Oi ! I know you're there...

Not Many People Know That (Number 13)

Not Many People Know That this is the first thing I see every morning as I squint bleary-eyed at the world!!!! (No comments on that fact, thank you very much.)

But, it has not been the sun shining through the curtains or the alarm clock that have woken me recently.

Oh no! Something much more exciting, and Not Many People Know That.

Glis Glis.

I have never seen them, but I know they are here.

Unless you live in the Glis Glis triangle, which is bounded by Beaconsfield, Aylesbury and Luton, you probably don't know about them.

Also known as the Fat or Edible Dormouse, Glis Glis resemble small squirrels or chinchillas.
Native to mainland Europe, a small number were introduced to this country by Lionel Walter Rothschild to Tring Park in about 1902. Where upon they escaped and took to living in outbuilding and subsequently houses in the area.
Although they may look cute they can be very destructive in our homes, chewing through electric cables and gnawing on wood.

I know they are here, behind the wall by my bed head, snuggled in next to the chimney, because I can hear them making what is known as a 'churring' or 'woofle woofle' noise, and scampering around.

Once one got into the bathroom and knocked all my lotions and potions off the shelf, into the bath.

Their name 'edible' is because the Romans fattened them on walnuts and ate them as a tasty snack and the 'dor' bit of dormouse is from the French' dormir' 'To sleep' because they hibernate for 7 months of the year.

If you want see what they look like here is a link to the Wikipedia page.

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