quidnovis61

And so the saga of my Prickles continues...

This year we are really getting spoilt by gorgeous beautiful spring weather - all of April and a few days in May. And I am out on my early morning walks everyday....Everyday there are new things to see in the forest. It is bursting with new life. Have you seen Disney's Bambi? Here is a conversation between Owl and Bambi Flower, Thumper that sums it all up!

(BAMBI, THUMPER and FLOWER in the Disney film)

Flower: [about two birds fluttering around] Well! What's the matter with them?
Thumper: Why are they acting that way?
Friend Owl: Why, don't you know? They're twitterpated.
Flower, Bambi, Thumper: Twitterpated?
Friend Owl: Yes. Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example: You're walking along, minding your own business. You're looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather, and before you know it, you're walking on air. And then you know what? You're knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!
Thumper: Gosh, that's awful.
Flower: Gee whiz.
Bambi: Terrible!
Friend Owl: And that ain't all. It could happen to anyone, so you'd better be careful.
[points at Bambi]
Friend Owl: It could happen to you...
[points at Thumper]
Friend Owl: ... or you, or even...
[Flower looks at Owl shyly]
Friend Owl: Yes, it could even happen to you!
Thumper: Well, it's not gonna happen to me.
Bambi: Me neither.
Flower: Me neither.

Friend Owl: Same thing every spring. "Tweet-tweet, tweet-tweet! Tweet-tweet, tweet-tweet!" Love's sweet song. H´rrrmph! Pain in the pinfeathers, I call it!

So now you know...as Owl knows best:  Its all going TWITTERPATED!

And so has Prickles!

After my morning walk I came in to the house by way of the garden, looking for signs of Nature's Twitterpat and there was plenty of that! It was 7.30 am and the sun was warm and bright and there at the bottom of the garden I heard a faint rustle and then a distinctive khoff-khofff-khof sound. Surprised I turned around and guess WHO was there?

Yup, Prickles and in pure Spring Twitterpat fashion he had a GIRLFRIEND with him! And Prickles looked cheekily at me as if to say: I did good, huh? She is pretty, huh? You like her too, huh?

Prickles by now feels quite comfortable around the house I guess because he did not roll up into a tight prickly ball as all hedgehogs do at the slightest disturbance. His girlfriend did - but not Prickles. Not even when I took out my mobile phone to take pictures at close range.

After a short debate over names, Elizabeth and I decided her name would be Pretty. So now Pretty and Prickles are somewhere around... either in the forest or in the garden or... who knows?

And then...a few days later...he was back in our garage, this time by Elizabeth's cycle. He really feels good around here and likes the "homey" feeling I think. And once again, even when we - all three -were bustling around him taking pictures, getting my camera, talking loudly he was not afraid and didn't roll into a ball. We have deliberately left last years Autumn Leaves in the corners of our open garage (a car port) and maybe he likes it there. Hedgehogs simply love rustling leaves and thickets and like the sense of camouflage and safety it gives them. But doesn't he look naughty, cheeky, impish, mischievous?? Just look at his expression!

I wonder where Pretty is? Did he ditch her already (I hope not, she looked very beautiful and kind indeed!) or is she somewhere making a home and waiting for tiny baby hedgehogs? Well Time will tell and if we find them - by chance. No, we don't feed them or go looking for Prickles or try to tame them. If we see them its fine. If they feel safe they will come out. They are wild things and should be allowed to sharpen their instincts and sense of survival. They have so few natural enemies now a days and I am afraid The Car is their biggest enemy.

Well, I have bloggered about

Prickles I: The Hibernating Hedgehog,

Prickles II: Awake Now!

Prickles III: Growing Up

And let us see if there will be a blog on Prickles IV - The Dad.
Time will tell.

In the meantime, I feel blessed.

Signing off

C.S