SPECTATOR'S life seems inextricably bound up with hedgehogs these days, as if he has somehow wished the loveable, bumbling creatures upon himself by his recent writings on their behalf.

The other night, an hour before darkness began to fall, your unsuspecting commentator went into his concrete back yard to find a very young hedgehog, no more than two inches long with spines still showing traces of the paleness seen at birth, wandering aimlessly in search of food and, probably most important, water on the hottest day of the week.

Having supplied both in saucers, Spectator expended the best part of a 24-frame roll of film on his discovery, and held it in the palm of his hand to look into its twitching but trusting face, until a disturbing thought struck him.

A call to a neighbour who looks after hedgehogs suggested that at an estimated five weeks old the young male should not have been foraging without its mother who, according to grisly evidence, was believed to have been a recent road casualty in the area. Other neighbours were asked to be vigilant for more orphaned youngsters.

Within minutes Spectator's discovery was being transferred by shoe box on a car seat to his new benefactor. The last bulletin was that the lively youngster was doing well. More news from the Tiggywinkle Gazette as and when Spectator receives it.

Time to re-think

IT'S "Time to Recyle" as Darlington Council prepares to launch its kerbside recycling scheme next month but the early signs do not encourage enthusiasm.

Within days of receiving the initial leaflet, complete with list of collection dates, some householders were sent a corrected list. The duff list can't be saved for recycling; it's on card; cardboard is specifically excluded from the new collections.

A householder who rang the inquiry line to ask what he now did with cardboard and with boxes of books too tatty for his charity bookstalls - both of which the previous Treesavers collection had accepted - was told: "We'll get back to you." They then left him a message saying: "Put the cardboard in with the paper and give the books to a charity shop." Er....