Shortly after I moved to my current house, I found a pile of earth in one of the flower beds.   When I raked it away, there was a little cluster of baby hedgehogs close to a very anxious mother.  I covered them over again, watched by my cat.  Shortly after, I set off to go shopping. When I returned, my neighbour told me, “When you had left, we saw a hedgehog and four babies walking along the road.”   I laughed and explained they had been tenants in my garden until they discovered I had a cat.
 
A few days ago, armed with some sharp scissors, I began cutting back some of my unruly plants. My front path runs straight from the door to the gate, with flower beds each side, but the rest of the garden is on a much lower level, reached by steps.  Some time ago, I had noticed a black patch in the overgrown lawn and thought it was some old clothing thrown over by my neighbour.  I was too short-sighted to see what it actually was. I continued with my borders but I wanted to be rid of this black object. I went along next to the front wall, holding on to the overgrown bushes until I reached a tree near next door’s fence.  Holding fast to this, I gradually lowered myself to the jungle which had once been a pristine lawn.
 
Holding tight to the lower tree branches, I reached the black mass and to my surprise, saw that it was a large hole in the ground with four baby hedgehogs huddled together, eyeing me with suspicion.  I went back to my kitchen, poured water into a bottle, broke some bread and biscuits into very small pieces and put them in a bag with a small curved plate.  I set out on my journey back to my little guests.  There was still no sign of their mother.  I lowered my offerings into their home and they carefully inspected  them.
 
I left them happily eating and made my perilous journey back home, chuckling and wondering if they were descendants of my first encounter with hedgehogs.