Dear All,

How are you feeling? There is so much change in the air - there was already an enormous amount with the change of government, and on top of this we enter the Carolean Age (yes, I checked, it is not the Charliean Age!) Even now, so close to the event, there is a little bit of me that feels a small amount of optimism.

Maybe this is  ridiculous. But. I have seen the way Charles has talked about the natural world over the last few decades and I do wonder ... could he help catalyse change?

On Sunday I was on a panel with two Rabbis, a Bishop and a Professor ... talking at a Synagogue in North London on the theme of 'Making the World Better.' It was reassuring to hear people who were far more in the know than me talking with some sense of hope. The livestream of the discussion is here - I have not watched it yet, and do not remember what I said ... 

One of the questions I was asked was what my younger self would have thought of what I was doing now - I pointed out that I would have loved to lay a bet with my younger self - that I would be on such a panel ... there is no way the younger me would have anticipated me being in such unexpected company. 

To more direct hedgehog business. Please be on the look out for day time hedgehogs - we are entering the period when late born hoglets are going to be finding a need to eat more to prepare themselves for the looming winter and the demands of hibernation. 

If you see a hedgehog out in the day time looking in anyway 'unsure', 'drunk' or even 'sunbathing' - this is NOT a good thing. Especially if they are small. PLEASE - get a box, pop the hog in the box and if it is very small, smaller than your fist, look around for others too. Then get in touch with your local rescue. Here is a good guide. Too many times I have had people call me about a daytime hog before collecting it up, and then when I have urged they check, it has vanished. 

A quick update to talks I am giving - 29th & 30th September I will be down in Devon - doing talks in South Brent and Dartmouth - I have not got details yet, but if this is local to you, drop me a note and I will share information.

In earlier times, moments of great change would be accompanied by 'signs' - signs that could be read. So whether that was the appearance of Halley's Comet heralding the invasion of the Normans back in the 11th century or the flight of birds dictating to the Augurs of Rome what the future may bring (I have just found that the word for this is 'Ornithomancy' ... my new word for the day ... will try and drop it into conversation!) we could prepare ourselves thanks to the messages the natural world was willing to share. 

With that in mind, I would like to thank Nicola Pledger for this photograph! Now, what can we read into a giant sky hedgehog? A sign of hope for the future maybe?

For more strange hedgehoggy stories, pop by our Hedgehog Highways Facebook Group. Or take a look at my occasional hedgehog output on Twitter! And any coins .... your generosity has been really moving, thank you.