The tale of a cunning hedgehog

[liv]

So my parents grow quite a lot of soft fruit, and they've been netting it as it comes into season to keep the birds and squirrels from stealing it all. But they went to pick gooseberries and found that although the gooseberries were still on the bush, all their insides had been sucked out. They couldn't figure out what animal would do that, until one day they saw a little hedgehog diving into the gooseberries (I wonder who is pricklier, hedgehog or gooseberry bush) and sucking out the fruit.

Since hedgehogs are supposed to be carnivores, my mother figured out that the hedgehog must be thirsty and trying to get water by sucking the berries. And clever enough to work out how to get under the netting and steal them. So she put on some gardening gloves and lifted him away from the gooseberries, and started putting out a bowl of water for hedgehogs (all kinds of birds and small mammals and occasionally deer drink from it too, but it was meant for the hedgehog).

He comes to drink regularly at dusk. I saw him today, cutest little thing. He wasn't at all scared and let me come close (P'tite soeur says he was so tame he walked onto her hand when she put it out for him!) But he just carried on drinking all nonchalant and then he sat up and washed his little face at me.

It's nice to be home, and one of the reasons is the wildlife in the garden, and another is my mother's silliness.