Hodge

At the weekend, a couple or so days ago, i didn't in the end get to see the Surreal Teens; they had been third on the schedule and the event kicked off at 5 pm but they finally went on stage at 2.30 the next morning.

The Churros stall however, a converted 2CV, was worth the non-admission price.

So, sorry i can't report on how amazing they were but i did get to see their male competitors of Hendrix fame; yes they were very good; tight, loud and fiendish.

The Teens were rightly troubled by the competition ....but....they couldn't sing!

They might be able to sing they just didn't: so the Teens are way ahead.

Several days later, today in fact i saw something else, even more amazing - a baby hedgehogs tongue!

You don't get to write that very often but it is a worthy subject,the sudden pinkness contrasted surprisingly with the dark snout as it licked water carefully palmed towards it by my neighbour Vero as five of us lay in the grass watching.

Then it unsteadily trundled off to the bush ready to curl into a ball at the slightest sudden movement from any of us.

I've always had a soft spot, or perhaps a spikey spot for Hegehogs, but you don't see them often. The first one i met was in my childhood garden and i painfully mistook it for a pile of leaves.

There was another chance meeting in a park in London when a passer buy informed me that they like dog food - the hedhehogs not the passer by.

There was a baby (hedgehog) that someone brought into the garden here once, but it didn't survive whatever trauma had lead it to be alone in the road and that, apart from the unluckily squashed viewed from a car is my hedgehog count.

In 50 so years. Not many.

Apart from that I remember a cartoon someone published of a giant Hegehog rushing across a motorway leaving a trail of crushed cars in its wake, a joyful glee on its face and i think there was a Hedgehog called Spikey Norman somewhere in the Monty Python's early work, but i'm not sure, though i did use the name on stage for one of my early characters.

Testing, testing, one...two

Good news,the stage is almost finished.

Bad news, it's too hot to dance!!

Good news, Highway From Hell is on the set list and they are practicing harder than last year.

Bad news, they are sharing the garage with a boy's band that have turned up from High school.

One of the Surreal Teens's dad confided that the boys band are playing cover versions of Hendrix that sound like the original and his daughter is downhearted.

Yeah, but do they look as good?

Summertime

And then it was summer.

The temperature went over 30, the butterfly bush bloomed and they came and cut the hay.

For what seems like weeks the house has slowly been surrounded by waves of impenetrable sodden grass, some of it as high as me. Then, without warning the tractor came, saw and conquered and now the meadow is open, the buzzards feed on the mice that have no where to hide and the early morning deer graze at the edge of the wood.

And tomorrow is the 21st, solstice, mid summer and here Fête de La Musique.

Advertising an event does not appear to be a French skill, though the event itself is a gem.

Last year the Surreal Teens, total girl band, stepped up onto the pallet and chipboard stage just after the local yoga teacher had finished a sing along.

A shiver of excitement galvanised a crowd of (mostly) school mates to push to the front of the assorted-assembled.

Rumours had been circulating the school yard for weeks and had finally seeped out into the village; they had been practicing in the garage at home every night for at least a fortnight and they had two songs.

As the dusk settled protectively around us the electric guitars kicked in; this would be the only chance to see the lead singer as she was moving to Paris the next day but any potential disappointment was balanced by the fact that the drummer was even better than the rumours.

They were nervous, raw and innocent and the first number was forgettable, but the enthusiasm of the crowd, most of whom had already kissed everyone on stage, was infectious and we pushed tighter, the flames of the traditional Fire of St Jean silhouetting our heads on to the wall of the hardware store.

And then they played ACDC's Highway from Hell.

It was so good, and the crowd roared so much that they played it again.

This year The Surreal Teens are on the programme again, (though i think we should be told why the Saucisses de Sanglier make higher appearance on the flyer for the event), and rumour from the street is that they have one new song.

But we will all be screaming for Highway.