We're going on a hedgehog hunt!

Many years ago, when all of the children were small, we visited my parents in Scotland. My 5 year old nephew asked "Please Grandma, may I come for a sleepover with my cousins? I haven't seen then in such a lo-o-o-ong time." Soft-hearted Grandma gave her approval. That's when my brother asked if Grandma could take the baby too, "It will means we can have night out."

Instead of a nice quiet house of two adults, there were now four adults, and four children (ranging from nine years to twelve months). Bedtime was noisy, but fun. Breakfast was also noisy and fun. When the extended family heard we were in town they invited themselves over for 'a cup to tea, and a wee cake' in the afternoon, nine more adults, and five more children.

After lunch for eight, Grandma started getting a little flustered about the imminent 'descent of the hoards'. The baby was put down for a nap, and the three other grandchildren were tossed out of the house to 'go and play'. One asked, "But what shall we do? We don't have any toys here?" In exasperation, Grandma said, "Go find a hedgehog!" The children readily agreed, and raced off to the grassy park in front of the house.

Fifteen minutes later, they raced back. "We need the baby's car seat. It's dark blue with stars. Hedgehogs are nocturnal. If we hold the car seat over the hedgehog hole they will think it is night and come out!"

Another fifteen more minutes passed, and by this time the lunch dishes had been washed, dried and put away. The sitting room had been straightened, dusted and vacuumed. And then three cousins came into view, walking dejectedly back down the path to Grandma's house. "We couldn't find a hedgehog. We've looked everywhere, and we can't find one." That's when my eye fell to Grandma's boot scraper.

"Quickly, grab the boot scraper and put it into the bag. Now, you have to rush into the house, shouting, "Grandma, Grandma, we've found a hedgehog." Everyone has to try to  be the first to tell Grandma, and you have to be so very excited. Wiggle the bag to make it look like there's a real hedgehog in it."

The trio excitedly burst into the sitting room, voices raised, bag all a-wiggle. Grandma was shocked to think they had found a hedgehog, but when she looked into the bag and saw her old muddy boot scraper the laughter started. She laughed and laughed and laughed some more. She almost peed her knickers! The tension that had been building up in Grandma evaporated.

When the rest of the family arrived the hedgehog story was told, and it has been regularly retold over the years.