Suicidal squirrels

We have glimpsed squirrels jumping from branch to branch across the tops of the walnut trees in our garden 2 or 3 times and they don't look grey like in the UK.

I checked on the internet and amongst other things saw a short film of Romanian red squirrels, Spring plants and people enjoying themselves in Herastrau Park. In the UK, red squirrels are extinct except in the Isle of Wight I think, as grey squirrels fare better. Survival of the fittest!

I also saw some Suicidal Squirrels! The Romanian authorities want to ban an advert on the AXN channel which is shown every day. The red squirrels are in cartoon form & commit suicide with guns, jumping out of  planes etc, in a jokey way as cartoon animals do. The problem is that the cartoons are shown on an afternoon & it is felt that the format does not match the subject matter especially as shown during the day when children might be watching. Attempts to ban the cartoons have failed so far as AXN is registered in the UK, and is out of Romanian jurisdiction.

We have hundreds of walnuts getting bigger every day, so I hope we are not overun with squirrels in the Autumn. If they stay in the trees collecting nuts;that is OK.

In June we were inundated with cherries, sweet and sour, and now we have raspberries ripening every day. I have made a few compotes with them and we have recieved a gift of sour cherry jam which is delicious. This is my second raspberry Summer. Last year it was in France at a friend's house. (You know who you are!) Next year, it will be at home, as I planted an early and a mid season raspberry bush to go with the golden bush I already have.

Talking about bushes, we have a few cats which circle round the garden surrepticiously. I don't like the marmalade cat as it captured 2 chicks and brought them in our garden to demolish them, bones and all. There were only a couple of feathers left each time. I like the other cats though, even though they sometimes surprize me in the house. I chased a dog out yesterday. I don't know which of us was the most scared.

The dogs that we pass on the way to Breaza seemed to get used to us 'til we went home and now they are getting used to us again. One of them escorted us to Richard's favourite bar last Friday and then returned home.

Woof Woof for now, going to visit some salt mines tomorrow.