Merry Christmouse

Mouse likes to get into the Christmas spirit as much as anyone and so has spent this Christmas Eve the same as every year.......

First he puts on his Christmas jumper and decorates the tree, followed by the rest of his house.

Then he listens to Christmas songs whilst enjoying a nice glass of mulled wine in his favourite chair.

And finally he sits in front of the fire and reads the best Christmas story ever, The Night Before Christmas. 

This a very special version of the story though:-

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring…except for the mouse.
While the family was sleeping he regarded with glee
The brightly wrapped presents piled under the tree.
He supposed that he shouldn’t, but knew that he would…
Said, “Santa, I’m sorry. It’s too hard to be good.”
He ripped off the paper, he gnawed through a box,
He drank all the perfume; he ate all the socks.
He lapped up the liquors, he boozed up the beer
Then lay there contented and filled with good cheer.

He chewed through some wires and BANG! went the lights.
“My God,” said the mouse, “that gave me a fright.”
He scampered and hid in a hole in the sill
But nobody moved – the family slept still.
So he crept out and sipped at the wine and the sherry.
He tasted the Port and it made him feel merry.
Two glasses later and feeling quite lairy,
He climbed up the tree and toppled the fairy.
He leaped for a bauble, but teetered and missed.
“Oops!” said the mouse. “I think I’m a bit........ drunk.”
 

Covered in glitter he fell to the ground,
And stared in horror at the mess all around.

Tinsel and ribbons were strewn on the floor,
Mulled wine and whisky were splashed up the door,
The wrappings were shredded, the baubles were cracked,
The lights were still smoking, the ceiling was black.
Eyes wide he wondered, “Did I do all that?”
Then shrugged… “It’s no problem. They’ll just blame the cat.”

Poem Credit - SJB Writing

Monsieur Le Mouse

Welcome to the latest adventure from Mouse.  He wanted to get in a quick weekend away before the winter weather sets in and opted for Paris, France.

Mouse got up really early to get to the Eurotunnel port in time for his 9.20am train.  Mouse had never been on a train that carried cars before, never mind one that went under the ocean so he was very excited.

Booking in was very efficient and Mouse was soon on the train.  It was a very strange experience seeing cars and buses getting on a train but he took it all in his stride and enjoyed the 40 minutes journey under the English Channel and re-surfacing in Calais, France.

From Calais it was only a 2 hour 30 minute drive to Paris so Mouse was hopeful he would get there in the light to start his sight seeing straight away.  The journey was very good indeed and Mouse arrived at the hotel at 2.30pm, dropped his things and went off to see what he could see.

First stop was one of the world's most famous landmarks, The Eiffel Tower.

 

Mouse was hoping that he would be able to go to the top of the tower, but alas, the queue was almost as big as the tower itself and he just didn't have time to waste queuing.  Mouse was also really hungry though so decided to grab a quick snack to keep him going.

Mouse knew that France is well known for producing very fine cheeses so he was excited at what he might find.  To his absolute delight he discovered something called a Croque Monsieur which is a cheese and ham sandwich, toasted, with more cheese melted on top.  Mouse Heaven.

While he was enjoying his food, Mouse was entertained by a lovely man playing wonderful Parisian Accordion music.  Mouse introduced himself in his best French and asked the man if he could try playing the accordion himself.  Unfortunately it was far too big and heavy for Mouse but the man kindly let him be his helper for a while.

Mouse was exhausted after his long journey and all this fun so he headed back to his hotel for a good nights sleep.

The next morning, a well rested Mouse couldn't wait to get going but before heading out he just had to try a real French croissant for breakfast.  It was truly the best croissant Mouse had ever eaten.

With a full stomach Mouse headed out for a day of sightseeing.

First stop on his list was a place that he heard about where romantic couples attach a padlock to a bridge and throw away the key to signify their unbreakable love.  Although Mouse wasn't able to bring his girlfriend Daisy to Paris, he did prepare a padlock before he left home.

 

Mouse had never seen so many padlocks in one place and struggled to find some space.

He just managed to squeeze his padlock in though and he knew that Daisy would be pleased.

Next on Mouse's list of places to visit was the Cathedral of Notre Dame.  He had read about the story of Quasimodo and was eager to see the place from the legend.

Another place that Mouse was eager to visit was an area called Montmatre.  This is an area famous for it's artists and some very well known people have lived there in the past such as, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and Dali.  There is still a strong tradition of artists lining the streets to earn money by creating portraits of tourists.  

Being a keen artist himself, Mouse was keen to try his luck at earning some extra cash.

Unfortunately Mouse was so much smaller than the other artists that people didn't seem to notice him.  He tried to get a better vantage point but in the end had to give up without selling his picture.

A little bit disappointed, Mouse headed back to the hotel for some rest as he had big plans the following day and would need lots of energy.  Mouse went to sleep dreaming about being an artist's apprentice in Paris.

Morning soon arrived and Mouse was eager to get going as he was hoping to meet the world's most famous Mouse, in Disneyland.

Mouse couldn't believe how big the castle was and had a great day at Disneyland.  He even got to meet his hero, Mickey Mouse.

Unfortunately the day soon passed as he had been having so much fun and in fact it was the end of Mouse's time in Paris.  He just had enough time to stop at a supermarket and get some picnic food for his journey home, French style of course.

The journey went quite quickly and Mouse was soon back at home.  He just had time for a quick snack before bed........

.......and he fell asleep, dreaming of giant cheese!

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Mouse Goes Greek Part 2

Welcome to the second part of Mouse's adventure in Corfu, Greece.

Corfu has a place that is very special to Mousekind and this was the main reason for Mouse choosing it as his holiday destination.  Near the island's airport is a place called Mouse Island, a very special place indeed.  Mouse couldn't wait to pay a visit.

Mouse Island is a small place and although he could see it from the land, beyond the white church, Mouse needed a closer look.

When he had reached the white church, Mouse was relieved to find that he could catch a boat to take him to the Island.

  

Mouse only had to wait a few minutes until the boat arrived and he was soon on his way.  He was a very excited little Mouse!

Mouse Island is only a small place and the ony building is a very old church.

He even got to go inside it.

 

Even the cactus plants on the Island have Mouse ears!!

 

It was really hot so while he was waiting for the boat to come back, Mouse took a rest in the shade of the old church.

 

Mouse heard the boat approaching and rushed down to the sea to make sure he didn't miss it.  Once he was back on the main Island of Corfu he thanked the boat driver and headed back to his hotel for a rest after a busy day.

 

Mouse just had time to buy a souvenir of his visit so he couldn't resist having another look at it back at the hotel.

Mouse also visited many other places while he was in Corfu.

He went to a fishing village called Kasseopi

He saw the old fortress at Corfu Town

He travelled in the mountains and visited a place called Strinilas which had a great Olive Wood workshop and an even better Taverna.

The bread with tomato and Feta cheese was awesome!

 There were some wonderful views in the mountains but this was Mouse's favourite view, looking down over Paleokastritsa.

 Mouse's favourite place on his holiday was Mouse Island of course, but Cape Drastis came a very close second.  He simply loved clambering around the dramatic cliffs to find the perfect spot for sunbathing.

Unfortunately, the end of the holiday soon came along and Mouse was very sad to be leaving such a wonderful place.

But don't worry, Mouse is busy planning his next adventure and he will be very keen to share it with everyone.  Be sure never to miss an adventure by subscribing to the email newsletter HERE

Mouse Goes Greek Part 1

At this time of year there is nothing that Mouse loves more than going on his summer holiday.  This year he had booked up to visit the Greek island of Corfu.

It was an early start to get to the airport in time for the 8am flight but Mouse didn't mind that in the least.  He couldn't sleep out of excitement anyway.

Every mouse knows that you shouldn't fly on an empty stomach so Mouse treated himself to a hearty breakfast.

It was only a three hour flight so before he knew it Mouse was in a very sunny Corfu.  A 1 hour bus ride to his hotel left him very hot though so he quickly dropped off his suitcase and headed straight for the pool.

It was just the ticket and the water was wonderful.

Feeling refreshed after his dip, Mouse thought he would check out the guide book and find some interesting places to visit during his holiday.

Mouse was delighted to discover that the Greek word for Museum is Mouseio !!  He was sure that this was a really good omen for a fantastic holiday.

Time was getting on now and Mouse was feeling hungry.  He decided to finish off his first day with a trip to Logas Beach in a village called Peroulades where he had heard it was the best place on the island to watch the sunset.

This was the perfect end to the day and Mouse went off to bed feeling extremely chilled out after just one day.

The following day, Mouse was still feeling a little drained from his journey and so he decided to have another lazy day, but this time at the beach.

After lots of relaxing Mouse just had to build the biggest sandcastle on the beach!

 

Mouse was very pleased with his sandcastle and while he was admiring it he was given a leaflet that looked very interesting.  What could be more fun than hiring a boat?

Mouse quickly got some money from his purse, paid Spyros the boat owner and donned his lifejacket ready for some fun.

It took a few minutes to get used to the controls but Mouse was soon off creating waves and seeing the wonderful shoreline from the water.

After all the fun at the beach, the following day Mouse decided to slow things down a bit and go for a drive into the countryside.

On his trip Mouse was reminded of a fact he read in the guide book, that Corfu's ground is over 30% covered with Olive trees with the average age of between 300 and 500 years.  Such old trees were full of interesting holes and Mouse knew his friend Peanut would have loved to have been here for a game of Hide and Squeak!

 

Mouse also remembered from the guide book that Olive trees only fruit every two years, but with so many trees all around him it didn't take long to find some fruit almost ready for picking.

Mouse had a great day out and was really satisfied with his decision to visit Corfu.  Mouse will be back soon with part two of his Corfu adventure which includes a visit to a very special place indeed.

Call back again soon or why not subscribe to Mouse's newletter to be sure never to miss an adventure.

Och Aye The Noo - Mouse in Scotland

As usual, Mouse has been itching to get away from it all for a while and have an adventure so last week he managed to escape for a couple of days and took a trip to Scotland.  It was quite a short flight to Inverness airport and Mouse was soon at his hotel and unpacking his suitcase.

The first job is always to test the bed and Mouse was very impressed that in this particular hotel he had a choice of pillows.

Once he was unpacked and rested for a few minutes it was time to study the tourist information leaflets and decide where to visit.

As he was in the heart of Whisky country, mouse thought he would visit the famous Glen Moray distillery first.  It was an amazing place and the smell was fantastic.

However Mouse was on a tight schedule and couldn't stay for long.  Mouse just loves the seaside so he couldn't resist a quick stop at Lossiemouth for some fresh sea air.

Mouse's favourite thing to do at the seaside is look for wildlife in rock pools so off he went to see what he could find.

The haul was a bit disappointing in the first pool so he went in for a closer look.

When he was on his way to the seaside, Mouse had seen a sign for a castle so he decided that would be his next stop.

Mouse was amazed that the castle had been here in some form since 1151AD, that really is old.  The sun was starting to get lower in the sky and it seemed a perfect time a place to sit for a while and consider life.

However, the peace and quiet didn't last for long as Mouse was disturbed by the loudest noise he had ever heard.  It was a kind of rumbling that got louder and louder until it was so loud mouse thought the sky was falling down.
Mouse was relieved to discover that it was just a Fighter Jet from the nearby RAF Lossiemouth base that was practising landing.  Mouse jumped in the car to see if he could get a closer look and surpisingly, he managed to park right at the end of the runway to get a superb view.

Mouse sat for quite a long time watching the planes coming and going.  In fact it got so late that he almost forgot that he needed to get back to his hotel in time for dinner before going to bed.  Thankfully, he just made it in time and had a slap up meal before calling it a night.

The next morning mouse had a few hours to spare before having to catch his flight home so he decided to head to the world famous Loch Ness to see if he could find Nessie, The Loch Ness Monster.

Mouse was amazed at the size of the loch, it seemed to go on for ever.  What he was even more surprised about was the weather.  Sunshine and still water is quite a rarity this far north.

Mouse had heard about a man called Steve Feltham who had given up his job, girlfriend, house and everything in 1991 to take up the search for Nessie on a full time basis and live on the shore of Loch Ness.  Perhaps today would be the day, and Mouse could help Steve in his search...........Alas, Steve wasn't home and must have been out already continuing his tireless search.

Unfortunately Mouse's time had run out and he needed to get back to the airport to catch his flight home but he has vowed that one day he will return and look again for Nessie.

Mouse will be back soon for another adventure.  If you don't want to miss any of Mouse's updates then please subscribe Here to receive his adventures by e-mail as soon as they are posted.