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

I was sitting at my desk, two o'clock in the morning, radio on and I suddenly heard something crashing around in the garden. "Oh no, intruders," I thought, so I went into the next room and put the light on so they'd know the house wasn't empty. Came back to my room in the dark and I can now hear a big flowerpot being kicked and turned over - this is right up next to the back door. All a bit trembly at this stage, phone in hand ready to call the police, I peer out through the curtains and directly underneath my window ...

Four badgers! I couldn't believe it! The last time I saw a badger in the garden was at least ten years ago and I've certainly never seen four together before - full size as well (and they are big!) What made me think it must be human intruders was the sheer amount of noise they were making: they were crashing about all over the place (I suppose, if you're a badger and you're travelling mob-handed, you don't worry about making noise).

I was so excited! I still am really excited - I looked down at these grey shapes shuffling around and one of them, once it had got a bit further away from the house, looked right up at me. Woo!

P.S. I realise this journal entry constitutes an open invitation to all kinds of badger nonsense But these were REAL badgers and they were FANTASTIC

P.P.S. I do realise country types may not be terribly impressed by all this, but I did spend the ten intervening badger-free years in one of those bits of London where even what wildlife there is - and there is some - has to adopt a strictly kebabiverous diet. Recently, I've been yearning for the city - but this definitely goes in the 'Con' list (i.e. 'You don't get to see badgers'!).

That is cool, I think. I'm glad you were safe inside though. I don't know if badgers are very nice. I see large things running into the sewer grates late at night here sometimes. I think they're racoons.

Badgers!

We went to the West country a couple of weeks past and noticed that the roadkill was more interesting than it had been for a while. Apart from the foxes, squirrels and occasional pheasant there were badgers.

If they give you any more trouble see if you can get a bypass organised past the end of your garden. Of course you could have a notice painted threatening this if they don't keep the noise and rwodiness down.

.. Ba.Dg. E .rS..!

Brilliant!!!

Tremendous!


This must mean some kind of omen for the Ba.d.ger lot on here, all bow before the mighty TRIN badger magnet...thousands will be flocking to your house like a pilgrimage to mecca..

b-b-b-b-b-badgers! ba-a-a-a-adgers! badge-adge-abdgeeeeerrrsss

Just went outside to have a look at the aftermath - they didn't break the flowerpot, but they certainly gave it a good going over (oi, you, flowerpot, we're badgers see and this is our manor now).

Oo, I do hope they come back again and don't leave it another ten years!

Vix - badger magnet it is Not sure I like the sound of badger mecca though (haven't got enough in for a start)

Footie - calm, calm!

but it's bbbbbb BADGERS!

Hellie - the first time I went to the US, on virtually the very first night, I heard something rumbling through the bins outside the apartment and spent ages looking out of the window: when I told people they said "Oh, that, that's just a groundhog" - but I got really excited about that too . And I've seen racoons on a later trip - now they are top bin raiders: sitting out on the porch with all the lights on and these racoons just came straight up to the end of the driveway and started causing havoc ("Oi, you, see this trash? That's ours, right?")

Not sure that any of these are dangerous though - just extraordinarily cheeky

I sent my Mum the footballbadgers link in an e-mail the other day -

http://www.footballbadgers.com

so when I rang her to tell her about the real badgers, her very first question was: 'Were they all singing 'footie, footie, footie, footie, footie...?'

(They weren't, by the way)

Ninjas, lazers and gold?

Some people just have way too much time with program do dah's

I've seen 2 groundhogs here where I live and chipmunks up at Bear Mountain

I get excited too at seeing those

I've only ever seen one chipmunk, in Yellowstone - I was leaning over a railing, to look down at some hot mud and there was a chipmunk on a rock looking straight up at me. Didn't move or anything, just tried to stare me out

Ninjas, lazers and gold - I wondered about that too When I send these things to my sister, she always says it's ME who has too much time on his hands

I'm still excited!!!

*tapping fingers waiting for football badger thingie to load*
omg there it is! hahaha


Badger magnet!


And I love chipmunks. They're so much cuter than squirrels. I've only seen them at national parks too. I don't think we have them here. I just love them.

No badgers last night (boo hiss) or, if there were, they'd been reading a book on stealth.

I consulted with my Dad about the idea of putting out little snacks to tempt them out regularly (rather than every ten years). He said high protein and fibre.

So...smoked salmon and banana sandwiches all round!

(Actually, I probably won't - don't want to mess with the ecosystem and so on)

Go on! Just a little mess!

*wrinkles nose*

Yes... a little mess won't harm eh?