Back to school but Jasper is still his donkey's fool

Hello boys and Girls, HOW are you all this week? Excited to be going back to school again, I bet. How I wish I were back in school again. I'd love to have had the whole summer off, even a rainy one, for fun and games. Yes, I know Aunt Molly says my whole life is a holiday but I'm really very busy. I have lots of jobs to do around Rose Cottage and I have to look after the ducks and Bart the donkey. His real name is Bartholomew and he doesn't like people calling him Bart. He's a bit of a snobby donkey to be honest. Some days he's fine and is all friendly and trotting up for his carrot. The next he won't even look at you. Just last week I hitched him up to the old cart and we set off for the village. I had a big list of things to get in the shop. Molly made out the list and it was full of boring things like flour and soap and other stuff like that. On the way I pulled in and added a few items of my own. Cake and biscuits and sweets and ice-cream. I thought no one would notice them in with all the other stuff. I promised Bart a bag of sucky sweets, his favourite, if he behaved like a good donkey and got me to the shop and back without any problems. He can be very stubborn if he takes a mind to it. Anyway, we got to the village in good time. I had a chat with a few people and then headed for the shop. I was hoping Maggie wouldn't be there. She can be cross and takes no nonsense. It's hard to slip those extra bits on the list past her. She's also a friend of Molly's and says she knows all my old tricks. As I went in the door my heart sank. There she was looking cross as ever. 'Hello,' I said, 'what a lovely day it is and how well you're looking yourself.' She just glared at me. 'Never mind your old waffle Jasper, just hand over Molly's list and keep quiet,' she growled. This was not my day. Next minute I heard another shriek. My nerves were shattered. 'Jasper, what's all this about cake and biscuits and sweets and ice-cream? This is not Molly's handwriting. Honestly, it's like dealing with a child. I'm going to tell Molly you added things to her list,' she shouted as she crossed out all the nice items with a big marker. So I was a sad man when I loaded up the cart. But if I was sad, then Bart was mad. His bull's-eyes had been crossed off as well. If there is one thing I have learned in life and that is, always keep your word to a donkey. Bart just snorted and moved off slowly. I knew we were in for a long trip home. Right enough, when we got to Mulligan's Cross he stopped dead in his tracks and refused to budge another inch. No matter what I did, pulling and pushing, promising a wheelbarrow full of bull's-eyes, he couldn't care less. Then as soon as I took a rest by the wall, suddenly he was off like he was in the Galway Races. Down the road like a shot with me running after him. I had to trot behind the cart all the way back to Rose Cottage â€â€ three long miles â€â€ and I was puffed by the time I arrived. Then when I finally got home, there was Molly feeding Bart a big bag of bull's-eyes. He just gave me one of those smug looks of his and licked his lips. Molly gave out to me for letting poor Bart come home on his own. I can't win. I missed my treats, I had to walk home and the donkey is laughing at me. I give up! Bye for now, Uncle Jasper