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Dixie
garden enthusiast
Waikato-New Zealand
A little family7 Dec '07 3:24 pm
What a surprise I got today !
In preparation for our town centennial floral display next March/April,I am getting ready to start two large paintings-measuring 12 metresx3metres and 4metresx3metres...I thought the best place to paint them is in our farm shed,so this afternoon I went to sweep the dust and cobwebs off the walls ready to hang the cloth later.
Look what I found...
Dixie.
HH1.JPG
The hay tedder in the shed-keep your eye on the clump of grass by the wall
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HH2.JPG
THIS clump of grass
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HH5.JPG
I pulled the grass away and there was a mother hedgehog and four babies,snug and warm.
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HH4.JPG
While I ran to get my camera,the mother crawled away to another spot under some straw.Hedgehogs are nocturnal,so they don't like the light
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HH3.JPG
the mother has moved under the straw - she is the dark patch,and the babies are busy moving away to safety under the grass that I had moved.I carefully covered them again and left the little family.
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Dixie
garden enthusiast
Waikato-New Zealand
Post script7 Dec '07 4:18 pm
After I had posted the story above,I started to worry about the little bloke who had tipped himself on to his back in all the excitement, so I went back to the barn to see if he was all right.
The mother had returned and rolled all the straw she could find into a large ball,with herself and three of the babies inside it.However the little bloke had been left behind,so I carefully rolled him the right way up again and covered him,and hoped he would get back together with his family tonight.
dixie.
24-1.JPG
the gate into the paddock with the barn which is the silver building-
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h1.JPG
through the gate
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h2.JPG
A large ball of straw containing the family-one little fellow left behind for now-I put him up the right way again
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h3.JPG
the baby is about the size of a hen egg.
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Faith S
Perpetually learning gardener
Alabama, USA
Little family8 Dec '07 2:38 am
Oh Dixie, what a charming discovery! I do hope the little fellow who was left out found his way back to the family. How did you ever discover them? You said you pulled away the straw covering them, but it wasn't clear if this was by accident or you suspected something was there. I also loved the two photos of your paddock gate, so serene looking. I have really enjoyed all your garden photos lately. Please keep them coming.
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Dixie
garden enthusiast
Waikato-New Zealand
hedgehog babies8 Dec '07 4:51 am
Thank you,Faith
I need to erect ladders and trestles next to the barn wall to climb on when I am painting,so I had spent an hour clearing Smileys pile of (useful-one-day)timber away from the wall.I then started clearing the long grass and straw that had grown under the walls, to make it tidy.
As I grabbed one clump to pull it,I saw the little family underneath.I got such a fright that I let out a yell.Smiley took some food out to the mother last night,and we will check on them soon.I have a problem now,about protecting them when I shift the ladders around !I will probably cover them with a box while I am working.
Dixie.
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Dixie
garden enthusiast
Waikato-New Zealand
the babies8 Dec '07 12:38 pm
Here is a close-up I somehow missed putting with the story.
This morning they are well hidden within the big nest the mother arranged-
Here is the little bloke from yesterdays pics-he has a BIG problem.
Dixie.
3h.JPG
the four babies before they tried to get under the grass again-one has a problem/challenge
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Faith S
Perpetually learning gardener
Alabama, USA
Little family11 Dec '07 2:57 am
Thanks for keeping us posted. It is nice to hear that all is well with the hedgehog family and that they have such kind hosts who will look out for their safety. You and Smiley are such wonderful, gentle souls.
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Dixie
garden enthusiast
Waikato-New Zealand
Disappeared11 Dec '07 4:22 am
Yesterday morning,Smiley discovered that the mother Hedgehog had removed the babies to somewhere else,but we don't know where.This was a relief,as the helpers were coming to put the cloth up.We had intended to try to cover the nest with a large box,and somehow work around it.
Here are the helpers fastening the backdrop on to the top rail of the farm shed.
In the afternoon I painted it with undercoat-this took me three hours as the roller didn't work on the cloth and I had to brush it on.
dixie.
4.JPG
Backdrop cloth going up.the hedgehogs had gone.
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jack two
nominate your own title
The new improved Jack Holloway v.2
Thanks16 Dec '07 12:42 am
Thank you, Dixie, for sharing this little adventure with us! Enjoy the BIG adventure of painting those paintings! Keep us posted!
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