h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

stay warm and keep out of the cold, get well soon and YES! you are missed Webbie

Thank you all. I am feeling a little better but still not right. Last night Brock didn't come until after PHM had retired to bed, in fact he came immediately after he had gone at 11.20pm. Was he trying to tell him something?

No sign of him as yet. We have had some heavy rain here this evening, so he may go looking for worms first. He certainly gave our lawn a good turnover last night I managed to do a fair imitation of Riverdance this evening

I am trying to catch up with all my messages, but I am getting very tired so I may well not report till tomorrow. There is just no knowing when he/they will arrive now. Lights are on all over the place, and every evening about 8pm there are fireworks going off. Only one or two each night so far, but huge bangs. I nearly dropped his dish as one went off just over my head

I have reduced the amount of food I put out tonight, as he is getting greedy! What's the betting that because there is less, they will both come.

See you later or tomorrow,

Websailor

rest is the best cure, go get to bed

Why are there fireworks?

Hope you're feeling better tomorrow! Good night!

"Why are there fireworks?"
going off early as per...answer, so we know where the morons are

Get well soon Websailor

so you aren't feeling well,and i didn't know sooner.i have been immersed in holiday complaints,like banging my head against a brck wall!!!i ust make a point of checking more often.
Get well soon.

NEWS!

Those of you who have contacted me by email should have received photos by now. Please note they are not the quality you would expect - lighting was nearly non-existent, and conditions far from ideal. Anyone who doesn't get the pix, let me know and I will snail mail copies.

Thanks for the messages. I am feeling much better today and trying to catch up with everything.

LAST NIGHT

Overheard Conversation: *"it's pouring with rain, and I am NOT going out in this, just to amuse some poor, sad humans who seem to have nothing better to do than stand at their kitchen window, watching us. I ask you, haven't they got anything better to do?......... Oh, well, it's stopped raining now, so I suppose I'd better go and do my duty. They do feed us rather well, after all! See you guys later- good worming - NOooo, I am NOT telling you where this fast food restaurant is, go find your own stash!!!" *

You didn't know we could hear as well as see with the Night Vision Scope did you

Badger came last night, again after PHM had gone (supposedly) to bed. "I am not staying up any longer, I'm too tired to wait any longer" sez he! I went in to the kitchen to tidy up in the dark, and picked the Scope up (as you do!) and there he was. Creaking floorboards overhead, and a bump on the floor showed that PHM still couldn't go to bed without seeing Brock

He came straight up to the dish on the patio, as you see him in the photo, and ate every little bit, even cleaning up round him. No sign of the other badger, or the foxes. As it had been pouring with rain, they clearly decided to stay in the dry. Returning to the lawn, he approached the table very gingerly. It was full of water and the food was floating. At least I hadn't put a sandwich out or it would have been a soggy mess.

Chubby lady at the supermarket freezer again. Back legs wide apart and well back from the table. Front paws on the edge and head stretched out to eat. The table wobbled several times, tipping water on him and he jumped back about a foot each time. He clearly doesn't like getting wet, as he waddled down the garden, and somehow his rear end has a way of looking disgruntled, and he was miffed!

At the bottom of the garden he ran, then I saw two black shapes facing each other. or another badger I really cannot be sure. The second shadow disappeared and Brock came straight back to the table, tipping it over and jumping out of the way of the water. Then he lay down, stretched out. I thought he awas going to have a kip for a minute, but the books do confirm that they lie down to feed, and he did so for about 15 minutes. That way he got the food but didn't have to stand in the water.

There were a number of holes all over the garden again this morning, and I executed the usual dance Oh, by the way, scorpio_ it wouldn't be a Rain Dance, would it. It has rained ever since you suggested it

See you later, maybe. Smurfles, I hope you get your holiday complaints sorted out. Pity you don't live in my area, I could have helped.

Websailor

got em, many thanks, one question? is it waving a fan or playing badminton with a shuttlecock

Glad you are still having adventures, I will have to contact you so you can send me those photos.

Animal,

He is not the cleverest with his paws. The white piece is the white enamel dish that has his food in, and the reddy-brown square thingy is the half roof slate that he has to move before he can eat It was a whole roof slate once but the clumsy broke it in half in his hurry to eat

Sorry the quality is so poor, but at the time we were so delighted to get anything more than a shadowy we were very pleased! My son stood in the kitchen, with the window open in very cold weather, with the camera set up, for nearly four hours to get those photos, as brock came late that night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaz, I have sent the photos to your hotmail address.

It is raining and here, sheets and stair rods too, so don't know when he will come tonight.


Websailor

Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Thank you, Thank you. Pikkies arrived and everybody say aaaaaaaaaah!! I shall now go and study them in more detail. I was so excited, that I just had a few seconds studying each, before I had to scuttle on down here to let you know I'd got them. They are wonderful.

Scorpio

Ooh! this screen looks funny.......Oh, I see, I've still got my eyepatch on

Expedition: Change shoes to wellies, don anorak (no,I'm not!!) rubber gloves, turn light on in kitchen, turn outside light on. Step out in to the pouring rain and run like Tip all the water out of the bird table (it was a birdbath till the birds decided they would rather have it full of food!). Fill dish, and cover, put some on bird table, and run down the garden. Throw some peanuts and raisins into the bushes, then run a trail of same back up the garden. *Squelch, Squelch* Lock door, turn lights out and collapse in heap. must be

TONIGHT 12th October 2005

I really didn't think he would be daft enough to come out in this, but obviously food is important while fattening up for the winter and *clunk* went the dish at 9.45pm. He appeared to have walked past the bird table which is swimming in water, so apart from the raisins I doubt if it is very appetising I only put the marmite sandwich in the covered dish.

Ferdie was lurking again, but Brock was not the least bit interested, so Ferdie wandered all over the lawn munching peanuts as he went. Once he had cleared most of the bits, and clearly not interested in the table either, he jumped the fence Stage Left, leaving Brock to finish off. Brock wandered down on to the lawn, with his *miffed* looking waddle, past the flooded bird table and then just like last night, he took off like a bullet out of a gun. Boy, can he move! Ferdie is getting as ly as Brock. He leapt over the fence back in to our garden..and I blinked.....and he had disappeared. I am so glad you are seeing the photos, because sometimes they are like apparitions in the night, and if my husband, son, and friend had not seen them too, I would be questioning my sanity. Not that it would be the first time people have had doubts

I really must think of a way of covering the table so that the food stays dry, and gets eaten, because I really don't want to find another wild animal in my sights some night

Scorpio_ I am glad you got the photos too. I have to say it does not show my "patio" in a very good light, but as the little walls are covered in moss for the Coal Tits to build their nests in the spring, I am not too bothered.

You will note the difficulty we have with the window, which opens outwards at the bottom, so my son had to be careful the flash was not reflected back at us. I am due for a new window as this one has gone misty, so perhaps I will change the design next time, so I can open the window fully.

MInd,. Brock seems to have accepted us, as he doesn't seem to react to any sounds we make, so perhaps we can get some better pix later.

I will let you know tomorrow if Brock decides to come back later and have a paddle, but for now I am signing off, as it's getting late.

and thanks to you all for your interest

webbie, they still are great photo'sI'll stick with him/her fanning themselves

UPDATE ON LAST NIGHT

Who says animals are dumb? I just can't get my head round where that thought ever came from. Certainly not from anyone who has watched animals.

Last night Brock came again very late (or was it the other one) and came straight to the flooded table. I still think it might have been the other one, as it walked up to the table, and instead of putting its' feet on the table and pushing down, which would have brought the table and all the water on top of him, he lifted it!!!! He lifted it up so it tipped away from him and all the water ended up on the other side of the table He just did it and clearly knew exactly what he was doing.

He stayed for about half an hour and cleaned up everything. Not a scrap on the floor this morning. Then he came up to the dish, and sniffed at it but there wasn't more than a mouthful of food on it... Except.... for some reason the slugs like the cool white enamel and always climb in after he has gone the first time. It was full - So glad they are gone in the morning. But this time he did appear to eat some of them. Give me any day A toss and a good chew and they were gone, so they must be a last resort when he is hungry.

If you look at the photos, the things on the slabs that look like long thin leaves are actually slugs

The lawn is like a bog this morning after all the rain, Birmingham was flooded last night, causing gridlock on some of the roads, and the same area as last time got hit by another mini tornado at about 4.30-5pm. tearing at least one roof off a house and making a real mess.

Hope everyone here got through the night without any floods or mishaps.


Websailor

"Who says animals are dumb?" I resemble that remark thank you

Whoops! Animal, wasn't casting nasturtiums on you, my friend or anyone else

Websailor

Hello, again,

Animal, the split second I had posted to you, I got the call. 8.35pm and the badger had come straight to the table, picking a few goodies up on the way. He very delicately ate from all round the table without tipping it over, stretching back legs out as far from the table as possible, just like a black bear. Eventually he got a little tired, and went walkabout to stretch his legs, then came back to the table and tipped it.

He lay down to eat for a while, then he sat up, his nose in the air, snioffing straight down the garden to the left, then carried on eating. I trained the NVS on the bottom of the garden and there waddling slowly up the garden was the SECOND badger

That one gathered peanuts and raisins on it's way up, walking wide of the other badger, steering to the left of the garden. There was not the slightest reaction fron Badger No. 1. who carried on eating. Exactly the same as the other night, Badger No. 2 came up the step, snuffled around a bit, then pushed the lid off the dish. *Clunk, Click* so loud I wonder the neighbours don't hear. T'other badger didn't flinch

Both badgers continued feeding with no reaction to each other, till badger No. 1 had finished. He wandered to the right of the garden, then something spooked him and he ran down the path, across to the middle of the garden and exited through the middle of the bushes. Badger No. 2, at dish, turned round, looked down the garden, had a good listen and a sniff, then carried on eating.

When finished, he wandered down the garden, quite unconcerned, checked the table and the ground round it to make sure the other badger hadn't left anything , then continued down the garden, eventually exiting left. All of this in the space of just over 35 minutes. No sign of foxes or cats so far tonight, but it is early yet.

All this observation is producing lots of questions for us, which we hope will eventually be resolved if our stripey friends co-operate. We are beginning to wonder if we are actually seeing MORE than two or is that just wishful thinking? We are beginning to see patterns of behaviour in them, and personalities, that suggest that there may be more, unless the shy one is just getting more confident.

Why do they come together only about every third or fourth night? One looks a little smaller, so are they mother and cub, brother and sister, two "girls" or two "boys", father and son, no relation at all etc. etc??? One thing we are fairly sure of, and that is that they come from the same sett Someone with a cruel sense of humour suggests we recruit some paintballers to mark them in different colours - really, whatever next

Our badger Fan Club is still growing, both Virtual fans and RL fans, but still our neighbours are in the dark as far as we know. I am waiting for someone to look out of a window and let out a scream

Had a chat with my son today who is very pleased you liked the photos. He also mentioned something I had forgotten. It was the first time he had used his new camera. If we get a chance at some time we might try for photos through the Scope. I have seen some done that way which are very good.

Message for scorpio_ The Urban Foxes book wasn't in the CJ Xmas supplement (mine came yesterday) but it is in the recently issued main Catalogue, and would be available via their website too, I am sure. There is also the badger book, one on squirrels, one on hedgehogs etc. They are nice, straightforward little books and not too bulky. I am after the "How to be a bad birdwatcher" book which I am reliably informed is very amusing.

I am going off now to catch up with emails and posts, messages etc. and perhaps keep a weather eye on the nocturnal garden too.



Websailor

Hi WS: Have only had time for a quick scan of your last posting so far, will study it better in a short while.

Thanks for the info on the books. I had my C J Christmas book a couple of days ago; but will look on the website tomorrow. Particular emphasis must be paid to the hedgehog book.

Have just had a 'close encounter' - sitting out on the patio - not actually in the dark, 'cos there was subdued lighting coming through the kitchen blinds 10:45pm ish - we have 18 inch (old fashioned measurements in my home) slabs. So, I am sitting on slab one on my chair, there are two empty slabs; and then the one on which I put the dish of cat food. A gap of about 3ft between the two (am I right there?) Mr/Mrs Hedgehog could be heard sniffing behind my chair; and then darned if the little blighter didn't walk over my left foot and mosey over to the dish and polish off the lot whilst I just sat there totally amazed. Am now off to re-fill the dish, just in case - just in case of what I don't know; but I'm going to do it anyway.

Speak soon.

Webbie, post 277no apology needed love, uz idiots have to get laughs where we can, its our trade