Harry–whose mother, the renown Mrs.Tiggy-Winkle, told him not to worry–
“You have a way with you, Harry” she said “doors will always open for you–you’re a lucky one….’
CAME BACK last night!
Meredith was in the kitchen, taking a late phone call; I was in bed reading about the causes of the First World War!
We’d closed up for the night–all the doors to the house were shut.
She heard a noise over by the cat bowls. “Someone is having late night snack,” she thought.
Not one of the cats though–the young ones were outside, Pippa up on the bed with me.
“Crunch, crunch…”
She couldn’t quite see the bowl from where she was sitting, so she got up, phone in hand and there–cool as you like–was a hedgehog, tucking into the cat food.
They looked at each other in a shared moment of disbelief–before he dodged round the corner into the larder.
She explained the situation to the friend on the phone:
“You won’t believe this but there’s another hedgehog in the house!”
Then shot upstairs to tell me the tale.
“Where is it now?”
“In the larder–we’ll have to get it out of there!”
“Is it Harry?”
“I’m not sure.”
No escape, I thought, put my book aside and rolled out of bed.
There he was–in the corner–protected by a roasting rack, as far away as he could get.
Curled up into a tight ball, he looked smaller than Harry.
Was it another member of the intrepid Tiggy-Winkle family, “chancing its arm”?
We cleared the cluttered space and Meredith gently managed to grasp him, protected by a pair of tough gardening gloves.
Two days ago, while Harry was still in the flying basket, before he scuttled back to Mum, Meredith had dabbed a spot of pink nail varnish on the tip of some of his spikes, to identify him should he return.
“Look, Rob–there’s the pink mark!”
Hard to see at first but there it was.
We felt like a pair of nature conservationists!
It was Harry–the first hedgehog to fly in the history of the world!
Clearly emboldened by his first adventure and apparently finding that door open again, he may have thought, “Well, the worst that can happen to me is I get to fly a second time. Here goes!”
Meredith gently carried him outside and left him to find his bearings next to a bowl of cat food…and prepare another explanation for a worried Mother Tiggy-Winkle.
Now Harry–this has got to stop!
Robin Ellis 
Meredith HELD the hedgehog? Wow. I am impressed. I would have been thinking, “This little guy is cute – but he is going to bite me – or his mother is going to find me and bite me. Either way, I am going to get bitten.”
Those gloves were thick, Chris!
I AM SO ENJOYING YOUR HEDGEHOG ENCOUNTERS. FOR SEVERAL YEARS WE HAD A “HEDGEPIGGY” WHO USED TO VISIT US AND BRING HER FAMILY OF BABY PIGGIES WITH HER WE NEW IT WAS THE SAME HEDGEPIGGY BECAUSE SOMEHOW SHE HAD MANAGED TO GET A SPOT OF BLUE PAINT ON HER. i REMEMBER MY DADDY HAVING TO RESCUE HER FROM THE GARDEN POND ONE NIGHT, THEY ARE REALLY GOOD SWIMMERS HENCE FROM THEN ONWARDS THE POND WAS ALWAYS NETTED FOR SAFETY. HEDGEPIGGIES WAS A CHILDHOOD NAME MY DADDY GAVE THEM. MORE HEDGEHOG ENCOUNTERS PLEASE.
Love it….how the First World War started can wait for such an important event as this 🙂
This is a wonderful series. Isn’t it amazing of all the homes in the area, he knew!
Meredith and you would love hime the most
You must write a Children’s Book about the adventures of Harry. I love the illustrations.
Since we have no hedgehogs here I feel like I am reading a fairy tale. Thank you for the posts. So much fun to see.
In the history of the WORLD, this may have been a unique conversational thread: “You won’t believe this, but there’s another hedgehog in the house!”….. “Is it Harry?” Because, really, how many people know their local hedgehogs by name? This is priceless.
Our cats have yet to encounter a hedgehog..I would be interested to see how it panned out !
If you do write a book as some have suggested, perhaps you could call it: Haunted by Harry the Hedgehog!
See, he heard there are some nice people in France with this great little B & B… 😉
He likes the Robin and Meredith household! Can you blame him? I believe he has adopted you.
You’re going to need to drive it a few miles away, it knows now where the food is and will never stop coming back.
Unless of course the 2 homeowners are cool with that.
The cats can’t be too happy.
Harry knows a warm and loving environment when he sees one. No wonder he came back for more!
That is so cute. There is a little Red Browed Finch that I have called Remy. Coz he follows me around boyfriend’s garden. Remy looks like he has being painted by Remoir.
Brilliant…………I can feel a children’s book coming on Mr Ellis lol!
Yesterday, reading the first tale I smiled. Today with the second one I have laughed! I think Harry wants to explore the world around him – maybe some adolescence struggle with the hedgehog family???!!
I think you are right, Paola–teenage teething problems!
Charming. They have an unbelievable turn of speed. I regularly see Harry’s Welsh cousin Harri jogging down the road while taking my dog for his late night walk in West Wales.
Surprising isn’t it. I guess that’s one reason so many get killed on the road–thinking they’ll making it across.
Sadly they’re casualties of modern life as are badgers and foxes.
On a lighter note, some years ago my eldest daughter proudly replied to her reception teacher’s question
” what did you do at the weekend?”
“I helped my mummy cook hedgehogs.”
(She forgot to mention they were bread rolls shaped to look like hedgehogs. )
Meredith Robin I think you are going to after admit you have been adopted as Harry,s second mum and dad, lucky. boy.
I wondered if he would be back. Hedgehogs aren’t stupid and he’s realised he’s onto a good thing in your house!
Perhaps Harry fancies himself a cat. We had a skunk once years back that used to feed with the out door cats. Thankfull she never ventured into the house……..word gets around a neighborhood as to where the hospitable gardens(and larders) are.
What a lovely story. Made me smile after a stressful day x
Love the hedgehog info and pics, sad to have read recently that the hhog popln in UK is much diminished and under threat. Watched Blue Remembered Hills last night, memory lane! Enjoy your articles
Laraine Jenkins
Sent from my iPad
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Thanks, Laraine.
Is the wildlife there the same as England ? ( badgers,stoats etc ) and are there animals that we don’t have over in Blighty ?
Stoats certainly. Badgers eat hedgehogs–so I hope they are nowhere near!
Love it! Like an Episode off the Archers!lol
This made me smile on a Monday morning! I am enjoying your hedgehog stories. Maybe I should try putting some of my Jimmy’s cat food out to attract hedgehogs to my garden. Glad to know Pippa is still with you.