Prickle's Progress

This is probably Harriet Hedgehog's sister. Yes, I found another one in my garden.
It turned out to be a girl as well.After a night in a box cuddled up to a towel covered hot water bottle the second Miss Tiggy was taken over to the Burnley receiving post and by now is probably tucked up at the Rochdale Hedgehog Resue Centre. It makes you glad you can help a young creature survive. Apparently the usual life span can be seven years but is more likely to be about two. Hedgehogs face many hazards in their short lives.Normally they will have one litter of hoglets a year. But if disturbed or the nest gets washed out, as so many must have done during the past wet, wet year, then they will have another go. But this makes them late in the year and hence the young ones cannot put on enough weight to survive hibernation.
If you shop in Asda, buy a tin of cat or dog MEAT (not fish ones) and put it in the Hedgehog Rescue Box provided. It will be gratefully received by Tina and Kevan at Burnley, who care for the hoglets and injured adults until they can be collected by the Rochdale people. many thanks. Greencrumblie

PUMPKIN SOUP.

Hi All. At last we have the recipe for Sue's Soup!
Greenfield's Special Pumkin Soup.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pumpkin
2 medium sized onions
Salt & Pepper
2 vegetable stock cubes
Small single cream
2x 142gm size tins of tomato puree

METHOD: Cut pumpkin in half. Remove all the seeds and loose fibres, cut into wedges. Place in a large roasting tin, skin side down. Drizzle with cooking oil(whatever you have to hand,but a nice olive oil would be good). Roast in oven for approx. 30mins.at Gas 6 or Electric 200C or 400F. Remove from oven and set
aside to cool(cool enough to handle).
Peel onions and finely chop,cook in large saucepan with small amount of oil.Cook until soft but not brown.Use
moderate to low heat to prevent burning.
If pumpkin is cool enough, remove skin, chop flesh into small pieces and place in saucepan with the onions.
Add water. How much depends on your taste for thin or thick soup. In any case cover the pumpkin. Adjustments to liquid can be made later.
Add the tins of tomato puree and add the 2 vegetable stock cubes.
Cook until soft 15 to 20 minutes
Liquidise the soup with a hand blender. Be careful , do not liquidise if soup is too hot! If you spray the kitchen we can't come round and re-decorate! If you don't have a blender use a good old potato masher.
Return the soup to a clean pan. Now's the time to adjust the liquid to thinner or thick by adding water.
Add the single cream to your taste. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper. Taste before adding!
Heat and serve with crusty fresh rolls.
We made two large pots of this soup for our Hallowe'en evening and only one child said he didn't like it.

Just goes to show there is life after Heinz ( with apologies to the Brand!)

Tales from my garden

The Saga of Harriet Hedgehog.Those of you who saw the November Newsletter will have seen the photo of a small hedhehog that I have been feeding over a number of weeks, with assistance from my neighbour when I was away.One of our members kindly phoned me and said that if the hedgehog weighed 400gms or less it would have to be cared for by the Hedgehog Hospital to get it through the winter.So tonight I left food as usual and hey presto, there was tiggywinkle hogging down the nosh(pun *hogging* not intended). So donning a pair of gloves I captured the blithely unaware hoglet and quicly checked its weight on my kitchen scales. 5oogms!! So immediatelyI phoned Tina and Kevan of the Burnley Rescue post who said it needed to be at least a pound and a half if it was to survive the winter. They said put it on a towel in a high sided box and get it over to Burnley pronto. So I did.What a lovely couple they are! Kevan is a retired Burnley Parks Ranger and ex-lifeguard. What they don't know about hedgehogs and their care wouldn't cover a one pence piece!
Harriet, for it turned out to be a girl, will be collected by Rochdale Hedgehog Resue which runs a hospital for them and cared for until she is big enough to be released back into the wild.If you want to know more, look upwww.hedgehogrescue.org.uk

Hi All. Wow our Bat Evening really went with a swing. Almost three dozen children and parents turned up at St John's Hall in Colne.They made laminated placemats with all kinds of spooky cut outs. Then followed an impromtu Nature Quiz whilst waiting for Mike Fisher the Bat Man to arrive. He gave a most fascinating talk and slide show about the furry little creatures. Then came the scrumptious food. Pumkin pie and home made pumpkin soup were hits . So having been asked for recipes , here goes.
Pumpkin Pie. Pastry to line the dish( a flan dish or similar is ideal).
40z plain flour; 3oz baking margarine (Stork); pinch salt;1teaspoon baking powder;water to mix.
Divid fat into two.Sieve flour with salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Cut half the fat into the flour until pieces of fat are very small.Then cut in the rest more roughly.Mix with water until binding together. Knead into a ball and allow to rest for about an hour in fridge. Then roll out to fit the dish, leave a little extra to allow for shrinkage.Bake blind for about ten minutes in fairly hot oven.
Filling. 1&1/2 cups of pumpkin;2 eggs(separated);6oz brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger;1/2 teaspoon cinnamon;juice and grated rind of a lemon;vanilla to taste; 1/2pint milk.
Cut pumpkin in half. Scoop out pips(you can dry these and use them in salads or as a snack). Put pumpkin in to a moderate oven and bake until flesh is soft. Remove and scoop out what you need.Mash with fork. M1x in the two egg yolks, brown sugar, milk and flavourings, including the lemon,Whisk egg whites till fluffy and fold in to the mixture. Spread mixture in to pie crust.Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to moderate and continue baking slowly for about 35 minutes.Enjoy!
The soup recipe will follow when Sue lets me have it. Cheers Greencrumblie

Bats in the Belfry

Hi all Greenfielders and Junior Rangers. The Batman cometh....!!! Yes we've booked him to give a slideshow and talk on Bats. The date is: MONDAY 27th. OCTOBER 2008. Evening starts 6.00pm with BATTY Arts & Crafts. Make a Halloween themed item you can take home. Then we'll have the Batman, Mike Fisher.There will be Hot Dogs, home made soup, hot chocolate and other drinks and cakes etc. So come along and tuck in!
The VENUE is: St. John's Methodist Church Hall bang in the centre of Colne. We'll be in the Lounge.

SO SEE YOU ALL THERE. Watch out for FLYERS
coming to your door.
Cheers, greencrumblie

Yours truly kicksampling + a bug on a flower

Hi all.
Jenny Jackson kindly sent me some photos of our session at the Reserve for Junior Rangers
on Saturday last. I'm the one in the red jacket, by the way. The yellow and black striped job is probably a hoverfly feeding on a scabious, but I am not sure which ones they are.

Fungal Forage at Greenfield LNR

Hi all. Well once again the faithful two of Rachel and Mum Jackie came to the event on Saturday 13th. September. Also present were Annette, Jenny, Albert and Sue not to mention Rocky the Jack Russell. What is the matter with the rest of you? Don't you want the Junior Rangers project to succeed. Rachel has signed up for the First Aid course in October. Come on you lot! It is FREE after all.
We found a number of fungi and tried to identify them. We also did a trial river kick sample and everyone had a look at the invertebrates that were turned up.
Afterwards we all went in to Albert's and Sue's camper van and had cups of tea, cordial and bikkies. A great chat session ensued and everyone said they had enjoyed the two hours. What's more the sun shone and it was great. So please try to come on the next event. Apart from the First Aid course, we shall be putting on a Hallowe'en event in October. It's up to you. The chance is there to get involved. But you all have to make the effort. Happy Wild Life Adventures. Annette

Pics of the Junior Ranger project launch

Course for Junior Rangers and Kids in Colne

Would you like to go on a FREE First Aid Course in the October Half Term? Yes? Well sign up by contacting annette.hawkins1@ntlworld.com or phone me on 01282 859745.
Word of advice: it may be Free but if you sign you turn up for the course. We are spending money given for the purpose, so let's not waste it!

Secondly, the Colne Water Angling Club is offering to put on a course in Flyfishing, fly tying, and water safety INDOORS during the winter. Again sign up, and turn up when we give you the details.
If Junior Rangers Project is going to work, you all need to make an effort and support the events as they come up.
Don't forget we want to hear from YOU too. Let us have photos, poems, observations and drawings about Wild Life and we will put it in the Scrap Book or publish it in the next Newsletter, Cheers for now.
greencrumblie

Dratted weather

Hi everyone. Sorry but we have had to postpone the BBQ plus Bat & Moth Evening due to the awful forecast for Friday's weather. As soon as there is a window in the weather we'll let you know when it's on again. Depends on when Mike Fisher can manage to come again. It's disappointing but we've got some courses that you can go on. See next blog. greencrumblie

Junior Rangers -Pond Dipping

Friday 29th August at the Pond in Greenfield LNR
It was disappointing that only one Junior Ranger turned up with Mum. Several members of the Friends group supported the event, and a number of interesting wriggly things were viewed and identified. Thanks Rebecca from Wild Life Trust who ran the event for us.
However if the Junior Rangers are really going to get going, everyone who came to the launch needs to turn up and bring friends along to join in.
Our next event is open to everyone who wants to come along.
FRIDAY 5th SEPTEMBER. Meet at POND AREA in GREENFIELD LNR, COLNE at 6.30pm
Wear warm clothing, bring a TORCH and something to cook on the BARBECUE.
At 7.30pm Mike Fisher will be doing a BAT TALK & WALK using bat detectors.
We shall also be setting a moth trap and later we hope to identify some of the lovely moths that will be attracted to the light.
PLEASE COME AND BRING THE FAMILY & FRIENDS. Contact no: 01282 859745

Junior Rangers Launch Party

I'd just like to say a big thank you to all those Friends of Greenfield LNR , members of Colne Water Angling Club and Rebecca from Wild Life Trust for their magnificent effort on Friday 15th August. Pity we didn't get a better attendance, but what we did get will enable us to make a good start.

Our First Junior Ranger event is on Friday 29th. August starting 5.00pm and will be POND DIPPING with Rebecca and Friends helpers.

Next is open to the public on Friday 5th September starting 6.30pm with a Barbecue, followed by Bat Walk & Talk with Mike Fisher, plus looking at Moths.Bring something to cook and wear warm clothing and sensible footwear. Meet near pond.