  It must play havoc with your sleeping patterns if your working day alters on a rotating shift pattern, I know it does for Jason, who when not at work is either at the Gym, or crashed out on his own sofa snoring for England.

Anyway me and the dogs were up bright and early yesterday morning, so early that as I was putting on my jacket and pulling on my wellies ready for the damp and chilly morning circuit of the paddock, I glanced out of the window and caught this little chap still having his breakfast.


I got the camera off the shelf in the kitchen and he was still tucking in when I came back and took this shot.  He carried on nibbling his way around the rosy red apple that he had clutched in his tiny little paws just looking so cute I had to stand and admire.  Wouldn't you love a fluffy tail like that to keep the draughts off your back while you sit eating a fresh apple.

The dogs were getting restless, after all when Mum has her jacket and boots on it should mean the door magically opens and they can run out into the fresh air ..... not stand waiting in the conservatory. So when I saw the squirrel had virtually finished his tiny apple I made a noise with the door handle, which of course sent the now over excited Rosy into a frenzy of barking, which Mavis soon joined in with and this gave little Mr (or Miss) Squirrel time to make a swift exit completely unseen by my excited little canine companions, back to the safety of the apple tree and with no doubt chance to choose the apple which would make the next meal of the day.


Walking round the paddock I was surprised to see these lovely little Dog Roses flowering on the bush that is full of Rose Hips.  I don't remember ever seeing both on a bush at the same time!!


So pretty on this cold, damp October day.

I could have harvested some of the Rose Hips and made a syrup, but I thought that this year I would leave them all for the wildlife, we have plenty of stores this year.  Maybe I'll have a go next year.

Sue xx

20 comments:

  1. Clock going forwards:) Lovely rose hips!

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    1. Oops, corrected now , thank you .... that's what happens when you post first thing in the morning. We won't tell anyone else eh!!

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  2. I thought the clocks went back ? Jess leaves for work at 7.15. I told her the good news that she had an extra hour !

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    1. They did ... oops!!

      That extra hour made all the difference to our Sunday, it's surprising how you get everything done with a little bit of extra time :-)

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  3. I always seem to be the one that works the extra hour and not the hour less. I am a shift worker and my current roster is the worst in 13 years. I know what I will be working for the next year! How depressing us that.

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    1. My son has a rolling forward rota, so like you knows exactly when he will be working for over a year. For instance he knows he is working all day this Christmas day and then next year will finish at 7.30am on Christmas morning ...so he's missing the day with us this year and somehow I can't persuade him to make Christmas dinner for us all when he gets home next year ;-)

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  4. I've just purchased a 200g bottle of rose hip syrup from Lakeland for £3.86. I'm not sure if home made would be any cheaper after the faffing about , etc, but it might be. My first lot if chutneys worked out quite costly as I had no jars to start off with.

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    1. What I tend to do in this instance is to look at the ingredients. If they are just rosehips, sugar and water, then you are right it's probably as cost and time effective to buy the bottle of ready made, if there are any other additives that perhaps are not really needed, I think I would prefer homemade.

      It's a choice we can make in many areas. I just like as small a list of ingredients as possible to make me buy convenience over my own production. You quite possibly have done just the right thing.

      Next years chutneys will be so much more cost effective for you. It's taken me years to build up my collection of jars.

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  5. Oooh, memories of 'Delrosa' rose hip syrup as a child......I loved the stuff!

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    1. Haha ... you've got a good memory, I couldn't have put a brand name to the syrup :-)

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    2. I was an addict!

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  6. I have to confess to not liking the darker nights it means me and my girls can only have 1 lovely long walk a day in the fields now as hubby gets home and its dark. But at least it makes you slow down. Lovely Mr Squirrel they really are so cute even when there taking the birds nuts :-) Your rose hip tree is lovely, dee x

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  7. I would love if the spring ahead and full back would stop and we'd stick with one or the other. Either way, I love this time of year, so pretty out.

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  8. Agree with spooky whisk above - I am still not over last week's change and am awake at five in the morning and likewise ready for bed at nine.
    Love those luscious red hips - strange about roses out too isn't it?

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  9. I just love autumn. And what I love more is getting that hour back that they stole from me last March.
    That squirrel is just too cute, nibbling at the apple.

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  10. I always wonder what winter berries can be consumed. Or better still, fermented. Rose hip jelly? Elderberry gin?

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  11. great photos!
    love the dog tales!

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  12. What are you feeding your squirrel on ? He is a right fattiy, ha ha. Cute though.

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  13. Apparently rose hip syrup is very high in vitamin C so would be an extra boost as the cold hits us, but I haven't made any as it all looked a bit of a faff and I wasn't even sure if I'd like it. Does it taste perfumed like Turkish delight?

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  14. I have loved looking at your photographs today. We often get a squirrel in our garden but I never get my camera in time. The change in the hour has completely throwm me this time. X

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