Roller's 'Guilty' Pleasure

Sssshhh don't tell anyone but Roller has a little guilty pleasure that not everyone would understand, he has a little thing for ermm, we're almost embarassed to say but..... ok it's SHOES!

The wee man has a liking for footwear and is never far away when a new pair of shoes is introduced.  Imagine his delight when MH brought his new pair of wellies for inspection!

Roller has a deep appreciation for workmanship, raw materials and smell….. rather him than us we say!

Very diligent in his inspection of all footwear is our Roller, MH gave up trying to walk around with Roller following snuffling his shoes and allowed him full inspection rights.

Roller would like to know if wellies come in mini shetland size?  So that's Roller 'Guilty' Pleasure for today…. what's yours?

And in celebration of such a pleasure - no guilt attached is our quote for today :-)

There is no such thing as a guilty pleasure!

Douglas Wilson

Five A Day…. The Messy Way!

Nom, nom, nom, slurp, slurp, can't talk now, I've been told not to talk with my mouth full!

It appears that it's the 'tidy the fruit bowl' out day in the house, excellent, plenty of fruity goodness just for me, mini mules need their five a day too you know :-)

This fruity goodness can be a little messy though you know?  Especially when there's pears involved….. very ripe, sloppy pears…. all the better!

And for the finale?! Well you just can't beat a good banana peel.  So good it is best enjoyed with your eyes squeezed tight shut.  

Wonder what's in this week's fruit bowl, mmmm maybe a tasty satsuma?  

Don't worry folks I did share with the others but they were a little slow off the mark and didn't gallop at full speed downhill to investigate the offering, hmmm FH did insist on saving them some, it seems there are runner's up prizes in this house!

Have a lovely week ahead folks and remember those five a day!

Roller's Philosophical Friday: Happy

Greetings Fellow Philosophers!  Today I have decided to sit down on the job.... well thinking is hard work isn't it?  But actually thinking today was really quite simple because I was thinking about being happy :-)  

There are so many things in our lives to be happy about, in fact there are so many that it's hard to think of them all... but a few for today are:

1/. Carrots are yummy and we get a fairly constant supply
2/. Spring is on the way, if I look really close there are little green shoots on some of the plants! Mmmmmm.....
3/. The rain has stopped a bit this week, not torrential anymore just a drizzle and the sun has had his hat on a little bit too!
4/. It's Friday so nearly the weekend and I've been promised an extra long groom to rid me of my itchy scratchy coat.
5/. Our humans are happy, FH is busy expanding as she grows me my new rider and MH is busy decorating for the new arrival.... the nursery is shades of chocolate - that way the mud won't show and we'll all be 'happy' ;-)
6/. We have family, friends, health and beauty all around us.... how lucky are we?

So in celebration of happiness and wishing everyone a lovely weekend here is my favourite quote for the day!

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.  When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I wrote down 'happy'.  They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.
John Lennon

Sunny Day = Smiley Dragon!

Oh Mother Nature the Dragon mule loves you!  You sent me a sunny day to give me some respite from the un-mulelike weather and I'm soooo happy!

In fact I couldn't hide my happiness by smiling wide and proud!

Ah that roll in the sunshine feels sooo good!

Oh yeah!  Even an itchy scratch of my Dragon ears :-)

There's always someone that tries to photobomb the shot though isn't there?

Hey you! I know you're making ears behind my head, trot off will you, this is my photo shoot .....

Oh for goodness sake Mini go on then have your picture taken if you really must, I'm too busy chilling anyway!

Let's hope for more nice weather for the week ahead - have a happy week everyone!

From Roads to Rivers

Sorry for the interruption in Muleteer ponderings, we've been battling the weather, again!  The weather is not being kind to anyone it seems at the moment.  We have had 100 mph winds and torrential rain to make this a pretty miserable winter.


None of us have seen storms like it, yesterday we had enough rain to last a month and gales that brought down lots of trees and caused major flooding of the local coastline.  We are thankful though.  We Muleteers and friends live on sloped land which drains, we have a roof over our heads and our stables and house don't flood too much - we are great believers in the fact that the little house here hasn't stood for nearly 600 years without being fairly resistant to Mother Nature's worst.

Some of our friends have not been so lucky, we're sorry for them and wish for drying sunshine and abating floods so that they can repair their damage.


The roads have been looking more like rivers, the local river itself is a raging torrent and the storm drains are not really coping that well.  This is called a buddlehole (strange Dartmoor language!) and is supposed to drain the lanes around here in to the farmer's fields next-door, it can only take so much though and the fields now look a little like swimming pools!

Some of us are not too fussed by the rain, the Cloth Dog has a lovely waterproof coat and is made for the wet, all he wants to know is where is his ball?

He can't seem to understand that it might get washed away.  This is the water coming down one of our favourite lanes for a ride, rather ironically called 'Summer Lane'!  This video was snapped by one of our friends, thank goodness she didn't have to drive up that lane!

We're hoping for a little sunshine today, come on Mother Nature we've all been extra good!  In the meantime we have glimpsed a little ray of Spring - our Hebe is flowering, such a beautiful reminder that summery flowers and greenery are just around the corner for us all….. surely?!

Stay warm, safe and dry friends!

Windswept!

Goodness me this wind is playing havoc with my hairdo!  Over the last 48 hours we've mostly had wind, rain, hail, more wind and more rain…..

This is a view that isn't seen that often, look you can actually see my forehead, it does exist underneath that luxurious forelock, honest!

Speaking of which…. my forelock is definitely misbehaving in this wind, FH says I look a bit like a fraggle, I can't imagine what she means?  There's no resemblance that I can see?

I do quite like his style though, not a bad hairdo!

That's better hair, this is a stylish windswept look, I almost look pristine and free of mud from this perspective, looking handsome hey ladies?

Hmmm just don't look at this view, all looks good from the shoulders forward….

My Mini pal is not impressed with the wind, he doesn't even have to worry too much about bad hair as his 'do' is a little more practical for days like today.  The look says it all, we'd like the 70 mph gusts to end now if you don't mind, it's hard work being a mini in the wind. 

One of us is loving it though, Dragon stands resplendent in the paddock asking the weather if that's the best it can do?  That is one self confident muletta….. she gladly took Smiley Human out for a ride this morning in a gale with hale storms and floods all around, and of course she delivered them both safely home having had a lovely time :-)  Definitely a day to be riding a sensible mule we reckon, well done Dragon :-)

Only one thing left to do on this windy day…. get the wind up my tail and go for a little run around!

Hope all of our friends are well, with each day of bad weather we must be getting closer to the Spring, we're sure we saw some green shoots of grass in the rested paddock, oooo Spring grass'll be here before we know it!!

Sunshine on a Rainy Day

OK so rainy day is probably an understatement…. last night we had a huge storm with trees down all over, flooded roads and the main rail link in to the county washed away by the sea.  We Muleteers have been busy sheltering indoors and staying out of the squidgy mud, Roller is worried he might even blow away as he's so small!

But there was a glimmer of hope today, Roller and Dragon provided their very own expression of hope, a little ray of sunshine that Spring may arrive eventually.

Yes folks, they have both decided it's time to start shedding their winter coats :-)  Hooray for that!  FH is looking forward to months of shedding out Roller's thick duvet coat, he starts in February and we're still going in June ready for him to regrow in August.

So there you have it folks the Muleteers have declared that Spring must be on the way so let's hope Mother Nature is listening.  The Mini?  Well The Mini is sensibly hanging on to his woolies for a while yet, he takes after the donkey side of the family on this one and will hold on to his coat until it's at least a balmy 20 C!

Hope all of our friends are surviving this awful weather, we have at least three more days on the way.  We're grateful for our warm beds, roof over our heads and food on demand.  FH is grateful to be growing fast but still mobile and happily tending her Muleteer Masters :-)

Sending you soggy snuffles and windswept neighbrays for a safe week ahead.

Mischievous Bog Monsters!

Quick Mini!  Dragon's gone out for a ride and FH's back's turned.... she's too busy chatting to the neighbours and has left the storeroom door open!

Look there's a perfect Roller sized gap for me to insert myself in to..... mmmm lots of yummy things in here, hay and carrots and more hay....

Oh no!  Errmm hi FH!  I wasn't up to mischief, honest.... just errrm having a little look around.....

And look I can perfect the backward shuffle out as I seem to be a little wedged in, a little like a Roller cork?

Of course I wasn't pinching the hay, whatever would make you think that?  Oh oops, you mean I got some in my forelock as evidence, must have just fallen there all of its own accord.

Anyway you said you were gonna give us minis a brush this morning cos we're dry, it's been so wet we've taken to looking like bog monsters! Some of us really take the bog monster look too far...

Oh yes after a lovely groom don't we look like beautiful boys, FH is so proud of her gorgeous minis, no bog monsters here now :-) and you can't even see my give away hay hair...

 Must be time to go out now FH? I'm pulling my cutest look so that I can get to the grass before Dragon gets home, purlease let me out!

Just one little thing to do before I get to grass... ah yes!  A lovely roll in the lovely mud.  What are you screeching at FH?!  

Did you hear that Mini? She called me a Bog Monster, well I never! And that look on your face Mini, anyone would think you never get muddy, whatever Mr Goody TwoHooves!

Well if I'm going to be called a Bog Monster I shall make myself in to a proper Bog Monster that'll teach her.... hehehehehe ;-)

And just for good measure must make sure my butt is nicely Bog Monster-ish.... scratchy, scratchy to plaster the mud on proper.

Yep looking good, I think there is much style in being a Bog Monster don't you?  

Besides this means that I get more grooming, haha there was method in my muddiness ;-)

Have a good week Muleteer Friends!  Your Bog Monster Extraordinare - Roller xxxx