A Rose Between Two Thorns

Ever heard of an English Rose?  Apparently they are delicate and pretty and ladylike with pale skin and rosy cheeks.... FH says some days I could almost pass for one but it's not often... hmmm well! 

It's not the kinda English Rose I like anyhow!

The best kinda roses are those that's good for eating ;-)  All Summer long I have had my beady eye on the blooming marvellous rose bush on the wrong side of the fence.  It was a wedding present many moons ago when FH tempted MH with a life less ordinary (sounds like she promised and delivered!).

For many long hours I have stared at it, hoping that the fence will somehow move just enough for me to reach over and munch on the delicate morsels.

For rose bushes are divine to eat!  All those tasty greens and lovely petals are fit for a Queen.... a Mule Queen especially!

Finally the fence was removed when the flowers had gone and I was set to 'work' by FH.  "Prune Away"she said!  So off I set. My job is a very important one... every year I trim back the rose bush and it keeps it all healthy and happy, every year it comes back bigger and stronger than before.  Why do a job yourself human when a mule can do it better?  And I enjoy it!  

I started out with the easy leaves and then moved on to the thorny bits.... have no fear Muleteers those thorns are no match for Queen Rose Mule.

So I pulled a bit....

And chomped a bit....

And tamed that thorny rose - gee that tasted good :-) Roses always bring a smile to a girl's face!

Gardening is such hard work.  I nearly fell asleep with all the excitement.

Have no fear Queen Rose Mule will finish the job (with gusto) tomorrow.

Til then this rose between two thorns bids you a thornless good evening and remember.... pruning jobs undertaken, no job too big or small - I'll eat them all :-)

Wood You Like?

Mmmm tasty!  Wood you like some of my tree to eat?  I love this time of year, the humans start to chop the garden about and this often means lots of tasty mule food for me! 

Today's tasty treat was a bundle of ash branches!  MH decided that the tree needed a prune as it has been dropping branches in the wind terrifyingly close to his diesel powered mule.  He was not impressed (the only thing worse could have been branches falling on his proper mule ;-)

He climbed high, I neighbrayed encouragement!  That's right I'll eat those tasty branches, bring them over here!








I couldn't believe my luck a veritable woody feast. 

I had many hours of delicious fun picking the young ash leaves from the branches and then started chewing on the twigs before launching in to some heavy duty bark stripping.  I did share with my minis a little but decided that the best tactic might be to stand guard over my branch so that it couldn't be stolen away.....

I'm off to inspect the garden to see what else I can demand MH chops down.  He is always happy to bring his favourite mule gardening cast offs after approval from FH (she's a meany and won't let me have too much of some things and nothing at all of others.... hmmm).  I've got my eye on the apple tree, FH says I'll have to wait a while for that :-(



Curtain Call

Dearest Muleteers, I have FH in training for Human Agility.  We are due to attend some fun agility days later this summer and I've decided she needs some practice so that it's not all a big shock for her.  I summoned MH and instructed him to build me a curtain obstacle.  "Trot on MH" I said, build it big and strong and with lots of flappy curtain bits, no stinting, if I want it, I want it to be proper!

My curtain was duly construtcted (well done MH I send you neighbrays of thanks) and I decided upon a windy evening for its first outing.  Every Actress has a few butterflies before her 'Curtain Call' but not me.  Look at FH's face though, she looks confused, "who me? walk through this curtain, I do not think so Dragon"  I am a true Leading Lady and am relaxed and have no such thing as nerves.  This curtain thing? Seen it all before.... a challenging, spooky obstacle for Her Royal Highness Queen Mule? I laugh in the face of spooking!

It seems to be blowing around a lot, I'm sure it's safe FH, I think you should go first though, you could also pass me a piece of carrot. Every Leading Lady needs to be well fed and doted upon to perform at her best.

Well of course the Supporting Actress should go through the curtain first, I am not heading in to the spotlights until there's a round of applause, if there are to be rotten tomatoes thrown you can go on stage first.  What do you mean I will miss the first scene if I don't get a move on?  

Here I come!  Oh yes fans more applause for your Leading Lady.  My Curtain Call is here, stepping on to the stage of Mule Glory.  This curtain thing is a breeze, is this supposed to be difficult FH?  

Every Leading Lady must have a Leading Man..... I think The Mini might get stage fright.... I know just the Actor for the role!  Hey Roller, fancy acting?  You gotta come through the Curtain though.......

Curtain?  I admire the nice colours but it might clash with my hair... FH says it's nearly my scene though.... I am to play a handsome Hero who saves his Heroine from the evil Mule Doctor!

OK here I come, gosh it's windy in this outdoor theatre! DumdeDum, here I come ladies! Errmm I think I've forgotten my lines, good job I have the fine looks, I'm sure that works in Hollywood?!

Oh no I think I might get stuck in the Curtain...

Do these streaks look good in my hair?  I think some highlights might be nice?  

Oops Roller.... there is one very important rule of being a Leading Man..... you must never upstage the Leading Lady..... especially one as highly strung as a Dragon!

One Man's Trash is Another Mule's Treasure!

Greetings Muleteers!  When does rubbish become treasure?  Well when you're me everything is a potential culinary delight!  MH has been busy gardening in my honour and has been assembling a lovely pile of edible goodies for me.

I have been busy sunbathing and enjoying the lovely weather and as I am rather less prosperous in size than those naughty minis I have been allowed out on some extra grass.

Imagine my delight when I relaised that MH's trash heap was left just for me!  Who needs lovely green grass when there's a bonfire pile ripe for the munching.  FH got a little concerned as she was flapping that coniferous woods are not safe for mules - does she think I'm daft??  Anyway she watched me carefully in case I should have a funny five minutes and decide to eat something that will give me belly ache, she's such a drama queen sometimes. 

Now then I was thinking about the meaning of 'Bonfire', generally this is accepted to mean trash that is ready to be burnt.... now my mule logic interprets this as 'Trash that is ready to be engulfed by a Dragon', perfect, I am one therefore I eat :-)

I did my best to hide myself away in the Bonfire, so that FH couldn't see me when it was time to be caught for bedtime.... alas it didn't work.  I am so pleased, MH's trash is my treasure, now then I wonder if he would like to cut down some more roses for me or perhaps that elusive apple tree across the garden fence, surely they must be fit for Dragon's Bonfire???

Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon.....

Summer has arrived Muleteers!  It's finally here and us muleteers are making the most of it.   We have been dozing in the sun, enjoying the rays on ours backs whilst our slaves (humans) bring us delicacies to eat.  The humans have been at home and have been 'gardening' this generally means they have been chopping down bits of the local plant life for us muleteers to then eat...This weekend the Roller and I have been mainly confined to Muleteer HQ, FH says that the grass is growing rapidly and us Minis would eat until we popped, how rude!  A Mini has to keep his waistline healthy you know, just in case the grass should stop growing, I need reserves.  I did try to tell FH this but she just smiled and hugged me a little bit more.  I guess the hugs are a little bit of compensation...

Man Human (MH) has been very busy on the gardening front, Roller and Dragon have been helping him with his tools and we have all been watching and encouraging with neighbrays to make sure that he has been doing it to our satisfaction.  We requested Willow, Rose, Hazel and Bay and it all appeared.  I like all of the above except for Roses.  Dragon is the only one that has mastered the rose eating attack... She likes to stuff it in and then draw her lips back so that the nasty thorns don't hurt her, she is such an expert (I am secretly a little jealous, when is FH going to bring me thornless roses?)

On the subject of roses I think I have competition Muleteers!  That naughty Dragon was busy falling asleep but seems to be rather taken with MH, she was going all gooey over him, I couldn't get her attention at all - well how very dare MH! 

It's a good job that I have FH!

My other lady friend Catanian was feeling the heat a little and was trying the stretch as long as possible, her approach to keeping cool.... she really is a strange cat, does she not realise she's in the gutter?  Hmmmm

Its time for another snooze now folks, a busy weekend full of fun and sun, the perfect kind!  I will be making the most of it, the sun is here to stay for a while ;-)  I may even have to instruct FH on gardening that involves bananas, surely they must grow around here somewhere?

Birthday Balloons!

Greetings Muleteers! Roller-Polar here today!  How much fun can you have with a birthday balloon muleteers?  The answer - lots!  It has been FH's birthday today, she has been trying to keep it quiet as she says that it means more grey hairs.... We bought her splendid presents, mostly for our benefit.... a lovely waterproof coat to ensure that she can attend to our needs whatever the weather and Callie spent her hard earned mule money on some new riding boots so that FH looks smart enough to go out with her highness! We were ably assisted by MH who had to actually go to the shops for us... apparently four legs aren't welcome in store, how rude.

Imagine our delight when FH also showed us the presents from the extended family!  FH received food (mmmm share), some human type things and the most adorable porcelain version of me (this one can fit on the shelf muleteers so FH can keep me close at all times!)  Granny Human (GH) also bought her a balloon!  Now muleteers we haven't come across one of these before but FH very generously shared it with us.  I was not really sure what to make of it, I thought I'd give it a taste but I couldn't recommend it....

Then her highness herself investigated, she seemed a little non-plussed by this floating vision and thought that it would make a good object to hide behind.... or perhaps a lollipop to lick?

The Mini was a little more dubious and eyed the balloon with much suspicion.... it must be an alien from outer space?

Finally we left the balloon discovery to the brave one of the gang, the intrepid explorer who always thinks everything is there to be caught... so Catanian put on her bravest cat paws and proceeded to stalk and kill that balloon, FH promptly put the balloon away before Catanian got too carried away.

Finally The Mini looked very smugly at the rest of us, we all know what he's thinking.... no birthday present will ever surpass that which GH bought for FH three years ago for her birthday..... the best present ever that will never ever be beaten no matter how hard anyone tries.....

Yes Muleteers GH bought FH the pony that she'd always wished for, we are sure GH must have missed the very obvious mistake.... the ears are a little on the long side.  Anyway it all worked out well in the end :-)

The Secret to a Happy Mule!

Greetings Muleteers!  Today's post is about keeping us longears happy when the rain is pouring and we have to stay on the yard.... you humans call it environmental enrichment, I call it entertainment!

The weather has been so horrible that we have been off our fields overnight and sheltering in our stables and pottering on our yard.  This is fine but the humans have noticed that if we aren't kept busy we get up to our own mischief like eating rugs, arguing and pulling up fencing posts! MH kindly supplied us with a little entertainment - mule style!

So MH appeared with some delightful snacks for us all to eat, this here is willow.  We are allowed to eat it in small quantities as FH says that large quantities are bad for us - it was so yummy!  I have to say I was a littl bit worried that these branches would attack me at first but Ro-Land and Dragon showed me that they were ok :-)

Later on in the day it was time for an extra special treat.  Grapes!  Now this Mini Mule shares his human's love of grapes (although apparently she enjoys the liquid variety?)  We were super excited to be given some and then MH hid some more around the yard and in our beds for us to find later - very tasty. I did get a little carried away with the grape tasting.....

Dragon decided to be all lady like for once! She told me off and said that one should be graceful when tasting grapes and should appreciate the delicate fragrance and taste?!! I think she's just trying to impress MH!  Must be something to do with that hat? Maybe she wants one for herself?

Today has been another miserable day and we had to come in early but guess what?  FH had set up some more entertainment for us!  This time we were given some apple tree branches - yummy.  Unfortunately Ro-Land had also been busy decorating his hairdo.... someone should really tell him that straw is for eating not for plaiting in to your mane!

How much fun can you have with a load of tree branches!

Finally Dragon looking as lady like as ever!  Even Catanian decided to see what all the fuss was about, hmm she didn't seem impressed by our snacks.  FH says she has plenty of entertainment in the form of mice though so she'll survive!

Til next time muleteers! I wonder what tomorrow's entertainment will be?