Wednesday 6 August 2008

STOP PRESS: NEW "SWEET LITTLE BABY ANIMALS" CATEGORY ANNOUNCED















I knew I was missing something. I had that feeling but I couldn't put my finger on it. However today's tragic news, mourned the nation over ('cept probably in Devon) has made me think we all need cheering up. I haven't got anything particularly strong against Buckland, except that in general I detest Bucklands. Though William Buckland was okay, I guess. but still, depression reigns. Or should that be rains. 

Anyway in my family, we know there is nothing that cheers a cove up more than a nice picture of a sweet little baby animal. 

So here you go. Surely you'd have to be the Queen of Narnia to have a heart cold enough to resist the aptly captioned "Stag Beetle Boy goes Hoggy" seen above. Awwwwwwww......



8pm update
I can see already that this category is going to be a great success. Look what Lottie just sent! A baby licking a pig! Sorry I mean kissing. 

















And I have one to add which is one of my favourite sweet pictures: Baby Bing Bong, a little fox that some piratical friends of mine in Sussex looked after for a few days.
















14 august
2 from Zoë - first, her "breaking the law and handrearing an orphaned grey squirrel." Is that the social law that says never do anything nice for squirrels, or an actual Parliament law? Sounds intriguing...



















And then (my fave) 
Wayne the Chavfinch!

"My daughter Robyn holding a newly fledge Chaffinch who had flown into the french doors of the cottage, he was somewhat dazed and confused, and didnt fly off for about half an hour. Meanwhile he starred in his own photofest."

















19 august
Yummy, french baby animals from Fat Rascal: " The horses have bigger bottoms than the pigs!" Baby horses, though, awwwwwwww.....
















19 August
Some more pigs from James A-S: as they are baby porkers, I have filed them in this category.
"Here are some more pigs (Tamworths from Hampton Court, 2007). The fact that they were in the Daily Mail pavilion should not be held against them. They were the particular favourites of Hayley Monckton (press honcho for the RHS)".
















Look what Maggi just sent! Awwwww....
"Emily's Chicks. These are some of the 16 who grew up in the paint pots in the outhouse. They had hatched under an escallonia at the front of the house with only the grass verge between them and the road and at grave risk from the dreaded foxy gentleman. Catching 16 newly hatched chicks in front of their distraught parent takes some doing but she did follow me very willingly once I had got them all into a box! They all survived their infancy but sadly said foxy not-so-gentleman had a field day one afternoon........not pleasant to come home to."














( Here they are growing up amongst the paint pots! )
















26 august
ooh! We haven't had one of these yet!
This was a Ms J of Cambridge spot: "The duckling, which we saw in a park in St Neots, had a very negligent mother who was much more interested in people bearing food than she was in taking care of her offspring, so we can only hope it survived to adult duckhood."

















28 August
Two great ones from Anonjan! First, "the world’s boldest kitten literally climbing the walls." 
How do they doooo that?














"And to add a little culture to the proceedings, my 2 kittens’ entry for the Turner Prize, which has no baby animals in it, but is entitled ‘The need to create family ties and bonds when you have just been adopted’ . Very moving. Well, I thought so."

Indeed, moving, for it questions the essential assumptions we all have about identity, separateness and difference, seeking to show that all of us are entangled in webs of juxtaposed relationships (that's enough now, Ed.) 














Fat Rascal: "Here are two baby donks we met on a day out in the Aveyron! In the second photo it looks like my friend has removed its head, but she'd just found that spot behind the ears which was scratch heaven -hence its expression!"




















11 comments:

Arabella Sock said...

OH isn't he absolutely heartbreakingly gorgeous!

I hope he hasn't got fleas off that hedgehog!

emmat said...

there is nothing more adorable to the entire nation than a grown man beaming at a hedghog as if it were his own first born.

VP said...

That is so cute - an absolute winner!

The hedgehog's lovely too ;)

Arabella Sock said...

I blame JAS. If he had circulated that picture instead of telling everyone about the S-Club 7 tattoo across MWs butt he would no doubt have got the job! It is a family programme after all.

emmat said...

I was just thinking the same thing.

Anonymous said...

But then it would have all been a lie and you could not have lived with yourselves..
Incidentally Toby Buckland has no tattoos and only one small 'intimate' piercing

emmat said...

One thing which is strange is how clean MW's fingernails are. I mean, I only ever garden about once a week and I still have soil under my fingernails almost all the time.
I have to say, he is really, really clean. Impressively clean.
Even, suspiciously clean.
Hmm.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

I thought the hedgehog was cute (I'm partial to them), but then I saw the fox. Too cute! The pig/baby thing creeped me out.

Zoë said...

Hi Emma,

my understanding of the law is this: Grey Squirrels are classed as vermin. Until last year anyone catching a grey squirrel was required by law to kill it to help to preserve the native red species. The legislation has recently been been reformed, and now allows people to release the animals into the wild – but only if they apply for and are granted a licence to do so.

The photo was taken pre-reform days, and I had neither licence to keep/release or the inclination to kill a baby squirrel. He grew big and fat and fiesty of a diet of puppy milk and baby rice, and once weened onto solids was let go in a nearby woodland.

Naughty me!

Zoë

emmat said...

no way! I really did learn something today. That's amazing.

Anonymous said...

Apparently, minutes after the MW-Miss Tiggywinkle pic was taken, the hedgehog,lulled into a false sense of security, admitted to Matter's that it had moments earlier snaffled his entire stag beetle collection while waiting to be photographed. No more Mister Nice Guy when Matters realised his log seat had been raided, as it were.