Tag: hedgehogs

Spring is here

Uk. It’s early April and spring is in evidence all around. My favourite time of the year as I have previously discussed. The garden is starting to awaken and is gradually starting to show all its beauty that it has been hiding throughout the winter months.

The birds are vocal and we are very fortunate to have a large community of them around our small garden on the outskirts of the dirty old city. Blackbirds with their beautiful song, the small but lovely sound of the blue tits and robins, and then the raucous 40 cigarette a day sound of the “Chav” of the avian world the Magpie. Not to mention pigeons who’s soul purpose in this world is to sit upon any structure and have a good shit. 💩

It’s nice in a structurally unsound way.

Weather has been behaving itself during the day, it’s been lovely sunshine up to about 16 degrees Celsius only to fall to freezing overnight. The swing in temperatures has been immense for us, as the central heating is not yet dormant.

I’m saying this is spring but as usual it could just as well be summer here in the UK, we could well have had our quota of sun for the year for all I know.

Even the postman is confused. Normally the shorts he wears only come out for summer, and that used to be a good indication of the weather about to turn for us. Now he wears shorts all year round in all weathers so we can no longer use him as an indication of better weather approaching, it’s confused us equally.

It’s that time of year when your brain kicks into “Things you forgot about, but now need to attend to” mode. And for some unknown and unexpected reason I’m now very aware of a maelstrom of things that need my attention. It doesn’t help that the wife’s brain has done the same thing and she has now doubled my workload with the things she now wants me to do.

Did I say this is my favourite time of the year?

Yeah, it is and I love all this activity, it’s as if we humans are doing the same as the humble hedgehog and about to wake up from our hibernation, shake ourselves down and crack on with the summer. (Oh and I am awaiting the arrival of our first hedgehog 🦔 friends, who should be arriving anytime now)

Who wouldn’t love the world awakening.

Have a great day.

Building a garden

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

I’ll always attempt anything, but when it comes to plumbing or high voltage electricity, that’s when I get the professionals involved.

In my current home the most ambitious DIY has probably been landscaping the garden. We purchased a rickety old house that’s been a constant project since it was brought, back in 2018. So really that could be the most ambitious couldn’t it?

Anyway, the one I’ve enjoyed most is landscaping the garden, not concreted over with no concerns for wildlife, my garden was designed around the needs of the Hedgehogs and birdlife we have that visit throughout the year. They have easy access to the whole garden, a part that is wilded for them to forage in and plenty of food and water stations as well.

One of our visitors

We also have a feral cat “Tabs” who has lived in our garden longer than we have, she gets on with us, we feed her and she has plenty of weather protection in and around the garden, and she tolerates the hedgehogs, so that’s harmonious.

Some colours in our garden

The garden has been a big project taking about 6 years to reach a maturity with flowers, shrubs and trees all planted to create a little bit of the country side in a city urban environment. I am so proud of my garden come spring time when all the new buds are breaking through, and it is a riot of colours come summertime. And it took a lot of planning as it’s a north facing garden.

The gardens the place i’d rather be, it’s like producing art, art that changes on a weekly basis.

Have a super day.

Replace grey windows

List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

Throughout my working life I’ve done a multitude of jobs and a lot of them you wouldn’t get thanked for. I’ve had the ethic that I’d do any job and I have done that, from cleaning drains, emptying sewer pits and industrial deep cleaning. Thank less jobs but as I said I didn’t have the “I’m not doing that” attitude. Sometimes when you and the family are on hard times you just have to do it.

But for the sake of doing a list, here are three jobs I’d do for nothing.

  • Work in a Hedgehog sanctuary
  • Build traditional hedge fencing
  • Go around and repaint all those houses that people have painted grey. (It’s so 80’s) – (I apologise to anyone who has a grey house or especially grey windows. Nothing personal, It’s just up here in the East Midlands everyone seems to be going grey and i think there is enough grey in this world without adding to it.)

And that’s it for me, a little light hearted list of jobs I’d do for nothing. Especially the first two.

Have a great day all.

And then we had three..

I know it’s probably boring some of you but I don’t really care. All I really care about is the welfare of these little chaps who need all the help and assistance us humans can give them.

3 visitors

So proud last night to see, if only briefly that I had three visitors to the feed station at the same time. I think two of them were doing some kind of mating ritual, whilst briefly a third appears, starts snorting and then moves on his way.

I’m so lucky that they choose my garden. I have to help them.

Save the Hedgehog

Hedgehogs. I love them…

You may have heard me going on about the Hedgehog visitors to my garden. I’ve kind of built the garden around them with wilder areas and Hedgehog highways and ramps all over the place.

Tonight I was upstairs in the bathroom and I could hear a hell of a racket out the window, a really loud crunching sound. I sneaked on the security lights and grabbed a quick photo out of the bathroom.

Not one but two. How beautiful

There wasn’t one but two. I suspect they are from the same family as they are not known to comfortably share their dinner with another. I loved this it’s really made my day, as it shows just by making a few changes to your garden, leaving out a suitable food and fresh water, you can keep these rare animals safe and give them a foot up.

The fact we are bordering a large city with busy roads all around is another problem.

I’m just so glad I’m doing my little bit to try and preserve them. They are gorgeous 🦔