F is for Follow-up - Starmen and Sticklepins

So, I went back for the third spaceman bauble, and have picked up a couple more hedgepigs in the last week or so, I think when I finally get the tree up again it will promptly collapse under the weight of its decorative load!

The new one is in the middle, giving a decent idea of the size difference between them, plastic on the left (fourth colourway now) and two blown-glass traditional.

 

He's a Gisela Graham, so should be available in most of the larger garden centres, mine came from the Edwins in Woking, on the Guildford road. Gisela Graham are also responsible for the rocket, which I rejected earlier in the season, and rather regret getting now, so it's probably going to charity, for next year.

 

Wrapped in the moment, and rushing about, I didn't see or remember from the previous viewing, that the jewels are glued-on appliquéing, as are the resin fins, which aren't even straight, and have poor glitter flocking, so all a bit cheap and tacky, but it's there, if it presses your buttons! The body is blow-glass, and it's sort of half Wallace & Gromit, half Tin-Tin and all kids colouring book, circa 1975!

 

I've also given home to three more hedgehogs! And my maths was out in the previous post, I had eight, and added four, now here's another three, making fifteen, or five per turn, six or seven on view at any given moment - we turn the tree regularly so it never gets boring! With an albino (from Alderney!) on the left!

Y is for Yule Urchins!

Possibly my favourite animal if I had to choose one, and while there won't be a tree up for a fifth year, it hasn't stopped me looking for additions for the tree, and one of the themes became, not that many years ago, hedgehogs or hedgepigs, which used to be called urchins in medieval times, giving rise to sea-urchins, because they looked like land urchins!

 

This one came in a few weeks ago, found in Mark's & Spark's, it's a felt/wool body with metallic and sequinned 'spines' which aren't the most realistic, but give a good impression of a hedgehog anyway, and though rather large, he might have been the only one I found, so I grabbed him! He can go near the bottom of the tree, where the other bigger baubles end-up!

 

I then found two traditional glass ones in the same day (ostensively looking for a pair of shears!) in different garden centres, one from Gisela Graham, the other an outfit called Ascalon, and of which, one may be a duplicate (opposite sides of the tree when that happens, and facing the other way!), and then, most recently, about a week ago a layered felt one (who's also quite large) turned-up, branded to Kingfisher (owner of Screwfix), however, I think he came from The Range, but it might have been B&Q, although before the takeover announcement last week, so maybe they were already linked/working together?

 

Which gives us a line-up of four Hedgepigs, eagerly waiting their chance to shine on the tree, don't they all look happy! Childish, I know, but wasn't it the greatest Doctor of all time, Tom Baker, who said, upon being accused of being childish,  "I know, but what's the point of being a grown-up if you can't be childish from time to time"? And with a possible duplicate glassware one, and several similar nut-shell ones - Blog passim - about nine now, or three per 'turn'! Less than four weeks to Crimbo!

Hedgehogs are going extinct in the UK, and if you're looking for a charity cause this Christmas, please consider a Hedgehog charity - there are several - or your local Hedgehog sanctuary or rescue centre.

H is for Hedgepigs

I suspect we've had that title before! This is going to be my fourth Christmas without a tree, and I love having the tree up, but needs must when the state, the market and recalcitrant relatives drive! Yet I have've given up looking for nice things to add as it's been the tradition every year, to add a few, if only to make good cat-loses!

 

And, to that end, I have had a lot of luck in Charity shops, who don't seem to have as many decorations as in some years (less people 'having a change'?), but have nevertheless managed to furnish me with three hedgehogs!

I actually bought the one holding a seed-case (right-hand of the pair on the dark-green background), new, and sort of regretted it as he's a bit big compared to the others, but then the tagless one (bottom left) came in last for 10p, and he's a big'un too, so there will be balance . . . Ohmmmmmm!

I'm best-pleased with the blown glass one, as I'm pretty sure I didn't buy it, for being too expensive, in the big John Lewis in Basingrad a few years ago, now it's mine for 50p!

 

All four together, they will be joining the existing four, yes, I doubled the hedgehog inventory in one season! The little one on the right is a duplicate I think, see below, but the way I tackle the tree, like planning for D-Day, they will be on opposite sides, so as it gets turned (twice daily so you get three clearly viewable thirds), the order will be perfect!

 

I've cropped these out of old images, as I think they have had a collective here, when the fourth was purchased a few years ago, but these are the existing crew, and with the new ones that makes eight, or two per quarter tree! Hedgepigs . . . brilliant!

H is for Hedge Pig

Mentioned earlier, those hedgehogs in full . . . first shot was taken in April, of a quite ginger one, although the camera flash rather hides it, and I think it's in the trio a week or two later, they liked the uneaten cat-food, but then, round here that's sliced ham!

P is for Prickle-Pins

Following-on from the previous post on Hedgehogs I promised some more, and these are they;

A couple of days after the nigh-time encounter covered by your intrepid reporter, this little chap (or chap'ess) turned-up in the middle of the day, rummaging in the long grass, which - I'm sorry to report earned it a bit of a back-kick from Jimijames. that well-known ravager of all things prickly or porcine! No damage was done, a young hedgehog got a lesson in where to go in the human world in the hours of daylight, and having clearly passed with distinction, got a reward of some watered-down milk!

Back in July, I managed to catch this one running across the lawn, and dispersing under the nut hedge.

He or she than appeared up by the pond a couple of days later, scruffling around looking for snails and slugs, two of the few lifeforms to have benefited from a very odd summer...well; very odd year altogether.

It was there discovered and flushed-forth by Frodo, not - as the more astute of you will have realised from the image here presented - a Hobbit, but one with equally furry feet, nevertheless.

Once the hair-ball had discovered that the new kid on the block was not a new playmate, and worse...prickly not furry...and particularly prickly to the nose, he first looked disinterested, then licked his tail, then had a scratch before fixing his gaze firmly on the yellow poppies the other side of the lawn..."What? Me? No, not remotely interested, far better things to do..."

H is for Hampshire Wildlife - August 2012

One or two of you may have noticed I have now imported all the old posts from the gardening and moaning blogs, so from time to time you'll have to put up with the odd bit of wildlife or plant life on this blog from now on. I will try to finish re-tagging the 'Index' (preferably before the final imposition of the 'New Style' blog layout - as it's much easier in the old version) and bring over the last of the links in the next few weeks.

I also have about 30 articles in preparation, some of which I've already mentioned, but there's a lot going on in 'real life' at the moment so they are not going on-line as quickly as I'd like. For now here's some of the visitors to my flat in Enham (Nr. Andover - an old stomping ground from my Army days!) and my mothers garden in North Hampshire.

This little chap - or chap'ess - came calling just after midnight on Thursday and I would have given it some milk but the caterers here had given us yoghurt disguised as milk (for our self-catered breakfast) which I figured would not go down well with a house guest, so I just took some pictures for the visitors book and saw it on it's snail-hunting way.

Creepy-crawlies are always a favourite of mine and these are all from the last 30 days, the slug was even longer, but he started to shorten as I focused, a phenomena I have noticed before with slugs and snails and I suspect they somehow detect the beam from the camera, as you can always approach them (with care) but the moment you press first pressure on the shutter button they freeze up/shrink.

I don't know what the ants were finding so interesting, I inspected the stick after I took the shot and it was a stick...just a stick! The snail was so small yet so beautifully constructed it would drive a simpler mind to religion!

Flyers - after a couple of really good years for butterflies, we have now had two bad ones and this year they have been so thin on the ground (and the Buddleia!) that I try to shoot them whenever I see one. While I continue to fall for moths, who are so much-more pretty than a quick glance ever betrays, their buffs and grays, browns and fawns being actually patterns and designs as complex as any butterfly.

These three little voles came out of a bank on Saturday afternoon and sat around on the grass together, so tame we could stroke them, although they did tend to rush back into their hole after a couple of touches!

It is one of life's undeniable pleasures to encounter wildlife close-up, commune with it (on any level) and let it carry-on with it's day. I'm not sure if a 'Greenie' wouldn't cry "foul" at the stroking of voles, but they were gentle little one-finger passes (these things are about 45mm nose-to-tail-base, and the animals were back out in minutes - so obviously weren't that bothered, I guess you'd be nervous if a 600 foot giant came and patted you gently on the head!

A bit of seasonal wildlife!

Well, that Hedgehog I woke in November while re-building the sheds, came and forgave me the other evening, just as I drew up in my new (old!) car, so I jammed-on the anchors and shot out with the camera ready and got a couple of good shots off before he/she (I'm sure it's a 'she' but have no idea why!) dived under the hedge behind!

Driving up the lane the other lunchtime these lot were crossing the road, so again; Brakes on, pocket, camera, and got this half-decent long-shot as they followed the hedge-line at the other side of the field.

These were all over the place about a week-and-a-half ago, most were hanging out of Holly trees in a heavily wooded area. while several ended-up on my jumper! One was on a lime tree having a good nosh, and the other was climbing an ash, don't know what they are - could be a moth, or one of the Whites? Looking at the book it could be a Small Heath or one of the Browns...

These are the calves of a rare breed a Farmer has in a field over by one of my clients places near Brightwalton, they did look even sweeter three weeks ago, little four-legged baby-bears, but they are starting to look like cows now! Couldn't get a photo the first time I saw them. I think they are 'Highland Long-horns' but I'm no cattle expert...

...except to say that Aberdeen Angus raised on natural pasture above island cliffs make the best roast I've ever tasted, marbled with crispy yellow veins of fat...mmmmm, not Matterson's!

H is for Hog

Clearing out one of the sheds today and woke this up! I then did a frantic search on Google to see if I had to do anything, and apparently - I don't. They wake during hibernation anyway and just go back to sleep, although if you force them awake too early in the spring, they can starve as there's no food about. Sadly I had left the camera on the eBay setting, so it's not too clear.