Hi Annie
Hope you are ok – you’ve been very quiet lately.
Very exciting here this morning when I checked the cams. One of the males has returned from hibernation. Poor hoglet didn’t know what had hit him – literally. He was trotting down the path without a care in the world, when suddenly this hog tears across the grass and biffs him. I don’t think hoglet has come across a adult male hog before – they had all gone to hibernate when he appeared – and he didn’t behave with the necessary respect. For a while he refused to roll up and so got a good biffing – poor chap. (I really will have to change his name, because he is nearly as big as the returner, but haven’t found a name that ‘sticks’ yet.) Eventually he did roll up and the other hog trotted on towards the feeding area. He seemed to know where to go and managed to get into the feed box without too much trouble.
The feed box is another story. One of the cats managed to breach the defences and got in. Despite the fact that there was a heavy brick on top of the lid, it managed to push the lid up. There is now a brick and a half to get past in the box and two bricks on the top. No further incursions, so far, and no problem, it seems, for the hogs.
It is such a relief to have one of the hogs back from hibernation. This time last year there were already several back and I was beginning to fear something was seriously amiss. Just hope more of them return soon, and preferably earlier in the night, so I can see them in person!
I went out to feed the birds this morning and found the patio had been taken over by cats. One on a small shed I have there and the other seemingly trying to make serious attempts to get me to adopt it. It kept rubbing round my legs and jumped up at the door when I went in. Cute cat, but I don’t want to encourage them because of the birds. Usually I just clap my hands or shoo them off, but this one wouldn’t go – and don’t want to be too mean to them. In the end I had to escort it down the garden to the gate. So far it hasn’t been back.
