A Christmas Hedgehog House

Having during the last few days stocked up to bursting with Christmas festive fare and basic comestibles, Jackie discovered that she had run out of salt so we stopped at Stopples Lane Co-op to buy some.

Carefully packed into a thin strip of a terrace garden at the corner of the shopping precinct lay a delightful Christmas display on which I was able to focus during Jackie’s time in the shop.

Traffic slowed as it passed a horse rider guiding another animal. You will see that she was more respectful of cars than were many cyclists.

Ponies on the moor alongside Holmsley Passage basked over their breakfast.

Defensive cyclists on such as Crow Hill made sure that we, even if we had a mind to, would not attempt to pass them. This seems more offensive than defensive to me.

Further along ponies foraged in the sheltered woodland,

while field horses in Hightown were lit by the sun.

This being Flo’s birthday, we all dined with Becky and Ian at La Quilla where we had as enjoyable a time as always, with excellent food, brilliantly served in as friendly a manner as usual.

65 comments

  1. Yes, it does seem that of the whole bunch in the photos, the cyclists were the louts and none others were. Oh well. Maybe they were just changing position somehow and were actually angels on wheels!

    Good for you for enjoying nice outings (and reporting to us about them!) Thank you

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  2. Good to see motorists giving the horse rider a wide berth. With regard to the defensive riding of the cyclists, Government stats say that in 2022, 91 pedal cyclists were killed in Great Britain, whilst 4,056 were reported to be seriously injured (adjusted) and 11,546 slightly injured. They don’t give stats for the number of motorists killed and seriously injured by cyclists but I imagine that it might be slightly lower. (I realise that I have the advantage of living in a part of the country which doesn’t have many groups of cyclists going along narrow roads.)

    Lovely equine pictures. I am glad that you got some sunshine. It is in short supply up here.

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    2. Thanks very much, Tootlepedal. I had looked forward to your take on this. We are never really in a hurry, so their behaviour doesn’t really matter to us, and most are reasonable. The groups do come out in force throughout holiday times and are welcomed and encouraged by local businesses. I wonder whether the government statistics give information about how the deaths and injuries occur. Some cyclists come round bends and down from brows of steep hills in a potentially suicidal manner.

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      1. I agree about that, but once again, remarkably few cyclists kill themselves with excessive speed compared with the number of youthful motorists. I have had one go at it when I was cycling, but I had many potentially fatal moments when I was a reckless car driver.

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  8. Happy Birthday to Flo! I hope she enjoyed her dinner.

    It’s funny about having a well-stocked pantry, and then forgetting something basic like salt. I’ve done that, too–it’s something you just assume you always have.

    A fun Christmas display and beautiful ponies. I like the white one in the first gallery.

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    1. Thank you so much, Merril. Flo did have a happy day. That white pony caused us to stop for the pictures.

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  11. Those Christmas critters bring me right back to days of innocence and imagination. But there is always balance to keep us grounded and safe along with other humans and animals. Thank you Derrick.

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  13. Happy birthday, Flo! Whoever created the terrace garden made the most of their space. The hedgehogs are adorable. There must be some kind of compromise the cyclists can make. I love seeing the ponies in their shaggy coats.

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    1. Thank you so much JoAnna. Some cyclists pull over to let you pass. hey are not all road hogs

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  16. You have your ponies and we have cattle and donkeys – all these animals provide a rustic air and remind us to try and be more peaceful and accepting of our circumstances. I know you will enjoy good company over this festive time – having started with Flo’s birthday.

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