It's been a good year for apples and our store is
overflowing. There are still Bramleys on the tree unaffected by the frost, not
dropping till ripe but with the warm autumn many are not storing as well as
hoped. The earlier varieties are in danger of going past their best so every
day is a challenge in how to consume more! One of my favourites is a baked
Bramley filled with sultanas, cloves and a little brown sugar, all smothered in
custard of course. Today we had some left over batter in the fridge and lunch
was apple fritters with cream and a drizzle of honey. My word what an
appetising sight and smell as I carried them into the bright sunny conservatory but what a surprise to look at the weathering lawn to see a hedgehog walking
amongst the blocks. The hawks had already been fed but Fleur only lightly nourished
and as the prickly waddling ball got within leash length, just as I arrived, she inevitably
attacked with some enthusiasm.
Her surprise was immediate with a foot full of
prickles and after a couple of attempts to arrest what must be a tasty meal she
returned to her block in chagrin, watching the rest of its perambulations with
much interest, head upside down at one point presumably to see if there was
another angle to it all?
About thirty years ago I built a small brick and thatch shed
overlooking the lawn where I had attempted to keep a Goshawk. A couple of bales
inside and a bow perch outside, she could choose which she preferred, whether to
be in shelter or out in the prevailing weather. Yarak is everything of course with a Gos
but every time we approached that desirable keen frame of mind and wellbeing I
would find her at home, fluffed out feathers, foot up and a huge crop full after she had helped herself to the wandering garden hedgehogs grazing worms and
slugs around her home. all that was left was a few spines, mot seemed to have been swallowed with no adverse effects. The whole idea simply did not work out.
Seeing Fleur so fascinated brought it all back to mind.
The Gos-house still stands on the edge of the weathering lawn although I tiled
it a few years ago when the thatch gave out but of late I have been wondering
about a Gos and how an outdoor way of life might be recreated.
The apple fritters made with ripe desert apples made a
delightful lunch, the dogs most disgruntled that they did not have even a small
share.
The following day our friend Spiny was back having
learned that around the blocks small pieces of discarded meat and bone are available.
My tiercel Blue must have seen it all before since after an initial
glance he studiously ignored the interloper at the foot of his block. After an hour or so chewing on the
end of a chicken drumstick it shuffled off into the adjacent flowerbed, out of
the chill north wind to enjoy the warmth of winter sunshine and some windfall apples. Recent gales have
built piles of leaves under the Leylandii hedge where the family can find ample
bedding for winter hibernation, even for these half grown young. It was after last light, in the first dark of
night a few months ago that Jenny had called excitedly to me to see something
unique? On her way through the garden after shutting up chickens her torch had
happened upon a pair of mating hedgehogs beside the trunk of the large Ash tree.
It certainly was pretty unique to see, surprisingly noisy and rather frenzied
it seemed with all those prickles to negotiate. But it must have worked as this
half grown youngster now shows.
