Rodents

This page details the beavers, hamsters, mice and squirrels who live in Mellowdene. 

With a non-static population, this page will periodically be updated to reflect the villagers who fit this category. As for numbers, there are currently

• Beavers: 19w + 4b + 7w +1m = 31
• Guinea pigs =6p
• Hamsters: 5g + 15h = 20
• Mice: 3a +1b + 7f + 5h + 6h + 12h + 7m + 4ms + 9m + 4n + 9t = 67
• Squirrels: 4a + 9f + 8w + 8o= 29

154 in total.

The Appleblossom Grey Squirrel family (4)

Christopher and Jane Appleblossom have a daughter Justina and a baby Julie.

Christopher runs the Watermill Bakery.

Christopher, Justina, Julie, Jane

The Applewood Brown Mouse family (3+1 Bluebell)

Michael and Minerva Applewood have two daughters Geri and Bluebell.

Geri, Minerva, Michael, Bluebell

The Fielding Mouse family (7)

Darcy Fielding is both owner and editor of the Mellowdene Examiner. He is married to Bridget and they have four children - Daniel, Helen, Una and tiny Clop.

The newspaper is truly a family business with the youngsters happy to contribute in different ways. Darcy does his fair share of reporting, alongside his friend Harry Hawthorne. Bridget liaises with Mellowdene businesses and is their contact for any advertisements they wish to place. Daniel deals with deliveries and enjoys chatting to the customers. Una is the school reporter. Helen helps with artwork.

Jackson Butterglove is involved in an unrelated long-term writing project with Darcy, although sometimes his community-based writing is included in the newspaper.

Darcy, Clop, Una, Daniel, Helen and Bridget

Darcy has a cousin Alonso Fielding who also lives in the village. A talented amateur mechanic, he works as a delivery driver for Pickleweed's Pizza Emporium.

 

The Furbanks / Walnut Squirrel families (10+8)

Kenneth and Emma Furbanks have four children - Douglas, Greta, Myrna  & a tiny bundle of fun called Ray. 

Kenneth runs an informal drama club. Emma is treasurer for the Mellowdene Cake Club and is a good friend of Cecile Butterglove.

 

Ken, Emma
Greta, Ray, Douglas, Myrna

 Myrna and her best friend Andi McCavity (formerly Catamaran) are avid participants in the drama club.

 

Ray, Kenneth, Emma, Greta, Douglas and Charles

Kenneth's brother Charles lives in the annex to their home. Cliffy Munk sometimes comes to play jinka - a variant of the jindik board game - with Charles. This has led to a relationship with Cliffy's mother Sherilyn.

Charles is also fond of his motorbike, although that has become less of a priority these days. He invested into a Hot Dog business and has a van where he can sell his product. Thanks to his friendship with Tanner Blackberry, he often tows a fruit wagon behind his van. 

Emma's brother is Cedric Walnut. He is married to Yardley and they have children Saffron, Ralph and little ones Ambrose, Alyssa, Ava and Dayton.
 

Saffron. Ambrose, Yardley, Ralph, Cedric and Dayton

Alyssa, Saffron, Yardley, Ambrose, Cedric, Ralph, Dayton

Alyssa, Dayton, Ava, Ambrose

As well as the Furbanks and the Walnuts there is a family of three squirrels called Munk.

Sherilyn Munk is a widow with two children. She has a son called Clifton (known as Cliffy to many) and a tiny one called Mimosa.

The Goldbacke Hamster family (5)

Nick and Emma Goldbacke have a son and daughter Frank & Nora, togther with a tiny boy Micki. Emma runs the Forest Nursery and Nick helps out - one of his duties being the driver of the nursery bus.

Nora, Nick, Micki, Emma, Frank

The Hamilton/ Hawthorne Hamster family (15)

Huckleberry and Hilda Hamilton have a son George, two daughters Jane and Kirsty and two pre~school children Christine Deirdre and Neil Simon. These tiny children are usually referred to as Didi and Smudge. 

Huckleberry is one of the partners in HHG Enterprises who do assorted physical work in the village. This includes a contract with Mellowdene Council. Hilda teaches at the school.

When young Georgie Hamilton became severely ill, his family were told it would be unlikely if he survived two more years. The Hamiltons decided that he would get a better quality of life in Mellowdene. Registering with the cottage hospital, Doctor Henry Bearbury examined him and provided a possible alternative diagnosis. Henry's training had been supplemented with time spent at the Greybear Clinic in Central Sylvania and this extra knowledge suggested a modified treatment.

Happily, the treatment was a success and Georgie has recovered from the life threatening condition. Although it is unlikely he will ever be at full strength - and he needs protection from bright sunlight - it is expected he will have a lifespan no different to any other hamster.

Kirsty, Huckleberry, Smudge, Hilda, Didi, Jane and George

Huckleberry's sister Tillie is married to Harry Hawthorne and they have a baby daughter Peaches.

The Hamiltons are comparative newcomers to Mellowdene, although the Hawthornes have been here longer. Kirsty used to come here often to stay with her aunt's family, but the others visited less frequently due to Huckleberry's work commitments where they used to live.

Harry Hawthorne is the lead reporter for the Mellowdene Examiner newspaper.

Harry has a brother Willis Hawthorne.

Willis is married to Diane and they have three children, Ferris, Cameron and Sloane. Willis and his family run the stables Hawthorne Horses. This family business has been running for generations.  Huxley Beagle helps out as stable boy.

Tillie, Peaches and Harry (in his old clothes)

The Hawthorn White Mouse family (5)

Hickery Hawthorn is married to Imogen and they have three children -  Bryce, Laurel and baby Mabel.

Mabel, Bryce, Hickory, Imogen, Laurel

The Hazelnut Dormouse family (6)

Sidney Hazelnut is married to Mona and they have four children - Otis, Otto and Odette, and baby Joe. Mona is a librarian and is Secretary of the Cake Club.

 

 

Sidney, Mona
Otto, Odette, Joe, Otis

The Hazelwood Mouse family (12)

Basil Hazelwood (aka Bustle) is a chef at the Mousehole Restaurant. His wife Betty manages the business, leaving Basil to be creative in the kitchen. They have two sons, Twitchell (aka Twitch) and Sniff and a daughter Evie. Twitch Hazelwood is an Able Sea-mouse in Captain Horatio Seadog's crew.

Basil also has three brothers - Burrell (aka Burrow), Scully (aka Scurry) and Turnbull (aka Tumble) -  who are stakeholders (along with Ashley Maces) in a small business Mice & Clean. They can turn their hands to many tasks but much of their regular work is concerned with keeping Mellowdene clean. They do the dirty jobs - dealing with waste of all types - all in good humour. Sniff helps when they need someone to access smaller places. It can be hard, smelly work maintaining the sanitary systems of the village, ensuring the integrity of the clay sewer pipes and emptying the septic tanks. The introduction of recycling and advanced processing technology - courtesy of the Sylvanian Research Group - has helped.

More than once have villagers reported music coming from underground - the brothers like to sing whilst they are working in the sewers!

Burrow, Tumble and Scurry

Basil has a cousin Fennel. They went to catering college together and there is a good-natured rivalry between them. Fennel missed this when he worked at a hotel in a town far from Mellowdene, and his wife Darlene could see he wasn't happy. They moved back to the village with their children Augustus (Gus) and Antonia (Toni) , and Fennel took a less stressful job as chef at the Bassett's boarding house. Darlene is a nurse at the hospital.

 

Fennel, Toni, Gus & Darlene

The Marshmallow mouse family (7)

Bernard and Bianca Marshmallow have children Christopher and Katherine with tinies Albert and Annie and the even tinier Maggie.

Katherine, Bernard, Albert, Annie, Bianca, Christopher

 

The Meadows / Stamp families (4)

Jack Meadows married Maisie Stamp and they have a young son Iain Dylan Meadows (usually known as Dill).

Maisie works as a receptionist at the hospital. She has formed a good friendship with Darlene Hazelwood partly due to knowing her husband from her childhood. She and her brother used to play with Fennel.

Her brother is postman Samuel Stamp. He lives at Minestrone House. 

 

 

Dill, Fennel and Maisie renew their childhood friendship

Maces "City mouse" family (9)

Ashley Maces is a businessman who has an apartment at Minestrone House (see other residents, documented later). He has two children - Chester and Spencer.

Chester Maces is married to Gilda Norwood and, together with their sons sporty Adam and Darius, they are also both residents at Minestrone House in one of the larger aparments. Gilda works at the hospital. The boys like to spend time with their cousin Endeavour Norwood.

Spencer Maces is married to Arvey and they have two children, Mark and Nichole.

Spencer, Nichole, Mark, Arvey

Chester, Gilda, Ashley
Adam, Endeavour Norwood, Darius

The Norwood Mouse family (4)

Gilda Maces' brother is Wensleydale Hector Norwood. He and his wife Brie have children Endeavour and Katy. The Norwoods are in the cheese-making business, creating a wide range of cheeses. They have a good working relationship with Buttercup Dairies. 

 

The Oakwood Squirrel family (8)

Ollie and Betsy Oakwood have a son Barnaby and a daughter Bluebell.

Ollie has two brothers. One brother Ozzy is married to Sharon and they have a son Jack.

Ollie's youngest brother is called Orlando. A caring young squirrel, it came as no surprise when he decided to train to be a curate. He is under the tutelage of Kelvin Waters and is proving to be a big help.

The Pettyfur Guinea-pig family (6)

Peter and Penny Pettyfur have a son Andrew and a daughter Nicola.

 

Peter's brother - Feargal Pettyfur - has a daughter called Erin.

 

 

The Thistlethorn Grey Mouse family (9)

Chester is married to Willow and they have children Lester and Prissy.

Chester's brother Chandler is married to Monica and they have three children - Leopold, Primrose and Petunia. Monica works with the Harveys at the village store.

 

Petunia, Monica, Leopold, Chandler, Primrose

 

The Waters & Brooks beaver families (19+4)

For some years, Wade and Kelvin were the only representatives remaining in Mellowdene from the Waters family of beavers. Their numbers increased when Wade married Nancy and they had their children Roger and Misty. Kelvin decided to attend to the spiritual needs of the community, and spent some of his spare time looking into their family history. Wade became River Warden, a role he enjoys.

Roger, Wade, Bubbles, Nancy, Bucky, Misty

Kelvin

One of Captain Horatio Seadog's crew is a small beaver called Murky. His family lived in another village a few miles away. 

Kelvin was surprised to find he was related to this family of beavers. They were actually his cousins (they shared a great-grandfather) and he started to visit them regularly. There were four brothers who worked as builders, specialising in wooden structures. Unfortunately, there were other builders in the village and the amount of work was becoming insufficient to support this branch of the Waters family.

When the owner of the sawmill in Mellowdene became too old to continue working and moved out of the village to live with his family, Kelvin informed his cousins. They all decided to move to Mellowdene. For a few months they lived at the boarding house near the docks. This gave them a base of operations whilst they built a small complex of interconnected log cabins close to the sawmill.

It was about this time when Wade and Nancy had their babies Bucky and Bubbles. 
The four brothers are Wellington (Wellie), Walter (Wally), William (Willie) and Wolfram (Wullie).

Wellington is married to Lisette, and they have four children. The eldest is Murky (mentioned earlier), and the others are Lester, Leo and Lindsay. Lester considers himself quite adult and likes to wear a suit. Despite Lindsay's somewhat "girlie" appearance, she is not averse to getting into scrapes. Leo finds most things exciting and isn't afraid to show it.

Lindsay, Wellington, Leo, Lester, Lisette, Murky

Walter and William are unmarried. Although they are hard workers, Wally and Willie are quite juvenile in their social life. Their antics always put a smile on villagers' faces.

Wally and Willie, pictured with Kelvin

Wolfram is married to Florabelle and they have two children - Crispin and Ripley.

Crispin, Florabelle, Wullie and Ripley

Nancy Waters' brother Norman Brooks is married to Deanna and they have children Sean and Lianne.

Sean, Deanna, Norman

Woodbrook Beaver family (7)

Andrew and Aubrey have five children - Evelyn and Emlyn,  and tinies Ethan, Enoch and Eccles. Emlyn and Enoch love hiking. Eccles loves to sing whilst looking at the campfire.

 

Evelyn, Ethan, Andrew, Eccles, Aubrey, Enoch, Emlyn

Acaster Beaver family (1)

(Maple Town; the castoridae family is the scientific classification for beavers)  

Bevan Acaster came from the same small village as the four Waters cousins. Back then, Willie and Wally Waters were inspired by Bevan, and they considered him an all-round entertainer. He practised sleight-of-hand magic, juggled, told jokes and sang the occasional humorous song. This was in his spare time. To earn a living, he  worked odd jobs that were more physical as Bevan was a particularly strong beaver.

His arrival in Mellowdene was a surprise to the two Waters brothers. Did he still use his old skills? He took a job working for Marcus Tan's brewery, but what else? No one knew how things might progress...