Curled tightly in the mulch, a hedgehog

Crewe Green, Cheshire No wonder the spines of this tiny mammal keep most predators away; it’s like touching surgical needlesAlthough the air is mild for the time of year, the sky is iron-blue, threatening another downpour. It is wet and muddy under foot, slippery too. Charcoal and murky-brown, dead leaves clot the woodland path. There is the breath of tannin; I can almost taste it. Two grey squirrels chase each other over rotten logs, then dash up a tree strangled by ivy. A blackbird skitt