Each time I go to Lalbagh, there is something else to fascinate me and keep me there well beyond the time I have budgeted for myself….one fine morning, I was able to document the story of Mrs Common Squirrel

(there she is, “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed”, as they say….

You know how housewives are always on the lookout for just that special piece of home furnishing that will make their home look so comfortable and inviting….well, our lady was crossing my path when suddenly she was mighty struck by this:

We all know that interested gleam in the eye, right! What a soft-looking piece of fluff that is! And how lovely the colour! OK, now begins the herculean task... She pushes it up the tree-trunk slowly.... And gets it up to one level by pushing it up with her tiny arms: Now she must get higher up the tree with it: She now tries to back vertically up the tree, pulling hard with her teeth: Grunt, groan, what hard work this is; but she sloooowly works her way up... Inch by excruciating inch (that's why there are so many pictures, I want you to feel the effort of it all!) Her tail stands stiff, her body hugs the tree-trunk as the struggle against gravity goes on: But, as she tries to take it even further up, the stuff just snags on a piece of bark....and falls all the way back... And alas! There's the upholstery, back to Square One (or Ground Zero) with all the weary work to do again...!

In Nature, stories don’t often have happy endings…as the fluff fell back, some people came to the area, and the disturbed squirrel left it and ran off, perhaps to try all over again later. I had to go, and I left, admiring her efforts…whoever said homemaking was easy?

And whoever said posting photos to LJ is easy? Throughout the afternoon, my “broadband” connection has been at 24 mbps….and this post has taken me forever!