The Old Shed

I've managed to make a path through the vegetation in the plot of land adjacent to my garden which I'm taking over. This shed hasn't been used for years. The walls don't look very secure and it's roof is falling in, supported only by the old rotting door. The rubble the badger has dug out from under the outhouses in the farm courtyard is waist high and fills half the interior. Above the roof, the back wall, which is also the supporting wall for the outhouses, has an eight inch split in it cased purely by the subsidence from the badgers excavations. I won't be going in in a hurry! Both the shed and the buildings behind are now in a dangerous state.

Just hidden from sight by a nettle plant, the badger passes from the door, along the ridge on the far wall and through a hole in the arched bricks under the shelf. The shelf would have been above waist height when the shed was built. You can clearly see how old pots are being buried under the rubble as the boar works away.

It's a summer sett. There are no females and it's not used in the winter. During the summer months the sows give birth and chase off the boars who use these secondary burrows until they are allowed back to the main sett. I personally have no problem with the presence of the animal but the hole is just large enough for my dogs to get into and a close encounter with a badger wouldn't be a good idea. A cornered badger is a fearsome beast and it would be unlikely that the dogs would live to tell the tale.

Fortunately the shed is at the very far end of the plot so I'll fence off a strip which will deny access to the dogs and allow the badger to pass freely. For the moment I'm lifting out a fence panel to gain access to the plot and ensuring it is firmly back in place so the dogs can't go exploring! It maybe a little late this year but I'll start to coax the badger out into the open with a few peanuts and get it used to a light or two so I can get some blips next year.

I'm having a magical time with family. I've photos to backblip but prefer to spend quality time with the people I love most rather than on the PC. My sister left for Scotland this afternoon leaving me in good company with my niece and her boyfriend who will be moving into a new house, not too far from here, in a few days time.

Congratulations to my other niece, Felicity, who has gained her Masters Degree with Distinction. So very proud of you, Fizz!