No hedgehogs yet

I’m on vacation, back in the same lovely hideaway in England that I went to last summer. But no hedgehogs yet! Faithful readers (and I’m grateful to you) might remember that last year we had hedgehogs around our house — wonderful silly animals, so much loved in England that vets will treat sick ones free. And the three babies near us did get sick, and were saved by the local vet. Here’s one of them:

Follow the link above to read more. This year, no hedgehogs yet. We put out hedgehog food — “Spike” brand (I couldn’t make that up), available in British pet stores — each night, and slugs come to eat it, a wry but potentially fatal irony, because slugs are one of a hedgehog’s favorite foods. The lucky hedgehog who finds our offering gets two meals in one.

Until i’m back, sometime in the first week of September, I won’t be posting comments. When I return, I’ll try making comments automatic, as one commenter suggested. They’ll go straight to the site without needing my approval, which might make for faster conversation among readers. If it works — if we don’t get flames and trolls — that should be fun.

Have a great August, everyone. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back in touch in a month.