A disturbed slow worm

Finally, finally there is progress in the garden. Pip has come to help me prepare the ground for our raised beds. Yippee!

I am taking a quick break to blip while Pip watches Wales beating Italy at rugby. Earlier this morning he had disturbed this slow worm when he was lifting the layers of carpet which had been lying on the soil for a long time to try and inhibit the bindweed which has been such a problem in the ground for many years.

I had brought my camera to the garden on the off chance of a blip appearing in some guise. I quickly grabbed it from the cabin and managed to get a few shots of it sleepily trying to move away to a safe place. I followed it as it moved towards me, but hadn't noticed that a woodlouse was in its path. Now, as I've looked at the various shots, I realise that it made a direct line for this louse which you can see in front of it, obviously eyeing up a meal.

I quickly put the camera down and picked up the slow worm, which immediately twisted around very firmly firmly in my fingers, trying to escape from the danger which I understandably represented. I managed to hold on to it and moved it up the garden to a safe place, where it quickly slithered away under a stone and into the longish grass. The prevalence of cats in the back gardens are a huge threat to the slow worm population, which used to be quite abundant. Sadly they are much rarer. Hopefully this one will find a new home, despite the clearing of the long grass and other optimal areas for it to bask in warm conditions, safe under the protection of the carpets and other low cover.

We are off out there again now, to finish the digging of the soil and to lay out the wooden supports for the raised beds. It is a beautiful sunny day still and I am already rather knackered.