So, today's adventure - we rescued a hedgehog!
I saw Sidney the hedgehog at noon, just around the corner from our house, and called A. Whilst I waited for him to get there, it occurred to me that Sidney shouldn't be out there at noon - hedgehogs are nocturnal critters. And he seemed to be distressed - he was in a small cul-de-sac, in a car parking area, and was walking around and around in circles, bumping quite hard into the kerb every now and then. He didn't seem to be able to climb the kerb, so he had no way back to the gardens. The poor little sossage must've been out there since last night, and was probably roasting under all those prickles.
So A popped back home and got one of the many, many removal boxes we've got, and we coaxed and eventually nudged him into it, and A took him back home (I had to go to a temping interview). He put the box in a quiet, cool corner, and gave him a jamjar lid full of water, and called the RSPCA for advice. They said we'd done the right thing, and that we could release him into the communal gardens around our flats, once it got dark, and Sidney should be able to find his own way home. They also said we could feed him (NOT bread and milk). We don't have any meat in the house - dog or cat food would've been ideal - but apparently they like scrambled eggs, so I made him some of those when I got home.
(Eee!)Sidney's sleeping in a corner by the door at the moment, and when it gets dark, we'll turn him loose and trust that he's learnt his lesson about kerbs.
Oxford. Huh. I feel like I'm living in the Beatrix Potter movie. All this has earned a proper tag, at last.
ETA: Aw, Sidney. He's not being more alert, now the sun has set. We've tried persuading him to show a leg, but he keeps just turning over and going back to sleep. We phoned the RSPCA again, and they're recommending we take him to a vet tomorrow. *sniffle* Sidney! I hope he's okay. *frets*