Perhaps it was reading about Mrs. TiggyWinkle as a child, or perhaps it’s because I respect porcupines and skunks and all peaceful, unhurried defensible creatures of the world, but I have a special place in my heart for hedgehogs. The English settlers brought them to NZ because they reminded them of home, and while DOC suggests that we trap them because they have been known to eat bird eggs and even chicks, I welcome them into my yard. They eat mostly bugs and slugs and snails, which I don’t begrudge them.  And they are SO CUTE.  For a person not easily moved by cuteness, I think they’re adorable.  They waddle-wobble as they trundle along at their own pace, pigeon-toed and snuffly.  Also, since they don’t hustle, they’re photogenic.   So here’s to our resident hedgehog, the Delight of my Day.