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So here we are then, in the next 48 hours, providing there has been no disasters, I will have finished the Bristol Half Marathon.

I’m going to admit that training wise the last couple of weeks have been very light. This was always going to be part of the plan, but was confirmed when a couple of niggles started to emerge in some short runs I was doing. So now its just a case of getting Sunday out of the way as well as I can, and then hanging my trainers up for a complete rest for a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately Lisa, our hardworking vet nurse and my training partner over the last few months, has had to withdraw from the half marathon due to illness. I know that she is gutted as she has trained so hard, but its the best decision as she really isn’t well enough at the moment.

Despite Lisa’s bad news, we do have 15 people taking part in the half marathon on behalf of Secret World, which considering this is the first time that we have bought bulk places for a running event, we are very pleased with.

So good luck to everyone who is taking part.

Anyone who wants to sponsor me can do so securely on line by clicking the button below.

Derek is spoiling Albert rotten but Albert still is not a happy chappie when you leave him in a room. Rocky is leaving his foot alone today so perhapshis anti-biotics are calming the infection down.

I forgot to tell you that the heron went home yesterday so that was a success. A deer came in late last night. Graeme, one of our volunteers had been to fetch it and got here just around 10.30. I dressed its wounds as it had already seen a vet who had put a pressure bandage on the wounds on the leg but wanted it removed once she got here.

She’s got some nasty wounds from a dog attack and is fairly out of it. I was surprised to see that she made it through the night but Lisa has had a quick look but said to wait and see. I can see that she is moving around the pen on the cameras but she is still in shock.

The Dartmoor crew got home about 3 p.m. Very exhausted but no doubt, proud that they made it. I’m sure there will be some stories to tell tomorrow!

Derek and I managed to do a bit of gardening but not enough to make an impression. I was quite late going down to do the deer and was amused to see that the badger cubs were all waiting for their food.

Badger huddle waiting for dinner!

Another late callout tonight as some people brought in a badger that had been in a road accident. We took it in to the vets as it had suffered head trauma. With no obvious injuries, it has come home having had anti-biotics and steroids to reduce the swelling on the head. I’ve made him as comfortable as I can for the night.

Ozzy had to have a late swim and bottle and I’ve just checked the RTA badger now 1.40 a.m. and certainly he is not worse. I hope both the deer and the badger make it through the night.

Really heavy rain today. We had a lovely Barn Owl picked up as a casualty up near the river Huntspill. I occasionally see one flying over late at night when I drive down the A38 – I wonder if it is the same one ? I expect the heavy rain over the last few days has denied it the chance to hunt. Barn Owls have especially soft feathers to give them silent flight but in wet weather the feathers will become waterlogged so they are unable to go out and hunt. This is when, in days gone by, the barns full of hay would be a

Barn Owl hungry and exhausted

hunting place for rats and mice in the dry. With so much silage made now and often left out in the fields this food source is no longer available to the barn owls.

 This one just seems to be starving and exhausted so hopefully we shall be able to feed him up and let him go again.

We have a kestrel and two sparrow hawks in at the moment and I expect they also will have been affected by the heavy rainfall.

Kestrel - probably affected by the heavy rain too

Simon, Danni’s husband, who is running our Dartmoor Dare got caught at Salisbury Plain so he was unable to make it back for the meeting this evening to update all the brave people taking part. It was a bit short notice so sorry if we put you lot out at all. Another meeting is planned and Danni will let you know. I think you are all very brave !! If you want to know more about The Dartmoor Dare – a three day sponsored event in August walking 45 miles with no tents, toilets and on army rations – ( you’re mad! ) but you can get more details by ringing Danni or Jamie 01278 783250.

The alarm went just after 1 a.m. and it was two people who had picked up a badger cub that had been knocked over in the road. They were very

The fallow fawn settled with the roe kids

 upset as they had thought the person who knocked it down was stopping to help it but when they went past later it was still there. It was alive but sadly died on the journey to us. It was so kind of them to bring it in to us at such a late time. When I came back in the house, the sight of all the fawns in the cubby hole together was a delight to see.

I woke to the constant noise of the fallow fawn calling. He has been very unsettled all day so I decided to move them all down to the fawn unit. Some of the volunteers have been putting up an extra shed so that we have somewhere to put deer if we are called out to them as the red calves are taking up the deer pen at the moment. At least I can watch them on camera and I managed to weigh them as I moved them down to the unit so I can monitor their weight.

 At last I have chance to put the vacuum cleaner around the kitchen properly and the only thing on view in the cubby hole for 24 hours will be the dog or cats. There’s somebody whose pleased about it!

 Another hot day, it’s been hard to keep everything cool in the pens

Albert's pleased to have the Cubby Hole back again!

A successful release!

April 30^th

Back into routine with the badger cubs in the kitchen and still feeding Hope the otter cub, who is in a pen with an inside and outside enclosure. She has water available to her all the time in the pen outside but is still making the most of some towels left on the floor for her to dry herself.

She will only come out once I have put the food on the floor and I certainly would not want to try and pick her up!

We had a report of three badger cubs sitting on the side of the road and the finder very kindly brought them in. They were quite small cubs and very hungry. All three were boys and had to be front lined to get rid of the unwanted guests. Once they were clean and warm they were added to the cubby hole. Georgie, Porgie and Jack were duly named. Let’s hope the next cub in is a gril and we can call her Jill!

It always amazes me just how quickly they all mix and follow the routine in the kitchen. With 4 still on bottle and 3 solid food meals a day, it takes up quite a bit of time. 10 cubs in the kitchen is a record and the cubby hole looks like a fitted carpet of badgers ! Continue reading Pauline’s Blog – sorry for the delay! (15/05/09)