By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
There's a buzz going round the Village today
with the mummies all busy and children at play.
Tomorrow will be the first day of Spring
when the Blackbirds and Larks will joyfully sing
getting their nest prepared for their young
up in the tree tops, warm in the sun.
Cyril the Squirrel and Reggie the Rat
were busily tunneling in the haystack,
when Millie the Mole and Vicky the Vole
came running over, and laughed at their hole!
'What are you doing? What is it for?'
they giggled so much they fell on the floor!
'We are making a den,' Cyril replied,
'and if you stop laughing, you're welcome inside.
As it's now Spring and the birds will build nests,
we thought we would too, but ours will be best!'
'That's a super idea!' Millie said with delight,
'We would love to come in, if you're sure it's alright.'
Then Timmy and Tommy appeared from nowhere
saying, 'Hello, you lot! What's happening in there?'
'This is our den, do you want to come in?
There is plenty of room.' Reggie said with a grin.
Timmy and Tommy then crawled inside,
and Reggie and Cyril were beaming with pride!
'Isn't tomorrow going to be fun?'
said Millie, excitedly, to everyone,
'painting our eggs, I just cannot wait.'
And Vicky replied, 'It's going to be great.
I just love the Spring, it's such a fun time,
and I can't wait either to get started on mine.'
Down in the Village, inside Hedgerow School
Miss Freda the Frog went into the hall.
She counted the tables she needed outside
and also the chairs she had put to one side.
In the morning the tables would be ready to lay
all the paint pots and brushes for egg painting day.
Now, Harriet the Hen was clucking away,
counting the eggs she had laid through the day.
'I should think that is plenty,' she smiled to herself,
as she picked them up gently, to put on the shelf.
Then turning, she saw Mummy Mouse in the lane
and went over to rap on the shop window pane.
Mummy Mouse smiled when she entered the shop,
and said, 'Harriet, how many eggs have you got?'
Harriet grinned, 'I've got quite a few,
enough for each child, and some over, too!
They need to be boiled, I'll do them tonight,
I'll make sure they're ready, tomorrow, first light.'
Early next morning when the Moon went to bed
and the Sun woke up, and shone overhead,
Harriet came out with her basket so full
of hard boiled eggs, to take up to the school.
She glanced at the time, she couldn't be late,
Mummy Mouse would be waiting at the school gate.
Miss Freda the Frog, the teacher, was there,
out in the playground, putting out chairs.
The tables were laid, with pots of bright paint,
brushes and tissues and lots of tin plates.
'Now just the eggs, and then everything's done
for the children to come, to paint and have fun.'
Once the eggs had arrived, and the children were there,
the painting began and it went everywhere!
Not just on the eggs, but paint on their face,
paint in their hair, and all over the place!
Everyone laughed, when Timmy Mouse said,
'Can I have one more...and eat it instead?'
Now that the painting of eggs was complete
they all went to choose a chocolate treat.
Cyril the Squirrel chose one filled with nuts,
remembering to say, 'Thanks very much!'
Timmy and Tommy chose theirs filled with cheese,
and Millie the Mole said, 'Same for me, please!'
When Vicky came up to the table for hers,
she asked Reggie to choose which one he would prefer.
He looked at each one, some big and some small,
saying, he didn't mind...because he liked them all!
It was such a good time that they all had that day,
and they ended it back in their den in the hay!
| Author Notes | This is a special one for an 8year old young lady, who has come on to fanstory to tell me she is a fan of Hedgerow. I hope you enjoy it, Harriet! xsx I would also like to thank JTomlinson for the use of this lovely colorful egg picture! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Mummy Mouse called from the foot of the stairs
'Hey you two! What are you doing up there?
All of that crashing and banging around,
it sounds just like thunder down here on the ground!'
'We can't find our trainers,' Tommy Mouse cried,
'They're down here with your t-shirts,' Mummy replied.
'You have got all your things,' Mummy Mouse said,
as she checked in their bags, nodding her head.
'Now, we'll be there when sports time begins,
just you have fun, doesn't matter who wins.'
Daddy agreed, as he waved them goodbye,
'Winning is easy, if you don't have to try.'
The school bus was waiting to take them to school,
and climbing on board, they saw it was full,
but that didn't matter, their friends saved their place,
and they greeted each other with a smile on their face.
They were all so excited, today was Sports Day,
and everyone wanted to start right away!
The hustle and bustle inside the playground
by all of the children running around
stopped when they heard the school bell had rung
and went to their class, shouting, 'Sports Day's begun!'
Miss Freda was there with a gleam in her eyes,
and said to the children, 'I have a surprise!'
The class room door opened, and everyone gasped,
as Sayem, world champion, walked into the class!
He held up his trophy, a gold nut and spoon,
which he gave to Miss Freda to pass round the room.
The children erupted, they wanted to know,
when did he win it? How fast did he go?
Miss Freda the Frog, their teacher called out,
'One at a time now, and please do not shout!
Sayem the Dormouse, has come here today,
with his parents and sister, from far, far away.
'Would you like to tell them about that strange race?'
she looked towards Sayem, with a smile on her face.
'The nut and spoon race is really good fun,'
said Sayem kindly, as he told everyone,
'the rules are, you hold a spoon in your hand,
and run down the track as fast as you can!
But there is one thing...' and he gave a small cough,
'the nut's on the spoon, and it mustn't fall off!'
Now the children all thought that they'd like to run,
with a nut on a spoon, as it sounded good fun.
Miss Freda the Frog, said, 'It's already in hand
knowing who would be here, we have it all planned.
Now go and get changed, and we'll get underway,
for the opening of this special Sports Day.'
All the parents were there, just waiting to cheer,
all their sons and daughters, who'd entered this year.
With them was Sayem's Mum and his Dad,
and his sister Maira, who was looking quite sad!
Maira had wanted to join in the fun,
but not a year old, she was far, far too young!
The contests began with the sack running race,
with children all stood in sacks up to their waist,
they kept falling over, so nobody won,
but that didn't matter, because it was fun!
Then standing in two's, legs tied in the middle,
for the three legged race, it was such a giggle!
Now came the big one, the nut and spoon race,
each child at the ready, each standing in place.
When Miss Freda said, 'Go!' They started to run
and the nuts started falling before they'd begun!
Everyone laughed as they all tried in vain
to run with the nut on their spoon once again!
More races, some winners, some losers, some tied,
every one happy and nobody cried.
They each won a ribbon for doing their best
and they proudly display it on their sports vests.
And then it was over and all packed away;
they'd always remember this special sports day!
| Author Notes | The nut and spoon race is an adaptation of our 'egg and spoon' race, with the same rules. The sack race, is each child has a sack to stand in and has to run or jump to the winning post, and the 3 legged race, has two children standing side by side with their inside legs tied together (gently!) and again have to run to the finishing line. Due to all the Human Rights laws regarding children not being allowed to lose, my children win for doing their best! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
The children cheered loudly when the school bell rang,
with lessons all finished, their week-end began.
Cyril the Squirrel said, 'Shall we all meet
at the Old Water Mill, after something to eat?'
The others agreed, they were all fine with that,
'But we'd better be careful,' warned Reggie the Rat.
'Oh Reggie!' said Millie the Mole with a grin,
'You're such an old worry...You needn't go in!'
'I'm not worried,' he cried, 'but we still should take care.'
thinking Millie was being unkind and unfair.
Millie went over and held his hand tight,
'I'm sorry,' she told him, 'Of course you are right.'
Timmy and Tommy Mouse raced through their door,
dropping their coats and their bags on the floor.
Then ran up the stairs to change their school shoes
for trainers, and then put on t-shirts and trews.
Back down the stairs, in a hurry for tea.
they tripped over their bags that they didn't see.
'Perhaps that will teach you to put things away!'
said Mummy Mouse, sternly, 'Starting today!'
They hung up their coats, then went for their tea
then ran to the place where their friends would all be.
Outside the Old Mill was Vicky the Vole
and waiting there with her was Millie the Mole
'Cyril and Reggie have already gone in,'
they told the two boys, trying hard not to grin
'They told us to tell you to go on inside,
but we weren't to tell you they've gone in to hide.'
'Ok,' said Timmy, 'we won't let them know
that you have told us, so come on, let's go!'
Inside the Old Mill it was too dark to see,
then suddenly Cyril called, 'come and help me!
Be very careful and walk straight ahead,
Reggie thinks that he has broken his leg.'
'Oh no!' Millie cried, 'what did you do?
Say you are joking! Say it's not true!
Reggie Rat groaned, 'Oh, the pain is so bad.'
That's when Timmy decided to go get their dad!
'If Reggie can't walk, dad will know what to do!'
Tommy agreed, and the others did too.
'Keep Reggie still all the while I am gone,
I can run fast, so I shouldn't take long.'
Then Timmy went off just as fast as he could,
past Popsicorn Bog, and then through the wood.
Puffing and panting, he quickly reached home
and found Daddy Mouse sitting there all alone.
When his dad saw him he jumped up in fright,
'Tell me what's happened, is Tommy all right?'
'Tommy is fine, but it's Reggie,' he said,
'he's in the Old Mill and has broken his leg!'
'Why were you all there? It's not a safe place?'
But Timmy had such a sad look on his face.
Daddy Mouse frowned, then said, 'I'll get my van
And you try to find Mister Rat if you can.'
Off Timmy ran, and it didn't take long,
to find Mister Rat, and tell him what's wrong.
Mister Rat, listened, and said, 'Well young lad,
we'd best go help Reggie, and also your dad.
At the Old Mill, they were all stood outside,
with Reggie the Rat who was trying to hide!
'There are no broken bones,' Daddy Mouse said
Just a few bruises and cuts on his leg.
With a clean up and plaster he'll soon be just fine,
And perhaps they will learn to be careful next time!'
Millie the Mole looked at Reggie the Rat,
and they grinned at each other when he said that!
| Author Notes | Trews are trousers in England and Scotland. The spell check didn't recognise the word, so I thought I would explain it. |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
'Wait for me!' shouted Timmy Mouse, grabbing his sack
As Tommy went past with his slung on his back.
The whole village was out, it was just after dawn
They had to go early to gather the corn.
There were nuts to pick, apples, and carrots to pull
And they couldn't come back till their sacks were all full.
Cyril the Squirrel was waiting outside
With Reggie the Rat, who was busting with pride,
This was the first time he'd been asked to come,
And Timmy and Tommy had said it was fun!
From out of her house came Vicky the Vole,
Rushing next door to get Millie the Mole.
Then Daddy Mouse came around with his van,
And called out, 'Get in as fast as you can!
We've got to get going, we cannot be late,'
And nodded when Timmy Mouse crashed through their gate!
Then they were off, it was not far away,
Getting there early, they'd have a good day.
When they arrived, they saw work had begun,
With so much to do, they would need everyone.'
'I'm going to collect all the nuts from the tree,'
Said Cyril the Squirrel, 'Who'll come and help me?
I'll climb on the branches and shake the nuts down,
And then we just pick them all up off the ground.'
The friends all decided that they would all come,
And working together the job would get done.
There were so many trees, so they had to be quick,
And then there were so many apples to pick!
Off they all ran, each one carrying their sack,
Some over their arms and some over their backs.
It was about lunchtime when the friends heard a scream,
And frightened they wondered, what could it mean?
'What could it be?' whispered Reggie the Rat,
'It sounded so scary, I'm quite sure of that!'
Nobody spoke; no one knew what to say,
'We should go and look,' Tommy said, 'Right away!'
The woods seemed quite dark; you could hear shadows sigh,
And the friends, holding hands, tried hard not to cry.
They carried on walking till they came to the end
And could see the corn field, but not one single friend!
'Where is everyone?' whispered Reggie the Rat,
'Where have they all gone...Oh no! Look at that!'
At the edge of the corn field, as large as could be,
They saw a big cat, standing under a tree!
Then suddenly out of the corn there appeared...
'It's Mitsie the kitten!' Tommy Mouse cheered.
Then Mitsie was there with a smile on her face,
'We've been looking for you all over the place!'
'Is that your mum, over there by the tree?'
Whispered Cyril the Squirrel, trying to be
As brave as he could, when he saw her turn round,
While their friends up the tree climbed down to the ground.
'Yes,' replied Mitsie, 'she wanted to say,
Thank you for helping me when I'd lost my way.'
Mitsie's mum strolled over to where they all stood,
'So you are the ones who were there in the wood
When Mitsie was lost, and very upset.
She told me you helped her, and I won't forget.'
Timmy and Tommy were blushing so red
'We were happy to help her,' was all that they said.
By now everyone had come over to see,
This very strange happening, how could it be?
A cat and her kitten, at ease with them all,
This never had happened that they could recall.
Timmy Mouse told them the story about
How Mitsie was lost, and how loud she could shout!
Mitsie's Mum laughed, 'You should hear her at home,
She's the noisiest kitten that I've ever known!'
Then mummy Mouse said, 'You should try having boys.'
And Mrs Rat added, 'We know all about noise!'
The mothers all laughed as they chatted away,
Their difference forgotten, this harvesting day.
Then Mrs Cat said, 'Now that we are both here,
Could we be of help with your harvest this year?'
Everyone murmured and nodded their heads,
'That would be kind of you,' Daddy Mouse said.
They all worked together to get it all done,
Picking and packing, they made it such fun.
When they had finished, Mummy Mouse turned and said,
'Well done, everyone, now who'd like to be fed?'
The chorus was deafening, all shouting 'I do!'
Then she said, 'Mrs Cat, we'd like you to come too.'
Mitsie the kitten just squealed with delight,
'Does that mean I'm staying up later tonight?'
The dads lined the tables along Hedgerow Lane,
While the mums sent the children, again and again
With food for the tables and plates to spread round,
Till no longer was there any space to be found.
They'd made fish cakes with sweet corn, and cheese straws piled high,
Apple juice to drink with a crunchy nut pie.
They all gathered round to feast on the food,
Everyone enjoying this nice festive mood.
Mitsie made friends with Millie the Mole,
And with Millie's best friend Vicky the Vole.
The day had been good, with new friends all around
And all because Mitsie was lost and then found.
| Author Notes | Sorry it is long, but I just couldn't make it shorter without it seeming to come to an abrupt end. |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Mr Squirrel was worried and decided to call
a meeting today at Hedgerow Village Hall.
He stood at the front of the crowd gathered there,
his eyes filled with sadness; so glum was his stare.
'Everyone knows why we've come here today,
we've got a big problem to sort right away.'
Mr Rat raised his hand up into the air,
and said, 'Absolutely! It's really not fair.'
Then Mr Mouse put his hand up to say,
'After working so hard on harvesting day!'
'That's right!' said a voice from the back of the hall,
'This terrible crime is affecting us all!'
Timmy and Tommy were outside the door,
trying to hear what this meeting was for.
Vicky and Millie stood behind on the wall,
each holding hands, trying hard not to fall
as they peeped through the windows to see who was there,
while Cyril and Reggie, stood on an old chair.
'So what's going on?' whispered Vicky the Vole,
'I'm really not sure,' answered Millie the Mole.
Then Timmy and Tommy came over to say,
'Gather round everyone, this is such a bad day!
Someone has taken our corn and our nuts,
a door was left open on one of the huts.'
The friends wandered down to the farmyard, and then
went to the haystack and inside their den.
They sat there and wondered, just who it could be.
Then Tommy said, 'OK, now listen to me.
We know what has happened, we must find out who
is taking our nuts and the corn we picked too.'
'They said it had happened late into the night,'
said Timmy, crossly, 'it just isn't right!'
'So what can we do?' asked Millie the Mole
'We need a good plan,' added Vicky the Vole.
Cyril the Squirrel just walked up and down,
his eyes almost closed underneath a deep frown.
'We must think of something, before we go home,
how we will catch him. We know he's alone.'
'How do you know that?' asked Reggie the Rat.
'He'd have taken much more; it's as simple as that!'
Then Cyril stood still, 'I've just had an idea!'
They all gathered closer, all wanting to hear.
'We'll wait till our parents have all gone to bed,
then we'll creep from our homes, and meet down at the shed.
We'll hide in the bushes in twos or in threes
where we can see him come out through the trees.'
'Then we can grab him and send him to jail!'
Grinned Reggie, excited, 'Let's hope we don't fail.'
Everyone giggled. The plan sounded good.
They promised to meet back here in the wood.
Off they all went for their tea, and then bed,
waiting till they could creep out to the shed.
The night was so dark, just the stars lit their way,
with the hoot from the owl, who'd been sleeping all day.
When they arrived, Cyril told them his plan,
'I've brought some rope; we can tie up his hands.'
'If we catch him, 'both Vicky and Millie then said,
'We've brought a sack to go over his head!'
Once they were sure that they knew what to do,
they chose three good bushes and hid there in twos.
They waited and waited, then Tommy Mouse thought,
that he wasn't coming or perhaps he'd been caught.
Timmy Mouse muttered, 'Perhaps he has been!'
'Not while we were here, or we would have seen,'
said Tommy, still watching, with eyes opened wide,
then from the shadows, a movement he spied!
'Stay still!' whispered Tommy, 'and don't even breathe!
Look over there,' he mouthed, tugging his sleeve,
as out of the trees, something dark hovered there
with darting red eyes that could see everywhere.
It moved to the hut, then opened the door,
that's when they all charged, and it fell to the floor!
'We've got him!' cried Reggie, 'and, oooh can't you tell,
it's Whiffy the Weasel, what a pong! What a smell!'
Whiffy then shouted, 'Get off, let me go!'
as he struggled to stand, but Cyril said 'NO!'
Then Reggie stood up and said, 'Stop all that noise,
you're going to prison with all the bad boys!
Then all of a sudden their mums and their dads,
were standing behind them, and looking quite mad!
'Why are you children not tucked up in bed?
You've had us all worried,' Mr Mouse said.
Tommy looked down at his feet and then sighed,
'We wanted to help catch the thief,' he replied.
'We've caught him,' he whispered, 'that's him over there.'
'It's Whiffy the Weasel,' Cyril said in despair.
Then Reggie looked up with a tear in his eye,
'We weren't being naughty,' he said, wondering why
they were in so much trouble. Then Millie joined in,
'We just wanted to help, and we did capture him!'
The parents looked down at each unhappy child,
then looked at each other, and all of them smiled.
Mr Rat went over to stand by his son,
then opened his arms to include everyone.
'You were all very brave, and we're so proud of you,
but if something had happened, just what would we do?'
Just then Whiffy Weasel made such a loud noise,
'I'm not going to prison with all the bad boys!'
The mums and the dads then knew just what to do,
and Mr Mouse said, 'Now, I'm telling you,
if you do this again, then in prison you'll be.'
And Whiffy said, 'I'll be good, just wait and see!'
| Author Notes |
Sorry! It's another long story, hope you read it and enjoy.
If there are any errors, please, please let me know! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Percy the Postman came calling one day
To see Mummy Mouse, who was singing away,
Happily working just doing her chores,
Dusting and sweeping and mopping the floors.
'Hello, Mrs Mouse, I've a letter for you,'
Said Percy the Postman, 'for Mr Mouse too!'
Wiping her hands on her pink pinafore,
She looked at the letter, then looked a bit more.
'Who would be writing to us?' Mummy frowned,
Turning the letter around and around.
Percy the Postman just smiled and replied,
'You might find the answer is on the inside!'
Mummy Mouse opened the letter and smiled,
'It's from Joanna, my cousin's young child.
'She says that her mummy has asked her to write,
To ask me if she could stay a few nights.
Her mummy was poorly and needed to rest,
The doctor had said it would be for the best.'
Mummy Mouse hastily scribbled a note,
Thanking her niece for the letter she wrote.
She said that of course, she must come straight away,
And that everyone here would just love her to stay.
Percy told Mummy, 'It won't take me long
To get to your cousin.' Then he was gone!
The boys both grinned when they heard mummy say,
Joanna the Gerbil was coming to stay.
They looked at each other, then went dashing out
To see if their friends were somewhere about.
They found Reggie asleep down at Popsicorn Bog,
Snoring so loudly, they gave him a prod!
Reggie Rat yawned and then opened his eyes,
And stared at his friends with total surprise.
'I must have dozed off,' he said trying to stand,
As Tommy bent over to give him a hand.
'We've just had some news, and we can't wait to tell,
But let's find the others and tell them as well.'
Reggie was curious, he wanted to know,
'Can't you just tell me, and then we can go?'
Timmy Mouse laughed, grabbing hold of his arm,
And pulling him, said, 'They'll be down at the farm.'
Running together, they raced down the track,
And sure enough, they were by the haystack.
Inside the haystack, which now was their den,
Timmy and Tommy Mouse told all their friends,
'Joanna, our cousin is coming to stay,
She lives in a village, not too far away.'
'How very exciting!' said Millie the Mole,
'When is she coming?' asked Vicky the Vole.
Tommy Mouse frowned, 'Our mum didn't say,
Just that she's coming and going to stay.'
'Let's go to your house and talk to your mum,
I'm sure she will know when Joanna will come.'
'Could we go and meet her?' asked Reggie the Rat,
And Timmy replied, 'I wish I'd thought of that!'
Mummy Mouse opened the oven and smiled,
'These buns should help me to welcome the child.'
Just then all the youngsters walked in through the door,
And she thought to herself, 'I'm so glad I made more!'
'Did you all smell my baking?' she asked everyone,
As they walked to the table, 'So, who'd like a bun?'
'Yes please!' they all shouted, and reached out to take
A bun from the dozen or more on the plate.
'Hold on a minute! What haven't you done?'
Mummy Mouse asked as she frowned at each one.
'We've not washed our hands,' answered Millie the Mole,
As mummy poured water into a large bowl.
Mummy Mouse watched them, and nodded her head
When they each took a bun, then Reggie Rat said,
'We would all like to know when Joanna will come.'
'Because we want to meet her,' Tommy said to his mum.
'Is she coming today?' asked Millie the Mole,
'And which way is she coming?' added Vicky the Vole.
'She is coming today!' laughed Mummy Mouse,
Daddy is bringing her back to the house.
If you want to go too, go and ask if you can.'
Just then Daddy Mouse drove up in his van.
Of course he said, 'Yes! But it's time we were gone,
So come on, hop in, and put your belts on.'
Joanna was waiting with a case in her hand,
And she looked up and smiled when she saw daddy's van.
Daddy pulled up and they all tumbled out,
Then suddenly shy, they just all looked about.
'Come over here you lot!' said Daddy Mouse,
'Say hello to Joanna, while I'm in the house.'
Well, it didn't take long and their shyness soon went,
They spoke of their den, and their camping in tents,
The painting of eggs, and their nut and spoon race,
And Sayem the champion, they met face to face!
So much to tell, her excitement just grew,
'I'd love to do some of those things with you too!'
'And so you shall,' they heard Daddy Mouse say,
We'll have plenty of fun while you're over to stay.'
Everyone turned when daddy said that,
'And for us too?' asked Reggie the Rat!
Daddy Mouse laughed, 'Yes, for all of you, too.'
And Cyril said, 'That will be tickity boo!'
Next morning, before the sun rose in the sky
Mummy made cheese rolls and crunchy nut pie.
She'd squeezed lots of lemons then crushed lots of ice,
And mixed them with honey to make it taste nice.
Then she filled up the flasks, enough for one each,
Today they were all going down to the beach!
Daddy drove round to the front of the house
And honked his horn loudly to call Mummy Mouse.
Joanna the Gerbil sat in the back
With Millie and Vicky, and Reggie the Rat.
Cyril the Squirrel squeezed in by the side
Of Timmy and Tommy for the bumpity ride.
It didn't take long, and soon they were there,
And for a short while they did nothing but stare.
The sand was so yellow, the sea was so blue,
With rocks on the side, there'd be plenty to do!
Then all of a sudden they all tumbled out,
'I'll be first in the water,' they heard Tommy shout!
The water was lovely, so blue and so clear,
And just by the rocks little fishes swam near.
Joanna the Gerbil just squealed with delight
Never before had she seen such a sight.
Millie came over with her bucket and spade,
Saying, 'come and see the castle we've made.'
Vicky was shouting, 'Quick, come over here,'
'Look what I've found!' she said, as they came near.
There in rocks was a really small shell,
That appeared to have eyes and six legs as well!
'Ooh,' said Joanna, 'What could it be?
'I'll ask Uncle Mouse to come over and see'
Uncle Mouse came to see this very strange thing,
'It's a really small crab,' he said starting to grin,
'When I was a lad, I would scoop out a moat,
And fill it with water, and make a small boat.
Then sometimes a crab would climb on for a ride.
And I'd watch for hours, just bursting with pride.'
'Can we make a boat for this little crab?
A boat that is special, not one that's drab.'
Joanna looked up with such a sweet smile,
That Uncle Mouse laughed at this charming young child.
Then the boys came over as pleased as could be,
'Look everyone what we've found by the sea!'
Cyril the Squirrel then opened his hands
To show them a shell that was big and so grand.
The colour was pinkish with gold flecks inside,
And when the girls saw it, together they cried
'That is just perfect! You've found us our boat!
It will sail on the water when we've made our moat!!
Tommy Mouse looked at the girls with surprise,
And wondered if something was wrong with their eyes.
'This isn't a boat,' he said, 'This is a shell!'
And Millie then answered, 'We know, we can tell,
But look over here,' she said, 'look what we've found.'
Then showed them the crab that was there on the ground.
The boys all knelt down to have a close look.
'I've seen one of those inside a school book!'
Said Cyril the Squirrel, 'Isn't it small,
It's called a sand crab, I seem to recall!'
Joanna then told them what her uncle had done
When he was much younger. They thought it was fun!
'What a good thing it was finding this shell,'
Said Reggie the Rat, 'we can do that as well!'
Daddy Mouse helped them to scoop out a moat,
Making it big enough for their new boat.
When it was finished, it took just a minute
For their little crab to go and climb in it.
The day just got better as each hour passed
Their picnic, their swimming, the day went so fast.
The crab found a friend at the side of the moat,
And together they sailed on their beautiful boat.
Then Mummy Mouse started to pack things away,
As everyone said, it had been a great day!
| Author Notes | This is so very long, tried to shorten it, but couldn't! Please tell me if there are any errors and honest opinions please!! UK English spellings. |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
As Cyril the Squirrel came out of his house,
He heard his name called by his friend, Tommy Mouse.
Timmy and Tommy were pulling a sack
That rattled and crackled behind both their backs.
'What have you got there?' he asked, walking around
To look at the sack sitting there on the ground.
'It's something we found over there in the wood,'
Said Timmy Mouse, 'it's ever so good!'
They opened the sack so that Cyril could see
A frame with four wheels on. What could it be?
'We were thinking that we could make something to ride.'
'Oh! That would be brilliant!' Cyril replied.
'We need to find something, an old wooden crate;
One we can sit in would be really great.'
And Cyril the Squirrel said, 'That would be good.
Why don't we make one? I'm sure that we could.'
Timmy and Tommy both smiled with delight,
'You know something, Cyril? You're perfectly right!'
Just then they saw Reggie at the end of the lane,
And when he got to them, Tommy told once again
What they had found and now what they all planned.
And Reggie said, 'Oh! Can I give you a hand?
My Dad had some wood; he kept just for spare,
Let's go and see if he still has some there.'
When they reached Reggie's home, Mummy Rat said,
'Your daddy's outside, still painting his shed.
If you go and see him, just mind you take care,
I don't want to see you with paint in your hair!'
The boys laughed at that, and they all said they would.
And Mummy Rat nodded and said, 'That will be good!'
Mr Rat's favorite thing was to tinker around
With any strange object that he might have found.
So when the boys showed him their frame with four wheels,
He said he had something he thought was ideal!
He went into his shed and rummaged about
And a few minutes later he brought something out.
'What about this then?' he asked with a grin,
'There's plenty of room for you four to sit in.'
There on the ground was a sturdy brown crate,
Which would sit on the frame, and really look great.
'That is so perfect!' Timmy said with delight,
And the others agreed, saying it was just right!
The boys set to work under Mr Rat's eye,
Building their wagon; the time just flew by.
They painted it red, with a white line down the side,
Then added a brake to make a safe ride.
Mr Rat made the steering wheel so they could turn,
This was one thing they would all have to learn.
When it was finished they stood back to see
What a perfect creation it turned out to be.
'Oh Wow!' said Cyril, 'How good is that!'
'Let's go for a ride!' said Reggie the Rat.
They had tied on some rope, they could pull it until
They got to the top of Hedgerow Village Hill.
At the top of the hill, they all stood and stared,
It looked very steep, so which one of them dared
To try out their wagon; it wouldn't take long.
Then Timmy Mouse said, 'it couldn't go wrong.
There is room for us all, so I think we all should!
Come on, don't be babies, it's going to be good!'
Since Timmy took charge, he decided to steer,
And sat in the front-they would not see his fear!
He let off the brake, and they started to roll,
and holding the steering wheel, he had control.
The wagon went faster, they whizzed down the hill,
And at the bottom he braked, and the wagon stopped still!
'Oh wow! That was brilliant,' Tommy Mouse cried.
'Let's go it again! That was such a great ride!'
They all stood and giggled; such was the thrill
Of feeling the wind as they whizzed down the hill.
They had many more hours of racing, that day,
And tomorrow they'd make sure the girls come to play!
| Author Notes | This is the continuing story of a group of friends who live in Hedgerow Village. |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Bodger the Beaver was busy today
Collecting small twigs to hide them away,
He needed a lot to make his dam strong,
He couldn't allow this plan to go wrong.
He wanted just once to win the first prize
And then watch the other beavers' surprise.
Just at that moment he heard someone talk,
It sounded like youngsters all out for a wallk.
They were headed this way, he had nowhere to hide
his twigs! He was frantic! He could almost have cried!
He slid into the water, but it was too clear,
They would see him for sure, he thought, as they came near.
Timmy Mouse said, 'Oooh, that water looks good!
Would you like a swim? I know that I would.'
He went to the edge of Popsicorn Bog,
And found all the twigs stacked behind a big log.
'Hey, look at this,' he called to all his friends,
'Look at these twigs, stripped clean to their ends!'
Cyril the Squirrel came over, then frowned
And shaking his head, he looked all around.
'I've seen this before,' he said, trying to find,
The word he was looking for, deep in his mind.
'Beavers!' he laughed. 'There must be one near,
He'll be building his dam; it's that time of year.'
He wouldn't just leave them,' said Millie the Mole.
'Which means he's still here,' agreed Vicky the Vole.
'Do you think he was frightened because we came near?'
Then Reggie the Rat said, 'Come look over here.'
They all came and looked, and there down below,
In the water they saw him, and they all said, 'Hello!'
Bodger the Beaver came nervously out,
And looked at his twigs just lying about.
He needed them desperately, what could he do?
He sat down and sighed; now his dream won't come true.
'I think these are yours.' Said Reggie the Rat,
Lifting the bundle and handing them back.
Bodger just stared for a moment or two,
Then shyly he smiled and whispered, 'Thank you.'
'Are you building your dam with them?' asked Timmy Mouse,
'How do you do it? Is it also your house?'
Bodger looked down at the ground, and he sighed,
'I'm not very clever,' he sadly replied.
They all sat down and he told them his tale,
'I try every time, but each time I fail.
Then some of the beavers just laugh at my dam,
And tell all the others how stupid I am.
All I want now is to win the first prize,
But that will not happen.' Tears welled in his eyes.
Millie and Vicky and Reggie the Rat,
Moved over to where poor Bodger was sat.
'Don't be upset, we'll all help if we can,
Millie said softly, 'but we'll need a plan,
As none of us here will know what to do
So you'll have to tell us, then we can help you.'
Bodger looked up, and he stared in surprise
His amazement was clear, it was there in his eyes.
'You'll help me?' he gasped, 'You'd do that for me?'
He couldn't believe it, and they could all see.
'Why not?' asked Tommy, 'We'd enjoy helping you!
It's a fun way to learn, and it's something to do.'
Now Bodger stood up and he said to them all,
'I'll need lots of branches, to build a high wall.
Then I'll scoop mud up to fill any hole.'
'Well I can do that!' declared Vickie the Vole.
'Next I'll cut branches down with my strong teeth,
For my winter food store, I'll build underneath.'
'Does it take long?' enquired Tommy Mouse,
'It's not only a dam; it's also your house!'
'That was my problem, because I'm alone,
It takes me forever to build a nice home.
The others have family helping them build
And they are all clever; I'm not at all skilled.'
'This time, we're here; you have all that you need.
With us to help build it, should boost up the speed.'
Millie stood up, 'So where to begin,
Do we need something to put the twigs in?'
Tommy jumped up, 'We could use our cart!
The one we've just made, would do for a start!'
'Brilliant!' said Cyril, 'I'll fetch it right now.'
'And we'll go with Bodger, he'll show us how
To look for the branches, the ones that he'll need,
Those for his dam, and those for his feed.'
By the time he came back, Cyril could tell,
They'd all learnt from Bodger, and learnt it so well.
It took a few days to build it just right,
And Bodger stood back, and beamed with delight.
'We've done it!' he cried, 'We've built it in time!
I can't wait to see them, when they look at mine!'
His dam was so good, no water could pour
into his home or his winter food store.
Next day was the contest, the judges came round,
They all poked and prodded to check it was sound.
The style and the comfort for winters long haul,
The food in the store room, checking it all.
Each judge making notes, before they passed by,
Counting and counting, in case of a tie.
Down at Beavers Hall, the crowds were all there,
Sitting on benches, or some found a chair.
Everyone talking about who would win,
And each beaver grinned, when Bodger walked in.
'You never give up, do you!' one of them called,
As he sat on a bench at the back of the hall.
Timmy and Tommy and all of their friends
Were waiting to hear how the contest would end.
They peeped through the door, as the judges stood up,
And listened as one of them lifted the cup.
'Today, we've a winner, a surprise for us all,
He is sitting down there at the back of the hall.'
The hall went quiet as they all turned around,
To stare at poor Bodger, who looked at the ground.
'Bodger, come here,' the judge called aloud.
And Bodger walked up to the front of the crowd.
'Never before can we say there has been
As fine a dam that we've ever seen!'
Everyone cheered, and he started to grin,
Was this a dream, or did he just win?
He smiled and said, thank you. They gave him the cup.
If this was a dream, then he wouldn't wake up!
Then his friends were all there, they laughed and they cheered,
It really was true, not a dream as he'd feared!
| Author Notes | Please could you let me know of any errors, anything that you might think would do better if changed, especially my punctuation and things! Thanking you now!! I also want to give a big thank you to chickadee at FanArt for this amazing picture of the beaver! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
It was such a nice day that Daddy Mouse said,
"I think I'll go out and tidy my shed."
He wandered outside and saw no one about,
"I can open the door and bring everything out!"
There were loads of old tools and pots of old paint,
and spiders so big, he knew Mummy would faint!
Then he pulled out the cart that the youngsters had made,
and left it out where his old tools were now laid.
Once it was empty he picked up his broom,
it would take a long time; it was such a big room.
Sweeping away, the dust made him sneeze,
but when it was finished, he knew he'd be pleased!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming out of the wood and onto the lane,
was Whiffy the Weasel, alone once again.
With no-one to play with, he felt really sad,
but everyone everywhere, thought he was bad.
He'd been walking around wanting something to do,
something exciting, could he find something new?
He picked up a stick; he would make it his sword,
he'd pretend he was famous, loved and adored!
Swishing away, he would fight everyone,
he would win every battle, now that would be fun!
Then he saw lots of rubbish just thrown on the ground
and by it, a cart, with four wheels to spin round.
Whiffy just stood there, he wanted so much
to go over and look...perhaps even touch.
He looked all around, there was no-one about,
if it wasn't rubbish, then someone would shout.
It had a rope handle to pull it along,
if nobody owned it, it couldn't be wrong!
He slowly went over and stood there a while,
when nobody came, Whiffy started to smile.
He picked up the rope and then pulled it away,
"This cart is now mine," he heard his voice say!
He knew a steep hill at the back of the wood,
he'd test it out there to make sure it was good.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Timmy and Tommy called a meeting that day,
but what it was for, they just wouldn't say.
"Come to Popsicorn Bog, and we'll tell you all then,"
was all they would say to each one of their friends.
Once they had gathered, Timmy stood up to say,
"Something mysterious has happened today!"
Then Tommy stood up, "We've been down to the farm."
And the tone of his voice filled the friends with alarm!
"The haystacks are gone, and the field is quite bare,
our haystack, our den, there is just nothing there!"
The friends were all shocked, not one word did they say,
until Millie burst out, "Now where can we play?"
The friends started talking aloud to each other,
till Reggie called out, "We could make another!"
It went very quiet, then Millie said, "Yes.
And this time we'll make it better than best!"
Cyril the Squirrel, had been quiet so long,
that Timmy said to him, "Is anything wrong?"
Cyril looked up with a frown on his face,
"I was thinking," he said, "about a new place.
We want our den safe, so it won't disappear,
it mustn't be far away, somewhere quite near."
Suddenly everyone heard a loud shout,
but turning around, there was no-one about!
Next moment they heard the most terrible scream,
and then a loud splash from near-by in the stream.
Reggie jumped up and said, "Look...over there!"
In the water they saw two arms in the air.
Timmy and Tommy, now filled with alarm,
jumped in the water, and each grabbed an arm.
They both pulled together to bring his head out.
"Is he all right?" they heard Vicky shout.
"It's Whiffy the Weasel!" Tommy said with surprise,
as Whiffy coughed and tears poured from his eyes.
They all helped pull Whiffy out onto the ground,
and Timmy said, "There you are, all safe and sound!"
"What happened?" asked Millie, "How did you fall in?"
And Vicky said, "Whiffy, you must learn to swim!
You must never go near the water alone."
But Whiffy, still crying, said, "Can I go home?"
Millie said, kindly, "Are you sure you're not hurt?"
Seeing Whiffy still covered in wet mud and dirt.
Reggie was standing and squinting his eyes,
"Is that our cart?" he asked, looking surprised.
The others stood up and went over to see,
"I'm sure that it is. But how could it be?"
Without saying a word, they all turned around
and stared at wet Whiffy, still laid on the ground.
"It's mine." Whispered Whiffy, "I found it today.
It was next to some rubbish, all thrown away.
I wouldn't just take it, I waited some time,
as nobody came, I thought, it could be mine."
Whiffy looked so upset, the other's just knew,
he really believed it, he thought it was true.
"We'll talk to my Dad," Tommy told everyone,
as they pulled out the cart and saw no damage done.
Whiffy's legs wobbled when he tried to stand,
and Millie reached out to lend him a hand.
"Get in the cart, and we'll pull you along,"
Millie smiled kindly, 'We're all really strong."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Daddy Mouse was frantically looking around,
he was sure he had put the cart out on the ground.
Next to the paint pots, he'd now thrown away,
with the broken old tools, that had seen better days.
"Where could it be?" Daddy Mouse scratched his head,
"Am I losing my mind?" he quietly said.
He was just going out to start looking again
when he saw in the distance his boys down the lane.
He looked, then he frowned, what was that he could see?
They were pulling the cart, just how could that be?
Then they were there, and they told him their tale,
pointing at Whiffy, whose face had gone pale.
Daddy Mouse laughed, "Well, it could have been true,
I threw all the pots away, broken tools too."
Whiffy the Weasel, let out a loud sigh,
so pleased they believed him, he wanted to cry.
Millie went to him, and held out her hand,
saying, "Come on now, Whiffy, let's see you stand."
Whiffy climbed out, and his legs felt just fine.
"You can play with us...if you want to some time."
Vicky was smiling, "It's no fun on your own."
Then the boys all came over, "We'll walk you back home."
Whiffy just beamed, especially when,
Tommy said..."Would you help us to make a new den?"
| Author Notes | This is the last one in this series, I will be submitting it later this year, or early next year in the hope it will be published like Hedgerow Capers. Please don't worry about my feeling, I would like a real honest review and any errors you find would be gratefully received! |
|
You've read it - now go back to FanStory.com to comment on each chapter and show your thanks to the author! |
| © Copyright 2015 Sandra Stoner-Mitchell All rights reserved. Sandra Stoner-Mitchell has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
© 2015 FanStory.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Statement