Spring has sprung.

Hello you lovely people, and thank you for all the lovely comments and emails I receive.

Some years ago South Staffs Council gave away small trees to residents (who applied for one)

as part of the Forest of Mercia planting, I was lucky enough to be awarded a Snowy Mespilus (Amelanchier Lamarckii).  I pruned it back quite hard in February before the sap was rising along with the verigated wigelia it sits along.  This afternoon was nice and sunny and the blossoms were opening..

They make me smile :o)

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I've only bought one item since my last post (see how good I'm getting),  it caught my eye as soon as I walked through the doors....

Lovely, hand carved wooden fungi  which stands about 8" tall and for £1.50 it came home with me.

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Of course there IS the promised hedgehog update.  All the released hogs have been spotted and the night of the 26th/26th April was a bumper one SIX HOGS visited!  I'm pretty sure that it was because it rained for the first time in many weeks and all the little invertebrates were out and about.

The night view from the door that night with the hogs food box in the foreground (I have plans to made a better one soon).  As you can see I have plenty of water out for both birds and mammals.

Can you see a stone hedgehog in left of centre?  On a very recent visit to a garden centre these were spotted at an AMAZING £10 each!  It's so heavy that I cannot lift it.  (I asked why they were SO cheap and was told that their supplier had sent them last year as an 'extra' to their order, the managers didn't like them and didn't put them on sale (?) They had repeatedly asked the suppler to collect them and in the end the supplier gave them credit for them and told them to do as they wished with them and so they sold them off....wish I'd have had another one too.

I've seen similar Owls in the garden centres for around £50.

Sweet Olivia made her first appearance looking happy and healthy :o)

Archie seemed bigger than ever!

(I just didn't get photos of them all.)

Sporting his stripe of course.

then there was a new arrival, a tiny little hog that must have survived the Winter somehow

It was snuffling about here under the old, leaky water butt.

(Such a sweet little face)

We also had my 'live in ' nameless lodger, and another local that I've christened 'Spot' due to a patch of pale spines on his bum!  And finally Otto called in too - a real party!

When I was in the garden this morning photographing the blossom I spotted another old friend in the ground feeder.

One of the wood mice that inhabit my dry stone wall, I'm so happy they are still thriving and not a bit of bother at all.

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Well, I shall have to go as I still have to put out the hog and bird food.  

Hoping you are all well and have a great week!

Best wishes to all

xx

P.S.

I will soon have another TWO rescue hogs to release!

Not many purchases...

Hello folks, hope all is well with you.

Nearly a month since my last post and lots of things been happening around here keeping me busy (especially Mom) who's been loosing lots of things, even her false teeth!  They haven't been found and we are convinced  they have been 'flushed' away...four weeks later the good old NHS had made her a replacement set and her bank balance is £209 pounds lighter (the dentist has given her the moulds to keep though - just in case....  

Keys are moving around the flat at an alarming rate, and that flippin' TV remote is still giving me grief too.  

I've actually managed to get into the gardens and have been sorting out, though still seeds sit in the packets awaiting planting.  I finally risked taking over-wintering plants out of the green house this week.  I shall have to take a few photos now the daffs are out.

I'm certainly cutting back on finds too, but have just a few to show you.

Spode Blue Italian coasters x 6 for £2.50 :o)

Old Willow pattern ginger jar minus lid

that I'll use as a pen jar in the study

50p

Pretty 30's cruet  75p

Little Tortoise (Calico) cat to add to the collection

£1

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Though it seems an AGE since the snow and ice was around here I never got around to posting an amazing thing.  Driving down one of the lanes as the snow was melting during the day and then freezing temperatures at night I found this sight..

Puddles in the road, but in the hedge a wall of..

ICICLES!

There was only this one patch running for around 12 feet along where the cars had sprayed through the puddles.  (The hedge is around 4 feet high)

I've never seen anything like it before, have you?

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Now, you knew that my dear little hedgehogs would be getting a mention!

I had a call from Joan at the rescue centre on Sunday afternoon, one of the remaining two hogs I'd rescued as an Autumn Juvenile was ready for release, could I collect him?  You betcha!

It was around 27th October last year that I took Otto in, he was very wee and weighed in at 354gms.  Well things have certainly changed...

Meet BIG BEEFY OTTO now, drum roll please.

Weighing in at 1040gms!  (Still as spiky)

I painted the obligatory white marking on him before release to ensure I can identify him.

He was snuggled into one of my hog boxes, all snugly lined with hay and left to his own devices.  Within around 2 minutes he sped off and hasn't been seen since :o(  I'm confident he's okay though and know he'll return eventually if only to fill up on the free meal worms!

Then, yesterday Joan rang again - Olivia is out of her (short) hibernation and raring to go!  So she was collected last night.  She was 238gms when I Joan took her for the Winter.  Just look at the  my little sweetheart now :o)

756gms, and still tame and not nearly as spiky as Otto!
She too had her spines marked for ID and was snuggled into a hog box, but surprise, surprise she's done a bunk too....

Joan had quite a few other hogs needing new, safe homes after being overwintered and as I had another spare box - yes, you've guessed I bought Archie home too :o))

Now, he's a REAL big boy weighing in at 1059gms.  Also marked for ID and has also done a bunk!

I do have one resident hedgehog though, and there are at least two others visiting each night.  I shall keep my eyes peeled for these three, and although it's sad that they haven't decided to stay in my garden I'm happy that they have a darn good start and have an excellent chance of living a happy hoggie life, and you never know some hedgehog babies (now I'd LOVE that!)  If I do have any sighting of them I will of course tell you!

Sending my very best wishes to you all.