I’m settling into those end-of-year, preparation-for-winter tasks in the garden. High on the list was a re-ordering of the wood store, so that last year’s dried fire-wood is clearly separated from this year’s wood that is still too moist to burn. This laborious task involved a re-orientation of the “hedgehog hotel” I constructed, in which I feed the little critter every day. No dramatic changes were involved. I simply had to turn it through ninety degrees. The result has been interesting.
For the past couple of days there has been little evidence of the hedgehog turning up for its regular routine snack. Perhaps it has poked a little at the food, but has not tucked in as before. When I went out to check the situation tonight a line came into my head from the Paul Simon song, At the Zoo. “Orang-utans are skeptical (he tells us) of changes in their cages.” It seems that they are not alone, and are challenged in the skepticism league by hedgehogs. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before “normality” is restored.
My work in the garden, incidentally, assured me that I don’t have the corona virus. I was amazed to notice a very strong smell as I took out the wheel-barrow from the shed. Then I noticed that the ivy is just coming into flower. It is covered in bees, and I suppose that the powerful scent of the flowers is important in attracting the bees to do their pollinating work. I was delighted on two counts. First of all, I am very glad to see the bees active in the garden again. Secondly, since we are informed that the loss of taste and smell is an important symptom of the corona virus, I can rest assured (at least for the time being) that I do not have the virus.