The Grumpy Squirrel

Why is the little red squirrel so grumpy? Everything had been carefully planned, or so he thought. Much of the autumn had been spent burying his nuts around his beautiful garden ready to be collected once winter arrived. But now winter was here and large ‘things’ had appeared in the garden, a pirate ship, a teepee, a fairy village, a tree house and a huge swing that were now hiding where his precious nuts had been buried. What’s more, whenever he ventured out to search for his collection of nuts, other animals were there to scare him away. He couldn’t understand where they had come from, a fox, a dog, a cat and a very scary owl all tried to catch him. How can he find his buried treasure trove of nuts without becoming supper for one of these wild animals?

For many years Peter Hartley lectured and researched in continuum mechanics. He lived in Walsall with his wife Sheila and since retirement they spent much of their time travelling throughout the UK and Italy. Gardening also kept them busy, especially developing a new allotment. A major activity for Peter and his wife was enjoying time spent with their four grandchildren. The latter provided the inspiration to write The Grumpy Squirrel and other stories for them.
Peter passed away in January 2021, and his family wanted to continue with the publication of this book as a reminder that he is, and always will be, with them.