A GLOBETROTTING gnome which disappeared from a Bury garden is bombarding his baffled owner with postcards from Europe.

And the mysterious missives, signed by the gnome calling himself "Paddy", have brought pleasure as well as puzzlement to pensioner Mrs Dorothy Wilcock.

Since the gnome on the roam suddenly departed the garden of 79-year-old Mrs Wilcock's home in Claughton Road, Walshaw, he has sent her postcards from Wigan, Greece, Switzerland and Spain.

It was only after the pensioner received the first card last month she realised that one of the her collection of 14 garden gnomes was actually missing. The first message read: "Dear mummy, sorry I've run away, but I was very unhappy being so cold. My feet were likes block of ice standing on that cold, damp soil. Miss you. Perhaps I'll write. Paddy."

The next postcard, sent from Greece, stated: "Dear Dotty, I've had enough of Bury and I stowed away on a boat and arrived here, unfortunately in the middle of a heatwave. I hadn't enough money to buy sun cream. However, locals are providing me with some on loan."

He ends his message by saying he hopes to soon start a new job...in a garden centre!

Days later, Mrs Wilcock received another postcard, this time from Switzerland, saying Paddy had secured a job as a photographer.

Not surprisingly, she wondered if Paddy had suddenly become one of these gnomes from Zurich.

And this week, Mrs Wilcock received two postcards from Spain where the gnome is apparently sunning himself.

The bewildered pensioner said: "One of the cards was printed in capital letters and the others were handwritten by the same person.

"I just don't know from which part of the world the next postcard will come from," she laughed

As to the identify of the prankster, she declared: "I've no idea who it could be.

Somebody is obviously having a joke. But I just don't know who it is."

Mrs Wilcock would be delighted to hear from anyone who can clear up the mystery.

"I don't know why he signed himself Paddy. I haven't actually named any of my garden gnomes."

One explanation is that it could be a "gnome" de plume.