My Etsy Shop

Wednesday 24 September 2014

September - and a rescued hedgehog

Yesterday (23rd) was not only the 65th birthday of Bruce Springsteen but also the autumn equinox. We have now entered the last quarter of the year and we're going to see the nights getting gradually longer until December.
 
I used to dread September as a child because it always meant going back to school, although it did mean we would be singing one of my favourite hymns in morning assembly - Autumn Days. If you fancy reliving those days, you can do so with this video.  Now however, I have a whole new appreciation for this month. For me, it is the mirror image of April; the world is starting to liven up again but instead of getting warmer and brighter, the days become shorter and colder. I've seen lots of red admiral butterflies lately, stopping to feed on sedum, Michaelmas daisies and valerian as they head south. It's been a couple of weeks since I've seen swallows or martins but two days ago I saw my first wigeon of the autumn. A large starling flock has been spending a lot of time in the garden and chattering on the gutter above my window.
 
I had a very close encounter with a hedgehog a couple of weeks ago when it turned up in the front garden looking very poorly. I took it inside and put it in a box and then looked on the internet for advice. I found some excellent information from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and followed the instructions. I warmed up the hog with a hot water bottle and fed it some cat food. I then contacted a local rehabilitator and the hog was handed over at Shipley Country Park Visitor Centre. Here are a couple of photos I took of it. The first is before it woke up and the second shows it enjoying a snack.
 

 
 
It was a privilege to help this beautiful little creature and now I know what to do if I ever find another one.
 
In the meantime, for us crafters this is the time of year when we spend more time on our hobbies and we start to think about our Christmas projects. Over the last three weeks, I have been stitching three new designs which will be on sale very soon. They are all festive-themed and are really easy to work and easily adaptable for your own colour schemes. I'll give you more details when I put them on sale but I'm sure you're going to love them. You can see previews of them on my twitter and Facebook pages.