• Deep Thoughts and Silliness by Bob O'Hara

    Just what it says on the tin

    • The Beast Has a New Friend (warning: cute overload)

      Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 19:41 UTC

      Recently we’ve had a visitor on the balcony

      hiding from the snow, and eating the bird food. Yesterday, The Beast

      and the squirrel

      met

      separated by several panes of glass. Both wanted more from their relationship, so the squirrel was back today

      looking for his friend

      Eventually The Beast woke up and came out

      but by this time the squirrel was off elsewhere on his adventures

      Last updated: Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 19:41 UTC

      • Comments

        • Date:
          Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 19:43 UTC
          GrrlScientist GrrlScientist said:

          SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!

        • Date:
          Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 19:50 UTC
          Cath Ennis said:

          Seconded

        • Date:
          Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 19:52 UTC
          Ian Brooks said:

          omgodomgodomgodomgodomgodomgodomgodtooooooooooooooocute!

          ahem

          I mean, nice photography there old chap. Good show.

        • Date:
          Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 21:11 UTC
          Eva Amsen said:

          [death by cute]

        • Date:
          Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 21:14 UTC
          Katherine Haxton said:

          Awwwwwwwww! Sooooo cute!

        • Date:
          Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 22:10 UTC
          Stephen Curry said:

          Are you sure The Beast’s intentions are friendly? Here I am live-blogging the removal of a dead mouse from my lounge floor. I wondered why the cat was jumping around so much and then I saw the gift that she had left for me.

        • Date:
          Thursday, 05 Mar 2009 - 23:47 UTC
          Kristi Vogel said:

          This just confirms my suspicions that squirrel species the world over have an intrinsic death wish.

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 00:16 UTC
          Sabbi Lall said:

          A squirrel tried to eat a ballpoint pen I left outside once and to confirm Kristi’s point jumped off the balcony 2 stories up when I chased it. It survived and ran away, but I think they’re pretty much crazy brave.

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 00:22 UTC
          Kristi Vogel said:

          I used to have a Shetland Sheepdog that loved to chase squirrels; they would get very cheeky, and wait until the last moment to run up the cedar trees in the backyard. They seemed oblivious to the fact that most collie dogs have impressive vertical leaping ability, and on more than one occasion, my Sheltie had squirrel tail hairs in his mouth.

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 00:23 UTC
          Cath Ennis said:

          The squirrels in my garden drive my cats insane. I let them out once to do their best, and the squirrel practically laughed at them as it climbed to safety (Google is a somewhat decent climber, but Saba has problems staying on the sofa, let alone a tree branch).

          We get brown, grey and black squirrels, but not tufty-eared ones.

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 00:23 UTC
          Linda Lin said:

          Cute! love the hair on its ears.

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 03:17 UTC
          Åsa Karlström said:

          mmmmm….maybe the cutest hairdo by a squirrel ever?!?! ;)

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 03:24 UTC
          Kristi Vogel said:

          Reminds me of Beatrix Potter’s Squirrel Nutkin.

          Yet another squirrel with a death wish.

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 04:45 UTC
          steffi suhr said:

          I’m picturing Bob stalking the two with his camera.

          And I’ve just made peace with all squirrels in the world after seeing that picture of little tufty-ears on the flower pot (or whatever it is).

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 08:24 UTC
          Frank Norman said:

          love the hair on its ears

          Really? I always thought that was a bit of a turn-off?

          Agree – nice photos Bob. But what’s with the last one being sideways? Are you trying to make us all exercise our neck muscles? ;-)

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 09:25 UTC
          María José Navarrete-Talloni said:

          Nice story and nice pics (like a comic strip!). Hope you’ll let us know if The Beast succeeds in his search for friendship (or food) :-)

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 09:28 UTC
          Henry Gee said:

          In his younger days, our cat Fred

          liked to chase squirrels. Being, as he is, of a grayish appearance, he could infiltrate a gaggle (posse? drey? snurgle?) of squirrels without them noticing and then launch his attack from within. At our last house but two, a neighbour reported that on opening his shed, three gray forms shot out – two squirrels, pursued by young Fred.

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 10:02 UTC
          steffi suhr said:

          a gaggle (posse? drey? snurgle?) of squirrels
          A drey or – more fittingly – scurry, apparently. I love collective nouns.

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 10:08 UTC
          Henry Gee said:

          So do I. In a poetry anthology I had at school, an author had suggested some new ones including

          a bundle of boys
          a giggle of girls

          Both of which sound very suitable juddging from what I see in my kids’ school playground. I wonder what suitable collective nouns might be for graduate students, postdocs, lab technicianss and so on …?

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 11:26 UTC
          Frank Norman said:

          A coffee room of postdocs?

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 11:37 UTC
          Kristi Vogel said:

          A rig of electrophysiologists

          A compulsion of molecular biologists

          A cross of geneticists

          An anlage of developmental biologists

          An accessibility of NN bloggers

          A whinge of S … errr, never mind ;-)

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 11:46 UTC
          Stephen Curry said:

          A precipitate of crystallographers…

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 11:48 UTC
          Cristian Bodo said:

          A maze of behaviourists…

        • Date:
          Friday, 06 Mar 2009 - 12:32 UTC
          Heather Etchevers said:

          An aggregate of tags…

          Thanks, Bob, a rightfully popular Friday post. No need for more science.

        • Date:
          Saturday, 07 Mar 2009 - 13:46 UTC
          Bob O'Hara said:

          It’s a curious thing that red squirrels are infinitely cuter than greys. Something to do with the ear tufts, and the way they move (read Moominland Midwinter for a real insight into this).

          But what’s with the last one being sideways?

          Nope, that’s the right way up.

        • Date:
          Saturday, 07 Mar 2009 - 14:11 UTC
          Stephen Curry said:

          @Bob – red (aka ginger) is always best. C’mon – I thought everybody knew that!

        • Date:
          Saturday, 07 Mar 2009 - 14:41 UTC
          Kristi Vogel said:

          The Tamworth pigs think that ginger is best, of course.


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