What an exciting walk I had yesterday. I was busily going along, fascinated by a tree that was so rotten it had just bent over like wet cardboard and another that had roots that were so tired of holding onto the wet ground that they had given up altogether and the tree had toppled over. I almost missed the fact that a hedgehog had got itself stuck between the wires of the fence. At least, we think it was stuck. My mistress put together a rescue mission and used a stick to ease its tiny paws together and then lift its little body backwards, through the wire. Then she moved the stick to under its tummy and lifted it back to bring its head to the right side of the fence. By this time it was rolled up in a ball with all its spines out, and I said “What if it hadn’t been stuck and it was just having a breather before pushing through to the other side?” However my mistress seemed quite convinced that it hadn’t been going anywhere unless it had had some help. We checked up on the way back and it had unravelled itself, put its spines down and was happily ambling along the side of the fence looking a lot more in control than it had done earlier. I like days where we can do a good deed.
Last night was little more eventful. Something went wrong with the log fire. When I say ‘something went wrong’ I mean in the sense that we ended up with a completely blackened chimney and smoke coming into the lounge and going upstairs. My mistress made my master go and put the fire out which he wasn’t too pleased about but later did see the logic in the suggestion. I wonder if there is something stuck in the chimney. It seems to be a bit early for Santa Claus!