Much panic today as we had to extract a(n) hedgehog from a tennis net (not that posh, I worked at a tennis centre and blagged one that was being disposed of!)
Nightmare, really; day one back at school, so the kids weren't functioning at their best, I am out of practice on the whole process of making lunches and breakfasts whilst simultaneously making myself presentable, checking emails and social networks and bullying little people into eating up, brushing hair and teeth yada-yada.
Add into the affray, a wailing eight-year-old "It's going to die and it's all my fault!". So, I'm making sandwiches between frantic phonecalls to my veterinary friends (ok, a bit posh!), with a hair brush tucked under my arm doing my very best calming voice "No it's not your fault, whatever happens, sweetie - NOW BRUSH YOUR TEETH BEFORE WE ARE LATE!!"
Thankfully, a dear friend was up for taking baby to school whilst the older two can take themselves, so an emergency trip to the veterinary hospital later and Hedgy (it's what happens when eight-yr-olds encounter nature!) is back in his favourite hidey-hole in the garden.
Not that the journey itself was without incident, of course: they anaesthetised him so they could check for broken legs etc. She said he'd be a little drowsy for a while, but to put him straight in the hedge and he'd be fine. Unfortunately, the meds wore off halfway home, across town in the school/work traffic, at which point I realised that I hadn't made the best choice in transportation vessel, having placed him in my mop bucket. I guess half of me didn't expect to be bringing him home given a previous net vs hedgehog fight I bore witness to whilst working at the afforementioned tennis centre. That was a tacky old football net, though, not a refined tennis net. Obviously a tennis net is far too middle-classed to damage an object of suburban wildlife.
So there I am, sitting in traffic with a bucket containing one fully-functioning hedgehog scrambling for freedom. Every so often I tapped the bucket to try to scare him back into his previous foetal position, but it didn't work. He was so desperate to explore my car!
Try explaining that one to baby; "No, sweet, you didn't kill the hedgehog, it's fine... just, well, lost in the car somewhere"
I can imagine the look on her face already!
Thankfully, all is fine and dandy. Hedgy is now back in his favourite spot in the garden, tennis net is packed away, school has been called so they can reassure baby the wildlife police aren't out looking for her. Huge sigh and a cup of tea!
And I know it's not a great picture, but I took it whilst driving. Don't do that! EVER! It's stupid and dangerous. Unless you are sitting in traffic moving at an inch a minute of course. And I was. So it's fine, really.
Nightmare, really; day one back at school, so the kids weren't functioning at their best, I am out of practice on the whole process of making lunches and breakfasts whilst simultaneously making myself presentable, checking emails and social networks and bullying little people into eating up, brushing hair and teeth yada-yada.
Add into the affray, a wailing eight-year-old "It's going to die and it's all my fault!". So, I'm making sandwiches between frantic phonecalls to my veterinary friends (ok, a bit posh!), with a hair brush tucked under my arm doing my very best calming voice "No it's not your fault, whatever happens, sweetie - NOW BRUSH YOUR TEETH BEFORE WE ARE LATE!!"
Thankfully, a dear friend was up for taking baby to school whilst the older two can take themselves, so an emergency trip to the veterinary hospital later and Hedgy (it's what happens when eight-yr-olds encounter nature!) is back in his favourite hidey-hole in the garden.
Not that the journey itself was without incident, of course: they anaesthetised him so they could check for broken legs etc. She said he'd be a little drowsy for a while, but to put him straight in the hedge and he'd be fine. Unfortunately, the meds wore off halfway home, across town in the school/work traffic, at which point I realised that I hadn't made the best choice in transportation vessel, having placed him in my mop bucket. I guess half of me didn't expect to be bringing him home given a previous net vs hedgehog fight I bore witness to whilst working at the afforementioned tennis centre. That was a tacky old football net, though, not a refined tennis net. Obviously a tennis net is far too middle-classed to damage an object of suburban wildlife.
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Try explaining that one to baby; "No, sweet, you didn't kill the hedgehog, it's fine... just, well, lost in the car somewhere"
I can imagine the look on her face already!
Thankfully, all is fine and dandy. Hedgy is now back in his favourite spot in the garden, tennis net is packed away, school has been called so they can reassure baby the wildlife police aren't out looking for her. Huge sigh and a cup of tea!
And I know it's not a great picture, but I took it whilst driving. Don't do that! EVER! It's stupid and dangerous. Unless you are sitting in traffic moving at an inch a minute of course. And I was. So it's fine, really.
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