The boys are back in town

...although in truth they haven't really been that far away throughout winter. We've been maintaining the food supply throughout the past few months, leaving out a handful or two of peanuts just to tide over any visitors and most nights they'd gone by morning. The only evidence it was badgers visiting the garden were the consistent holes dug in the lawn and flowerbeds. Until now. Taking a step out of the conservatory door I was stopped on the steps by movement in the flowerbed. A badger made a break for the playhouse but stopped when I froze, it turned and wandered up the lawn to within 3 feet of me and then trotted off down the side of the house and out through the hole in the fence. It was good to see the badgers are getting back to regular times, this time visiting just after 7pm. The ambition for this year is to see badger cubs frolicking on the lawn in the summer evening light. With the cubs expected to be born in February (assuming the ones visiting the garden have been successful), the earliest we will probably see them is May. Fingers crossed.