It is the 23rd of February 2019.
The temperature even on the Moor was about 13 degrees at midday and the sun was bright, the wind light and my horse and I were very happy to be out and about.
As I rode past an old half-cut-down clump of gorse in a spot I shall not identify, I happened to look down - and saw a golden dormouse on the woody stump. It was less than 2ft from me and I'm not sure who was the more surprised. It did turn away, moving slowly down the wood,into the greener newer growth of the gorse. I could still see the furred tail, but the animal moved no further into hiding, either too sleepy to be afraid of its observer - or was genuinely unafraid.
I thought dormice hibernated.
Check the date at the top of the post.
My little dormouse vanished down into the gorse after a few moments more and Hoss and I rode away.
A buzzard was tilting on the breeze above us and I hope he didn't see what I'd seen only seconds earlier.
I googled 'Dormice on Exmoor' when I got home and there's no mistaking what the creature was - I am thrilled and delighted with my wildlife encounter which will probably never be repeated
There, that's all, just thought I'd post it up here for providence