Monday.

Reference the  below pictures, I took them late one evening about ten days  ago. I am again experimenting  with putting photos on my blog with the assistance of Ruth, who (together with her daughters) is staying  with us over Easter.  As I was saying - about ten days ago I went  out late  one  evening (as  is my wont) to check the car; and as I went through our back  garden gate  onto  the car park, I kicked, in  the  dark, something  about  the size of  a  small , half inflated football,  and  sent it slithering  about  half way across  our car park (about  three  yards away). I then trotted back to the house and got a torch and my camera, and found the subject of the photies, which was a large, traditionally minded hedgehog, who on being kicked across a car park, had curled up into a ball and was now uncurling himself to await events. When uncurled he was a good foot long, or even fifteen inches or so! When I shone  the torch on him he recurled himself into a ball. I then called Ann to come  and have a look  at him and took the  above   photos  in the meantime. Ann came out armed with a wooden snow  shovel  and   the  yard besom.  She'd also  bought a cereal bowl with an egg broken into  it. We then managed to get him into a safe place on the side of the car park  with the snow shovel and besom, and left him with the bowl of egg beside him. The following morning he had gone, but had not fancied, or   touched the egg.  Does anyone know what hedgehogs do like to eat, in case of  his reappearance? Traditionally  this  should  be a bowl  of  milk, but all the hedgehogologists tell me that milk  isn't good  for hedgehogs.

I  must  say that I found it reassuring to see a large hedgehog about the place as they've  become very scarce of late years.