Finally Finding My Voice

As a first blog I will plunge into that stream of consciousness and we will go with the flow.My name is ALF SNAGG – nice to meet you all whoever you are and wherever you may be.This is my random diary that will hopefully be entertaining and on occasions even thought provoking.

I have just arrived home and in the dark it appeared there was something on the doorstep. Perhaps someone has left me a present I thought with optimism or had I dropped something on my way out ? Walking up the path I realised it was my old prickly friend – Acton Leggitt. Acton often turns up on ‘Slugsearch’. I tried to open the front door without disturbing him. He didn’t move and seemed undeterred both my presence and the unlocking of the front door. Maybe I should give him some food? I had some leftover chicken in the fridge. Do hedgehogs like garlic chicken ? I don’t suppose its part of their staple diet. I put together a small plateful of it chopped into pieces and stealthily re-opened the front door. Acton’s blob of black dewy nose seemed to twitch in the light of the porch. I thought he was about to run off but then in an instant changed his mind and didn’t move or ‘ball up’.I placed the plate down in front of him and quietly retreated closing the door.

I wondered if I could use this little incident as a story in The Waterways of Taffy Satchell which I will introduce in future posts.WOTS as I have abbreviated it to is a book I am writing involving many species of animals and birds affected by our radically changing environment.It is anthropomorphic and humorous throughout. My family of hegehogs in it are called ‘The Joggs’. They are Irish and the father is Harold Declan Jogg who in Summer months is employed by local allotment owners on salad plots. He is an SAS hedgehog( Security against Slugs). More to follow on this. His daughter is rebellious, untidy and at a difficult age. Her name is Fleezy Jogg.

After half an hour curiosity got the better of me and I went on chicken check. Acton it appeared had consumed the lot. All that was left was the plate and next to it a neat fresh pile of hedgehog faeces. I don’t know if this was Acton’s way of saying ‘thankyou’ but garlic does exactly the same to me.        Goodnight