Isn't This Squirrel Eating Well?

I managed to take a video of this squirrel enjoying some gourmet bread on top of one of the dumpsters behind LCB Ottawa. That is a decent portion of bread, if you ask me. Enough for a human, and more than enough for one squirrel. :)



I don't know how the squirrels manage to get into the dumpsters around here, but somehow they do, and we always see them stuffing themselves with food. They usually run away when they see people approaching. Today was the first time I was able to take a video of one squirrel without it scurrying away.

As you can see from the video, it wasn't the slightest bit afraid of me. Brazen little thing!

Many of the locals hate the squirrels with a passion, because they rummage through the garbage and leave rubbish strewn all over the place.

Local Birdlife

I have noticed that, now that spring is here, I see a lot more birdlife when I venture outdoors.

The following photos were taken yesterday, at the park across from C.A.Paradis -- the kitchen-supplies shop on Bank Street that most LCB Ottawa students would have visited at some stage. (Aside: Bus No. 5 stops outside LCB Ottawa and also C.A. Paradis.)

I don't know all that much about birds, but I think the birds you see in the photos are pretty common in Australia and New Zealand. When I was taking the photos, I momentarily forgot I was in Canada. Then the black squirrel perched on the log in the middle of the first photo caught my eye ... :) (We don't see squirrels in Australia, that's for sure.)

Snowing Again

Just when I thought spring was finally here (because almost all the snow outside had melted), it snowed again today. See photos below.


Wilbrod Street, looking towards Charlotte Street


Wilbrod House. All the snow had melted yesterday, and now there is a layer of snow on the ground again.


Reluctant subjects -- resident squirrels on Wilbrod Street. They were up the tree outside Wilbrod House when I came home today, and since I always have my camera with me, they had to put up with me taking their photos (just like my housemates and classmates at School). :D

The resident raccoon has thus far eluded me. Never mind. One of these days ...

Icy Conditions

Well, we have had a couple of days of freezing rain since Boxing Day, and it has turned the snow into ice. I had a really hard time shovelling the snow yesterday; in the end, all I could do was simply salt the icy footpath outside Wilbrod House, so that we can at least walk on it (rather than slide on it).

The driveway by the side of Wilbrod House (that is shared by about 5 houses here) has turned into a slippery "skating rink", and I had an interesting time sliding around on it in my boots yesterday, just to feel what it is like to go skating. :)


Icy footpath


My attempts to clear the footpath outside the side door were not very successful


Footpath leading up to the driveway


In this photo (and the next), you can see the shiny, smooth, slippery ice that has formed on the shared driveway.


The Wilbrod House garage is just behind the two trees on the right of the photo, and there is a gentle incline between the garage and the driveway. I practised sliding down the gentle incline quite a few times, much to the amusement or alarm (I'm not sure which) of the lone squirrel that was foraging for food on a tree behind the garage.

Speaking of sliding around on ice, I cannot wait to go skating on nearby Rideau Canal in February, when the canal freezes over and Ottawa hosts the Winterlude festival. I have never gone skating before, so this will be a whole new experience.

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PS. Update on 30 December 2008: I finally found out how to clear the ice on the footpath of Wilbrod House. My landlady showed me this ice-breaking tool she uses. It is like a chisel (a wedge at the tip), and is used to break the ice (see the pole-like tool next to the snow shovel in the photo below).


Tools we use for clearing snow and ice.


Sharp, chisel-like tool for breaking ice.


The footpath is cleared of ice now.

"Welcome to Canada!"

That's what Chef CP said to me when I told him what I thought of the snowy weather.

The snow was indeed knee-deep this morning, when I "waded" through the powdery, soft snow in the dark at 6am to get to production kitchen.

By afternoon, the weather was sunny again. It's freezing cold (between -7 and -10 degrees Celsius), but at least it was sunny!!! :)

Here are some photos of the snow we ended up getting overnight:


A cheeky squirrel on a tree on the fenceline of LCB Ottawa. Seeing the squirrel really made my day.


View of Strathcona Park from the Cuisine Practical Kitchen


View of the neighbours from the Cuisine Practical Kitchen


View from the Student Entrance Area, LCB Ottawa


View of the Student Entrance Area from the front fence of LCB Ottawa



Front fence of LCB Ottawa


Corner of Charlotte Street and Laurier Avenue East


Charlotte Street, as you turn the corner from Laurier Avenue East


The vacant lot near Wilbrod House, which is used for dumping snow

There was traffic chaos today, because of the bus strike and the heavy snow. People had to drive/walk to work in the snow, or catch a taxi. Many of the side streets around Wilbrod House were reduced to single lanes, because there was just so much snow around, and the snow ploughs basically just push the snow to the side of the road, but that can take up part of the road.

The worse thing about this sort of weather is: The snow doesn't melt, it just hangs around, and the snow ploughs simply create a lot of "snow hills" (for want of a better expression) by the side of the roads or on the vacant part of people's gardens...

I'm just waiting for fine weather this weekend before making a snowman on the front lawn.

Halloween Decorations Outside the House

As you can see from the photos below, the owner of Wilbrod House has put up Halloween decorations around the House. It's fun!


This is the front door of Wilbrod House. We never use this entrance/exit. It is an emergency exit door only.


The backyard and garage of Wilbrod House (photo taken from the driveway)


The side door, which we use as a main entrance/exit
(Note: Wilbrod House used to be a nunnery, hence the crosses on the doors.)




(The three photos above) This is the Charlotte Street side of Wilbrod House. We use this side door as a main entrance/exit, because it is closer to LCB. The driveway leads to Charlotte Street.


This is the Halloween scarecrow outside the dining room, and next to the side door.

There will be more Halloween photos to come later.

PS. I couldn't help but include this next photo. This is one of the resident squirrels at Wilbrod House. It sometimes comes up to look at us when we are outside. It looks like a friendly little thing, but I still wouldn't dream of touching it. (Doesn't it remind you of Scrat from Ice Age?)

Squirrels -- look but don't touch

One of the things I have had to get used to in Ottawa is the ubiquitous squirrel. You see these creatures everywhere. I think nearly every house has a resident squirrel living in a tree somewhere.

This photo was taken at Strathcona Park (not far from Wilbrod House, and across the road from LCB), and shows the two different types of squirrels that I often see here. You see them digging in the garden, rummaging in the trash cans, scurrying up trees, crossing the roads in their characteristic "little bounces" (that's my first impression of them anyway)...

It is September now, and I guess that is when they are quite active. They must eat while the nuts and acorns are plentiful (i.e. now) and before winter comes along.

Most of these squirrels are not really afraid of people. When you walk past, they simply sit up and watch you, making sure you are on your way before resuming their activities. The locals tend to simply ignore them, but I find them amusing (sometimes, entertaining), so I would often stop to look at them (and even take pictures of them) on my way to the shopping mall.

I would never attempt to get any closer than about two metres -- I have been told not to try to touch these creatures because some of them could carry rabies.