After two years in hiding the White Squirrel returns?

It is startling to see a white squirrel for the first time. I was running a regular route close by our local apple farm, and as I passed the giant pile of reject apples a white animal streaked away across the ground then up into the trees and out of sight.

This became a familiar but infrequent occurence over a couple of years. It was always one alone and usually quite early in the day. Then I thought I saw a second - not two of them together, but a few hundred metres appart along the path. There was no chance to confirm this however as that was the last sighting for some time.

Afer March or April 2009 there has been no sign - just the usual greys. Until today that is. Snaffling the apples just as I remember!

Can this be the same one? Or more likely a relation? Is this a gene which becomes visable once in a while among grey squirrels? Or is it a seperate and distinct animal?

If like the squirrel you want some interesting apples you can go to the same source at Cross Lanes apple farm http://www.users.waitrose.com/~crosslanes/contents_small/index.htm.

Has anyone else experienced the white squirrel?