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The latest episode for Moley and Friends recorded by Storynory. Look out for Moley and Friends on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast apps.

Moley loved living in MoleTown. There was everything a mole could possibly need — shops, cafés, even a hairdressing salon for a particularly stylish snip.
But town life didn’t suit everyone, not all of the time.
Take The Gardener, for example. He often found the hustle and bustle of MoleTown a bit too much. He would sigh and say to his best friend, Squirm the worm — "Oh, how I long for just a little peace and quiet!"
And even Dotty, Moley’s friend and neighbour, sometimes wanted to get out of the city and into the countryside.
One day, as Moley was planting tulips in his front garden, she came trotting up and asked,
"Moley, have you ever been camping?"
Moley shook his head. "No," he said. "Why would I want to go camping? It sounds uncomfortable. What would I eat, without any shops or cafés? And what if a snake slithered into my tent? You know me, Dotty — I’m a mole-about-town."
Dotty pulled a used book from her backpack — All You Need to Know About Camping. She flipped it open proudly.
"See what it says here, Moley — page 42: ‘Camping brings you close to nature.’"
"That's exactly what I’m afraid of," muttered Moley, brushing soil off his paws.
But Dotty was already lost in a dream of tents, crackling campfires and delicious smores.
"Oh, Moley," she said, her eyes shining, "there’s nothing better than sleeping under the stars! The birds singing, the smell of the trees, the sound of a stream gurgling nearby.”
Just then, a whirr-clank-rattle filled the air. Dotty and Moley both knew who it was.
They turned to see Uncle Mishmosh racing down the path in his latest invention — his Garden Machine.
"Morning, Moley! Morning, Dotty!" Mishmosh called cheerily. "Just giving the neighbourhood a little spruce-up!"
"Morning, Mishmosh," said Moley. "Dotty here is trying to persuade me to go camping."
"Ah yes," said Mishmosh. "We went last year — great fun!"
"Except that you packed a few too many inventions, Uncle," said Dotty. "You even had a machine to cut your toenails and massage your back. It says here, on page 52, that camping is about enjoying the simple things in life."
"My inventions are simple," said Mishmosh, yanking a lever.
At once, his machine whirred, buzzed, and hissed into action.
One arm dug a flowerbed, another trimmed a hedge into the shape of a pineapple, a third polished a garden gnome until it gleamed like gold, and a fourth threw seeds into the air like confetti.
"You see?" said Mishmosh proudly, "Perfectly simple."
Moley and Dotty looked at each other. Neither said a word — but Dotty gave Moley a look that clearly said, "This is exactly what I'm talking about."
Not far away, the Gardener was trying to enjoy a nap.
The clanking and puffing of Mishmosh’s machine woke him up.
"Squirm," he grumbled, "I can never get any rest around here. Let’s go camping in the countryside. The odd moo-cow or bird tweet won’t bother me like all these noisy modern machines!"
And as Moley hadn’t anything planned for the holiday, he agreed to go camping.
They set off on foot with their rucksacks and their tent — and of course, Dotty didn’t forget her camping book.
By the time they reached the campsite, Moley’s feet were hot and weary, but he had to admit it was a lovely spot, full of mushrooms, wild flowers, and buzzing bees.
"I hope there aren't any snakes," said Moley.
Dotty consulted her book. On page 64 it said, "Always check for snake holes before pitching your tent."
So they had a good look around. There weren’t any.
"Let’s set up the tent," said Dotty. She showed Moley the instructions in her book. Moley saw a picture of someone lying on the ground inside a tent.
"We aren’t going to sleep on the ground like that, are we?" he asked.
"Of course," said Dotty. "It'll toughen you up, Moley."
"Oh, I see," said Moley, wondering if Mishmosh would even turn up — because he was sure he wouldn't sleep on the ground.
And before long, there was a familiar clanking and rumbling.
Mishmosh arrived in his latest invention — the Campmaster 5000.
"Hello, campers!" he called out.
With a grand flourish, he pressed a bright red button.
At once, the Campmaster 5000 sprang into action.
Out popped a gleaming metal frame, unfolding into a luxury tent with walls, a roof, windows, and even a little porch. Another arm zipped out a hammock, while yet another laid down a plush, springy bed complete with pillows, sheets, and a patchwork quilt.
Moley was in awe!
"This isn’t camping!" Dotty cried. "Camping is meant to be simple! Sleeping under canvas! Cooking on a real fire! Living close to nature!"
"My dear Dotty," said Mishmosh, settling into a rocking chair that unfolded from the side of the machine, "this is close to nature — just with a few minor improvements."
"All right, have it your way," said Dotty. "But Moley and I are going to camp the simple way."
"Sure, sure," said Mishmosh. "But come round for dinner. I brought pies from MoleTown — grub pies for me and Moley, and a vegan one for you, Dotty. I'll just pop them in the microwave — they'll be piping hot in a jiffy!"
"Microwave!" exclaimed Dotty. "That’s the last straw! I’m going for a hike to appreciate the natural beauty of the place!"
She swung on her rucksack and stomped off.
"I hope she’s all right," said Moley.
"She’ll be fine," said Mishmosh cheerfully. "Let’s work up an appetite before supper. I brought quad bikes! We can have some fun!"
Moley and Mishmosh climbed aboard the quad bikes and roared around the campsite, kicking up dust, bumping over tree roots, and making even more noise.
Now not far away, The Gardener and Squirm had set up their tents, hoping for some peace and quiet.
The Gardener clutched his ears.
"Oh, grubs! This isn’t peace and quiet! It’s worse than MoleTown! How can we get rid of those troublesome moles?"
Squirm stuck out his tongue and hissed: "Tssssss!"
The Gardener’s eyes lit up.
"Squirm, you’re a genius! We’ll make a fake snake — guaranteed to scare them away!"
They set to work, gathering vines, twigs, and leaves. They tied everything together with cord and tent rope until they had a long, wobbly green "snake" they could drag along.
Dotty returned from her hike just before dark. Mishmosh and Moley were resting in their hammocks, feeling full of grub pies.
But as Dotty approached, she heard a horrible sound —
TSSSSSSSSSSS!
She looked around and saw the snake sliding between her tent and Moley’s.
"Snake! Snake!" she cried.
Moley and Mishmosh fell out of their hammocks in surprise.
"You’re right, Dotty," said Moley. "What shall we do?"
"Make lots of noise!" said Dotty. "My camping book says noise scares snakes!"
"No problem at all," said Mishmosh.
He flicked a switch on the Camping Machine and —
sirens blared, horns honked, drums banged, and a giant pair of cymbals clashed above their heads.
Searchlights lit up the camp, and Moley saw two sneaky figures running through the trees, pulling the snake behind them.
"Look! It’s not a real snake! It’s a fake — made by The Gardener and Squirm!" Moley declared.
Everyone burst out laughing as the pair of tricksters fled into the night.
"That’s so funny!" said Dotty.
"Well, at least you’re glad the snake wasn’t real," said Mishmosh, grinning.
"You know," said Dotty, "I’ll be happy if tomorrow morning we can go for one lovely walk — with no gadgets, no machines — just the countryside."
Moley and Mishmosh agreed it was a wonderful idea.
And so, all three moles enjoyed the rest of their camping holiday — each in their own way, but most importantly, they were all together.