Part One: The Sunday Brunch Surprise

Mummy, Olly, and Verity loved to take the Butter Box bus into Buckleberry to go shopping. On this particular day, without exception, it would become a day to remember.

They left the house early because Daddy had already gone to work. Mummy thought it was a great idea to head into Buckleberry, do some shopping, and then treat themselves to brunch.

"Brunch?" Verity questioned.

"Yes, it is breakfast and lunch combined, so it is very special!" said Mummy.

Without hesitation, Verity asked, "But won’t I get hungry?"

Olly piped up very quickly, "No."

With that, they put on their raincoats and rain boots, as Mummy noticed the clouds looked far too dark for it not to rain. They headed out the door and walked hand in hand to the bus stop.

The bus stop was crowded. Mrs Pepperpot, Just Joan, and Mrs Cotswold were huddled together, chatting away. They all nodded at Mummy as if to say hello. Tall Tony had his headphones on, deeply focused on his phone. Babysitter Mary came and stood by them; apparently, she was going into town to look for a party dress. Olly and Verity looked and smiled, thinking Babysitter Mary would look just like a beautiful princess in a party dress.

Next, with a clatter, a bang, and a loud toot of a horn, Mr Fitzgibbons pulled up and opened the doors of the Butter Box. Everyone climbed aboard and took their seats. Mr Fitzgibbons yelled in a booming voice, "Next stop, Market Square!"

Mummy thought it was best to do the shopping first. As they entered the market, they were greeted by the wonderful smells of freshly cut flowers, sharp cheese, and roasted coffee beans. Olly and Verity took a giant sniff to take it all in. The local bakery had been busy baking bread, sending tiny, crusty bits flying through the air. Verity giggled, "Look, bread snow!" Everyone laughed.

Mummy knew her way around the market, so it didn't take long to gather the things they needed. However, her shopping bag became heavier and heavier. Soon, she could no longer hold both of their hands, so they made a human chain. Verity held Mummy’s hand, and Olly held Verity’s hand. That kept everyone safe.

With a big, happy sigh, Mummy looked down at Verity and Olly. "We are all done, and it is finally time for brunch!"

They headed straight for Baker Bunty’s café. The moment they stepped through the door, the rich aroma of Baker Bunty’s Sunday Specials filled the air. The café was buzzing and incredibly busy. Mummy had to look hard to find an empty table. Eventually, they were seated, and Mummy went up to order.

While waiting, they noticed that everyone in the café seemed to be chatting about puppies. Verity and Olly wondered what was going on. When Mummy sat back down, she could hear the puppy chatter, too!

Baker Bunty brought their order to the table. Mummy had ordered piping hot milky tea and Baker Bunty’s Sunday Special pizza toast. Olly’s and Verity’s eyes grew as big as saucers; they knew the food would be delicious. Before taking her very first bite, Verity declared, "This is delicious! I think I like brunch!" Everyone laughed.

Mummy couldn’t help herself and asked Baker Bunty what all the commotion was about. Baker Bunty explained that a relative of Butcher Barry’s had brought over a litter of puppies because they couldn't look after them. Butcher Barry had been left with the task of finding them all homes. Several people had already gone to his shop to collect a puppy, but there was still one left.

"It seems Butcher Barry hasn’t been able to find a home for this last one yet," Baker Bunty said, shrugging her shoulders mysteriously.

Mummy paused for a long moment. "Oh... is there something wrong with the puppy?"

Baker Bunty shrugged again, acting as though she didn't know. But to Mummy, Olly, and Verity, it felt like there was a secret being kept.

As they finished their brunch, Olly asked, "Do you think we could go see the puppy?"

"Please, Mummy, please!" Verity pleaded.

Mummy was incredibly curious herself. She brushed her hands over her face, smiled, and said, "Let’s do it. Let’s go and see for ourselves." Verity and Olly cheered.

After leaving the café, it was only a short walk to Butcher Barry’s shop. It was quiet now, as the early morning rush had already finished. Butcher Barry greeted them with a wide smile and asked how he could help. Mummy looked at the display cabinet and decided to buy some olives and feta cheese, thinking she shouldn't ask about the puppy straight away.

Suddenly, a funny little whimpering noise echoed from the back room. 

Mummy smiled, "You have a dog now, Barry? That’s nice!"

Butcher Barry weighed and wrapped the olives and cheese. Wiping his brow with his hand, he confessed, "To be honest, I am in a bit of a pickle." He explained the 

situation about the final puppy.

The whimpering noise grew louder. Mummy asked, "Can we see it?"

Butcher Barry disappeared into the back and returned carrying the smallest ball of fluff. A tiny pink tongue popped out to lick its nose, making everyone laugh. Then, the puppy let out a slow yawn and opened its eyes.

Mummy, Olly, and Verity just stared in utter amazement. One of the puppy's eyes was bright blue, and the other was deep brown.

"Do you want to hold her?" Butcher Barry asked.

Olly and Verity jumped up and down, shouting a very loud, "Yes!"

The moment the puppy was placed in their arms, she nestled right into them and stopped whimpering completely. Butcher Barry smiled warmly, "See? The puppy likes you all!"

Olly turned to Mummy. "Can we take her home?"

Verity followed right up, "Please, Mummy, please!"

Mummy looked down at the beautiful, unique little puppy and agreed. Everyone was overjoyed. Mummy safely tucked the puppy inside her woolly winter coat to keep her warm, and they all headed happily back to the bus stop.

Part Two: The Lapland Puppy Goes Viral

Everyone on the street looked at Mummy with the puppy, trying to make out what was going on. Mr Fitzgibbons welcomed them back onto the Butter Box, noticing the bundle. He smiled and joked about the new addition to the family.

As Mummy, Olly, and Verity took their seats, other passengers walked past and stared at the puppy. Olly and Verity were shocked by the strange looks people were giving their new pet. They felt they needed to explain.

Verity announced in a loud, proud voice, "We have Butcher Barry’s puppy, and she is special!"

Olly quickly followed up, "Yes! She comes from Lapland, and that is why she has one blue eye and one brown eye!"

"Yes, just like the reindeer and huskies!" Verity added.

Everyone on the bus gasped in amazement. Passengers immediately pulled out their phones to take photos and selfies with the famous "puppy from Lapland." They posted the pictures to the Buckleberry Community Facebook page, and the news travelled like wildfire.

By the time Mummy, Olly, and Verity arrived home, Daddy was already waiting at the front door with a huge grin.

"Well, it looks like we have a puppy!" Daddy said.

"News travels fast!" Mummy laughed.

It turned out that half the village was commenting on the Facebook photos, and several people had already texted Daddy. He had already organized a laundry basket and a warm blanket for the puppy to sleep in and had even prepared a bottle of puppy food. He just wanted to see her for himself!

When he finally looked at the little ball of fluff, the first thing he said was, "Hello, Sunday!"

"Why Sunday?" Verity asked.

"Because we got her on a Sunday!" Daddy replied. Everyone agreed, laughing at the perfect name.

Sunday grew very quickly and quickly became the heart of the family. Mummy and Daddy ruled the house, but Sunday absolutely ruled the garden. She made the backyard her personal kingdom. She knew every single plant, toy, and visiting animal.

She also worked out a clever trick: if she rattled the Japanese rain chain hanging by the patio, it acted like a doorbell to say, “I want to come inside,” or “Something is wrong.” Sometimes she would jangle the chain, and Daddy would follow her into the garden only to find a plant needed watering, or some litter had blown over the fence. They absolutely loved how clever Sunday was.

One day, Sunday rattled the Japanese rain chain incredibly hard. She seemed very anxious, running around in circles as if chasing her tail. Daddy, Olly, and Verity rushed outside to see what the matter was. Sunday led them straight to a pile of leaves, which appeared to be moving on their own.

Daddy knelt down to take a closer look and saw a tiny ball of something struggling underneath. He gently picked it up and brought it inside. Sunday refused to leave Daddy's side, anxiously licking his hands.

Daddy chuckled, "Stop, Sunday! I know, girl, I know. Something needs to be done!"

Daddy got some cotton wool and warm water to gently clean the mysterious ball. He discovered that the poor little creature had become tightly tangled in a giant spiderweb. As the web cleared, Daddy scratched his head in disbelief. In his hand was a hummingbird!

"A hummingbird?" Verity and Olly said together.

Daddy explained that the hummingbird was a very long way from home, as they don't normally live in Buckleberry. He showed them how it was one of the tiniest birds in the world and explained its amazing ability to fly backwards. He pointed out its very long beak, and when the hummingbird opened its mouth, they could see a long, split tongue. As Daddy cleaned her up further, her beautiful, iridescent feathers began to glisten in the light.

Daddy immediately rang Wildlife Warrior Warren for advice. Warren explained that a local exotic aviary had been damaged when a tree fell on it, allowing most of the birds to escape. He was thrilled that the rare hummingbird had been found safely. He told the family to keep her warm and instructed them to make a sweet sugar syrup so she could regain her strength.

Mummy mixed up the syrup and placed a few drops on a spoon. Daddy held it right next to the hummingbird's beak, and they watched in awe as her tiny tongue soaked up the sweet liquid.

"We should call her Monday," Verity suggested.

Olly nodded, "Yes, because we rescued her on a Monday!" Everyone agreed.

Monday slept safely in a shoebox lined with a small blanket. Sunday became fiercely protective of the tiny bird, and the two became fast friends. Once she was strong enough, Monday would fly down, land right on Sunday’s back, and ride out into the garden. Monday would zip around the sky helping Sunday check on the yard, and when she got tired, she would fly up to the Japanese rain chain and wait for Sunday to ring the bell for them to come back inside.

Part Three: The Calendar Grows

A little while later, the Japanese rain chain rang out again. This time, Sunday was pawing at it while Monday flew excitedly up, down, and backwards in the air. Olly and Verity ran outside and followed the two friends.

From the bushes, they heard a funny sound: "Achoo! Achoo!"

When they looked down, they found a small hedgehog curled into a tight, prickly ball. Olly and Verity called loudly for Daddy’s help. Once again, Daddy gently scooped up the creature and brought it into the warm house. Olly found another shoebox, Verity found a soft blanket, and Mummy mixed up a special remedy to help the hedgehog feel better.

"Achoo! Achoo!" went the hedgehog.

The poor thing had a hard time drinking the mixture from the spoon. Seeing this, Monday cleverly scooped up the syrup with her long beak and carefully fed the hedgehog herself. She seemed to know exactly what her new friend needed to get over its cold.

Olly smiled, "I guess we have to call the hedgehog Tuesday!"

"Good idea," agreed Verity.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday all stayed huddled together in the lounge right by the glowing fireplace to stay warm.

On Wednesday, Daddy went out to work on the backyard vegetable patch. Sunday and Monday played outside with Verity and Olly, while Tuesday stayed tucked up warm inside.

Suddenly, Daddy let out a loud, "Oh my!"

Because "Mai" was Mummy’s name, Olly and Verity ran over to see why Daddy was calling her. Mummy heard it too and raced into the garden. They all stood at the edge of the vegetable patch, staring at a rabbit tangled up in the carrots.

"Peter Rabbit!" Verity cried.

Something was clearly wrong with him. Daddy carefully lifted the rabbit, and they all marched back inside the house. Daddy held the rabbit gently to inspect its paws and found a large, nasty thorn embedded in its hind foot.

Mummy quickly gathered hot water, bandages, and tweezers. She carefully pulled out the thorn, cleaned the wound, and wrapped the tiny paw in a neat bandage. Olly found an empty plastic toy container and Verity fetched another blanket to make a makeshift bed right next to Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The rabbit was exhausted and fell fast asleep instantly.

Daddy looked at the row of beds. "I guess this one is Wednesday."

Verity shook her head adamantly. "No! It can't be, because this is Peter!" Olly thought about it. "Well, we could call him Peter Wednesday. P.W. for short!" Everyone loved that idea. All the animals got along beautifully, watching out for one another.