Pickles at TWELVE WEEKS!!

My little boy is growing so fast!! So I brought him home a few days before we went to Wyoming on June 4 and then he stayed with Aunty Carla for a week, now he has been back with us for 2 weeks and on saturday he will be 12 weeks. When he came home he was really shy and ducked for cover at any movement or noise but last week he was a wonderful little host to all our dinner guests. Only a couple of huffs and spikes then he was happy to be handled and play chase the meal worm.

Quilling!
On friday Pickles had a bad hair day so to speak, he began his final bout of quilling. Poor little fella is loosing them at a steady rate and of course new ones are growing up through his skin and he is quite uncomfortable & grumpy. I have been bathing him which softens the skin and soothes it and I am holding him but cutting him a bit of slack and he has been responding wonderfully. I am in New York and am missing the little guy already, i know he will be glad for two nights of peace but I will miss him anyway!

Random iphone pic

I'm pretty proud of this one! I had my own private viewing area of the DC Independence day fireworks from the mammal offices at the end of the west wing. It was a nice reward for working on the holiday, also my reward is that i am now in New York.

Random iphone pic

Mmmmm yummm! The Court House farmer's market is finally back in full swing! I snapped this waiting in line for the best ever asparagus, strawberries and spring onions.  This is the Westmoreland farm stand it always has the longest line in the market but it is soooo good!

Season of the creepy crawlies

This slug is one of the more magnificent creatures that are out rollicking these balmy evenings while, for example, tonight it is 84oF with storms rolling slowly through at 1am! Other critters I have spotted lately include earthworms making the treacherous crossing over the paths from lawn to lawn. The fireflies are starting to sparkle at dusk, these are also beautiful. There are moths, mosquitos, beetles too but the worst, and the only one that seems to feel at liberty to make our home its home is the 'house centipede' with their long legs, long bodies and amazing speed they come out onto our walls at night to hunt fellow arthropods. The only source in here being the occasional tiny fly, ant and even rarer spider. We kill all centipedes on sight and keep the apartment as cool and dry and free of prey items as possible yet these creatures still insist on sharing our space.

The white squirrel

Here is a better photo of the white squirrel, I'm still not entirely satisfied but he isn't a poser despite all the millions of photos that he has had taken!

Well he does camouflage against our building!!

What I'm reading

Done with Animal Farm! I thought it was like being hit on the head with a sledgehammer - why waste time with farm animals, it didn't make it clever or artistic. It may as well have been a rant about the evils of power in letters to the editor. Well that was my harsh view. On the good side it was short and I'm sure it came across better in it's time.
Now I'm on to one of my colleagues books - another installment along the ever growing line of Papua New Guinea adventures most recently including Flannery with Throwim way leg and Bheeler's Lost Worlds. I am about to venture into Vojtech Novotny's Notebooks from New Guinea. Maybe one day there with be a Helgen version...

Random iphone pic

Mum taking her little brood for breakfast. I've been waiting for these cuties to appear and was so happy to see them on my way in Friday morning!!