We're Back!

Greetings Muleteers!  We are so VERY sorry that it has taken us so long to get back to the blogosphere.  Those pesky humans have been rather preoccupied with things other than our blogging.... hmmm we wonder what could be that important?

So here we are, we have wrenched the hoof-pad from them and we can give you an update - hoorah!  First things first... we are all still in mighty fine form; all hooves, waggy tails, kitty whiskers and long and short ears are doing very well thank you very much.  We hope that someone out there still cares for our animal selves but if not we are happy to talk about ourselves to ourselves ;-)

What's the news then? Hmmm well, much of the same but with a new human to own and enamour with our humour, good looks and wit!

As there's rather a clamour for the hoof-pad we decided that we should each be allowed a few neigh brays to say hi to our loved ones (of course you all love us all right?)... here goes (please note that Dragon had to be censored as her big ears = big ego (oops meant big brain ;-)

The Mini 

Neigh Brays my friends!  As you can see by my topping the bill (George Clooney and Matt Damon you are SO yesterday) I am still firmly Number 1!  I have been up to lots since we last spoke..... eating, snoozing, staring suspiciously at the local sheep and waking up my neigh-bours with a chorus all of my own - someone has to announce the arrival home of Queen FH or she may get an inferiority complex?!  Oh and I have also been busy doting over my new charge, for I have a new human pal to consort with these days, oh yes my friends HF (Human Foal) is just like FH but more fun and offers us treats more frequently. Although... I do draw the line at a wet scrubbing brush.... this puts me in mind of Roller.....

Roller

Not true, errmm ok, it is true.... I am the My Little Pony-a-like in this gang and it appears that FH has passed on her love of humiliating me to HF.  I don't mind really, a wet scrubbing brush gently placed on the botty area? Fine really, especially when it's accompanied with a squeal of happiness and the rattle of my treat pot afterwards :-)  Apart from looking handsome, pondering the meaning of life and acting as psychotherapist to the mules I have mostly been preparing myself for glitter-geddon.  Apparently this is something that happens when Human Foals reach the age of 3 or 4 and start to paint ponies nails silver and plait ribbons in my hair?  I am ALL for it, I can barely wait!  I am just getting in my rest now so that I can manage the late nights that will surely come with this glittery, disco pony existence!

Dragon

Greetings my mulificent friends!  Well my horizons have been expanding.... actually FH says that I have grown rather prosperous (does that mean fat?!) as I haven't been getting as much out and about exercise.  The cheek of it!  Hmmm maybe she is right?  I am definitely not getting ridden as much as I was but I guess I'll forgive FH, she appears to be the one carrying the toddler at the moment.  Thank goodness that Foal can walk well now, it won't be long until she is on board.  She loves me the best.... I like to do my best neigh bray for her.... she pronounces "Dragon Happy" whenever I do this, why can she not understand that this also means "I am hungry"?? A Dragon has to feed her expanding waist you know?!  Anyway I am being the politest of matron mules with my delightful HF (she is mine right?!) and love her, my gentleness with her is not to be confused with softness I am at pains to point out (just ask the local dogs ;-)

Finally FH has got her act together and we are going out more, often on hikes together (FH says she can't be bothered to scrape the mud off me.... the cheek!) which is splendid! More please, I need to get my stamina back for gymkhana games - haha I don't think!

Diesel Catanian Catty

Yes Muleteers I have had a name change apparently!  According to the new bearer of all that is important (those cat treats laced with cat nip) my name is now Catty.  Hey when it gets called and the results are so spectacular can you blame me for responding?! I was a little unimpressed by the squawking foal when it first arrived giving it a wide berth but these days I'm a total convert.  HF just loves stroking me and giving me treats and when I've had enough I just go for a cat nap.  I am still terrorising the neigh-bour hood including giving the dogs the evil eye at every opportunity.  What can I say? Catty life is good :-)

The Pocket Sized Labrador

A little greyer, a bit saggier, but still willing!  Just when I thought my days of puppy raising were over I have been blessed with another charge to bring along in the world.  My FH says I am the best Grandpa Dog a girl could wish for.  I protect, I clean (faces and floors) and I provide education on the important things in life.... good square meals, fresh air each day, a hearty diet, a healthy dose of laughter and lots of waggy love. What more is there to teach a little one?

Mino

Errmmmm what happened to my name?  Well Puppeteers I also have a temporary new name..... It would appear that Milo is quite hard to pronounce for HF so I now get called Mino.  I don't mino though.  I could never have hoped at the endless opportunities that toddlerhood could bring me.... food, glorious food, everywhere for Mino.... I just love clean up!  And I still love running at top speed. beep. beep!





Human Foal

HF cannot yet write so we report on her behalf that she is two mule years, funny, happy, delightful and wilful :-)  A blonde whirlwind with an attitude the size of a.... well a mule!  This little girl appears to have been born ready for life and knows how to enjoy!  She loves us (feeds us a lot), she loves the outdoors, she eats well, sleeps well and smiles a lot..... perfection!  Oh and she's also REALLY good at pointing out poo-poo and announcing to FH 'pick it up now'..... that's our girl!

The Others

Haha, OK we guess we should mention the caretakers!  MH and FH are both doing good too!  They appear a little greyer,  a little more tired but even happier than before.  We all like to keep them on their toes but we have been super duper good for them and they tell us how good we are all the time.  Two jobs, three equines, two dogs, one cat and a little lady.... no problems?!

Do 'They' Know You're Pregnant?

FH here, The Muleteers have kindly loaned me their blog for a little while so that I can answer a commonly posed question..... 

As soon as we announced the imminent arrival of our Human Foal I have been asked two sets of questions more regularly than any others..... the first was….

What are you going to do with all your animals? Surely you can't cope?  

Grrr.... this question came from those who don't know us well and although well meaning hurt me a lot, I'll be blogging about the pleasures of pregnancy and animals soon when I've calmed down!  Needless to say they are going nowhere and enrich every moment of our lives that we spend with them and will undoubtedly add the same to HF's life too :-)

The secondDo they know you're pregnant? Are they acting any different? 
was.....

And the answer is?????

Categorically YES!

I have always been one for assigning human emotions and intelligence to animals but to be honest they never fail to provide me with evidence for this and in my experience they are far more 'thinking' and 'feeling' than many humans I meet!  On the question of whether the Muleteer Gang understand that something is different I can only say yes in greater or lesser amounts, or at least it's expressed differently by all of them.

The most intuitive and curious member of the gang for certain is Roller, it's almost like this lovely little man knows that his new charge is nearby.  Roller is always one for a snuffle but he is extra snuffle-giving at the moment, particularly to 'the bump', but never is he too fierce in his nudging, always gentle like he's trying to say something to the one inside.....  I just can't wait for them to meet, what a lucky HF to have Roller as their first pony!

And then there's The Mini.  Well he certainly knows something's up but it's less obvious because he's always been Mr Sensitive and highly in tune with how I feel, he too is busy checking out the bump and has been super careful to be mannerly.  Normally we have the odd 'yeeha' moment when the trimmer comes for his feet (he needs to move to deal with his anxiety) but last time he simply seemed resigned to the fact that FH couldn't cope with the run around and stood stock still waiting for it all to be over.  As ever The Mini continues to be my loyal dog in mule form and has been a giver of much needed hugs and those ever listening ears….. I reckon MH is lucky to share the load of a hormonal pregnant woman with a mini mule - they are a magic secret, all Mums to be need one :-)

What do Dragon's make of bumps?  Well this is also a huge surprise..... I think the Dragon mule is going soft!  I'm sure this mule knew of my 'condition' before I did, I was still riding for a few months of being pregnant until my back got sore and I'm sure Dragon knew that she was carrying an extra special dual cargo as she was very careful with both of us.  Not normally one to stand still for too long she did seem remarkably chilled and on the ground this has continued.

Officially the Human Foal's first Mule Ride!

One of the first things I said to MH when I found out I was pregnant was that he needed to practice with Dragon's feet so that when I got huge (like now!) he could do them instead of me.  Whilst very good with her feet for me she could be a little snatchy and quick when she wanted to be with other people and I wasn't sure of the mechanics of bending right down to retrieve her foot when I can barely see my own feet let alone touch them!  Well she obviously overheard and has totally adapted for me!  All it takes is an 'up' and finger pointing at each hoof and it appears as high as she can lift it and is held quietly for as long as needed - super mule or what? All done loose with no tying up too ;-)  So needless to say I am very pleased and proud of her, she always comes through as the mule that will give you just what you need.

I can't deny that I am so looking forward to riding her again when I can, she has been riding out with Smiley Human having a lovely time and staying sane and fit but oh how I yearn to be back in the saddle!

But what about the feline brigade?  Well yes, not to be outdone and rather abusing her small size Catanian has taken it upon herself to fully acquaint with bump as much as possible.  She appears to think the cat shelf has been put there solely for her pleasure.... but also seems intent on purring away like a Diesel engine on top of it.  Let's just say the Human Foal seems quite content with this and delights in kicking at Catanian's purring using me as the inbetween kicking post! Hmmmm….

So there we have it the gang sure do know what's going on..... not that any of you ever doubted it I'm sure!  They never fail to amaze me and have really helped to keep me going, not many weeks now and they will be experiencing a whole new level of understanding!  One of the things I'm looking forward to most..... introducing the HF to its new furry brothers and sisters, it's going to be really lucky to be part of their gang ;-)

Two Mule Years Of.....

I could hardly believe my superior ears when FH told me that I had been part of the Muleteer gang for a whole two years this weekend!  Wow time flies....  Two whole years of fun, frolics and teaching those humans a thing or two!  I can tell you when I arrived here two years ago I wondered what I'd gotten myself in to.  I had been living with big horses on a busy yard and had begun to teach my previous human some of my favourite things like work!  Alas the day came when I had to leave my baby home and strike out on my own as a mule about town.

Imagine my surprise when I ended up in an episode of Gulliver's Travels.... there was something weird going on in this household, the inhabitants were tiny, one looked a bit like me but in miniature and the other was like a teddy bear..... hmmm.  Not to say anything of the humans, they were completely unbothered by my mulish ways (errr hello, I am a rarity you know) and try as I might they were welcoming of my mule tricks, most odd.  Then there was the place; ramshackle, dinky stables, monstrous hills and wide open spaces, a crazy yard cat, some canine capers, train lines, rivers, farm animals, eccentric neigh-bours and interesting views - hmmm plenty for a mule to keep up to date with!  Gee it's a good job they got me as a guard mule with all this going on.

So what have I spent the last two years doing then?  Let me take you on a journey down memory lane, hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Eating

Gotta get your priorities right!

Everything is edible....

.... if you're a mule!

I'll have that thank you!

Never miss snacking opportunities!

Giraffe or mule??

Playing

Gotta keep those minis fit!

Roller gets frisky!

Pesky Catanian keeps me on my hooves!

Pesky kitty!

Yeeha!!!

Hide and seek anyone?

Splish splash, give the human a bath!

Steady on mini!

Two can play at that game....!

Working

I'm happiest when working, wow what lovely places and times :-)  Always happy to take FH or Smiley Human where they want to go.... show me the way and I'll take you for a ride!

Moorland mule streams for a paddle.

Setting off for a ride with Smiley Human, I'm soft on her!

Ear radar... mmm tasty hedge ;-)

The next generation!

Dartmoor in Autumn... almost camouflage, in a minute I got hot and had a little roll..... oops forgot FH was on board

Herding sheep, who needs a dog?

Blue skies and views for miles on the moor.

My best mates.

Perfect

Out with My Heroine and our humans

Super-mule-model

Learning New Things.

As well as the riding thing I've also learnt to log and do horse agility (this actually involves training humans to be agile - I'm already perfect!)

Always time for a snack

For goodness sake FH, this is not scary, why do you look so concerned? 

In my own sweet mule time thanks..... do those colours really go well with my coat?

Dainty hooves can fit anywhere you like

Hurry up humans, you lot take ages about life you know...

Showing Off!

Us mules are not stubborn.... we are winners!  Always happy to show off a little ;-)

Loving

What better way to pass some time?

My taste in men is.....

...... eclectic!

I reckon.....

.... this human's alright.  But ssshhh don't tell anyone.... I have a reputation as a Dragon to uphold ;-)

Kitty is pesky but I love her anyway, us girls gotta stick together.

This human is definitely alright, he brings bananas and carrots and calls me beautiful. 

And he's always good for snuggles.

Yawning

All this can be terribly tiring though, so what's a girl to do but have a few yawns?

Say.....

........aaaaahhhh!

Boring, boring, boring.

And more boring, wanna see how empty my tummy is Granny?

Sleeping

With all those yawns, there's only one thing for it!

Dream....

..... a little.....

......mule dream........

..... of me. 

Good night!

Exploring

When the sleeping done there's always been time for a little exploring!

Being Happy

And finally, what better way to spend two whole mule years than being happy with my funny little muleteer gang?  This place may be small and ramshackle with some rather 'unique' inhabitants but there is a whole lot of fun and love!  If my training human reads this, there is just one thing left to say...... thanks for finding me the perfect home :-)

Happiness is.... some friends to spend your days with, a sprinkling of adventure and a lot of love.

The Three Muleteers and Catanian!

The Three Muleteers

Thanks for indulging me in my little walk down memory lane, hope you liked some of the pictures!