Who's Been Stealing my Nuts?

A mystery rodent has been eating the hazelnuts that are falling next to our irrigation tank. I could see the tooth marks on the empty shells...


Thanks to my camera trap I know who the culprit is. Sciurus vulgaris, the Eurasian Red Squirrel. Here s/he is:

Nuts for nuts

We who live here are priveleged to share nature with the wildlife that has been here for centuries. Sciurus, you are welcome!

The Next Village Along

When a person dies people here in Catalonia say that she has 'gone to the other neigbourhood.' On Friday morning our lovely Hazel went to the other neighbourhood - I'd rather think of it as the next village - after a short illness.

A scent of a dog

She was a kind, empathetic dog - one of the crofters called her 'a sweet dog' - and had lived at the Croft for eight years after we brought her home from a rescue kennel nearby. She was highly adapted to live with humans, understanding our moods (flattening her ears while we had one of our debates), ready to walk anywhere, and loving of all of us. When one of the Crofters was away for a while he or she would be enthusiastically welcomed by Hazel on their return; this was especially true for our two children who grew up with Hazel around them. We are all missing her, our lovely Hazel.