31st March 2007
The news from here is not good - I have had a very sore throat these last two days.
Yesterday two donkeys, and let me add at this point I was not one of them - were being given special attention and they were taken into the stable area to be groomed and trimmed and have their legs washed and lots of extra fussing.
I shouted and shouted because I hate it when we are not altogether, you see I can count and I know if there are any of us missing and just cry and cry, I expect that you already know that we are a herd animal and so I like us to be all together in our herd, perhaps I am the one that gets most upset though!! not that it could possibly have anything to do with them getting attention when I am not you understand.
Then just as I had recovered from that- it happened again - this time just Gigi went off for the day, so I had to spend the whole day shouting again, the trouble being that every time I shouted Capella had to get in on the act and shout as well and what's more Annabelle has copied her mother's very loud bray and joined in too - I expect the neighbours will complain!! and if that should happen - I don't think our human will be very pleased.
When Gigi arrived back home I rushed up to greet her - but she just ignored me, and went off for a roll - eventually she told me that she had been a very important donkey at Gloucester Cathedral and had taken part in 'The Festival of The Donkey'.
She had played the part of the 'Happy Donkey' on Easter Day, for this part she had to wear a gold coat with a crown on her back and she had to stand at the front of the Cathedral in front of the congregation all by herself looking sad and pretending to graze near the Sepulchre. Then the scene had changed to sunrise on Easter morning, and how Gigi had to change and show how surprised and happy she was to see Jesus alive again: her role was then complete as Jesus patted her and lead her down the whole length of the Cathedral aafter which they had to stand at the back, and all this whilst the congregation watched.
Gigi wouldn't tell me any more, except that there were eight more donkeys who took part - so now I am wondering why I wasn't chosen?
24th March 2007
Hello ? here I am again, and there must be something exciting about to happen, even more exciting than my special human?s new leg, because every day this week our new Donkey ?carer? Caroline, who I believe works at the local vets and comes every morning to clean out our stables, and put our hay up for the evening and scrub all of our water buckets, has suddenly decided that we need more structure in our lives.
Before she lets us out into the field, she puts head-collars on four of us and ties us up to the fence with a quick release knot and then proceeds to give us a wonderful massage, and while she is doing that she feels every single part of our bodies, brushes every part of us and treats any little bare patches with a special liquid which makes us feel wonderful. After that she sprays our manes and tails with a conditioner brushes all the knots out carefully so that no hairs get broken and then off we go into the fields feeling absolutely glowing.
I did hear my human talking to Caroline in hushed tones ? however as I have told you previously our donkey ears are extremely good at picking up ?hushed tones? and I am sure I heard something about a Devon Show, sounds exciting whatever it is, I just hope that it means a day out - you know me - I just love all the extra attention, and who could they possibly take except me?........................
17th March 2007
Guess who has the best of both worlds?
My special human is back home with her new leg making a big fuss over the door and there are still extra people to help look after us as well. Actually if you look closely - it seems as though my human has three new legs!! I understand that is because her new one is a bit delicate for a while, she has to have two others attached to her hands to hold her up. Well I always have had four legs so that seems very sensible to me - in fact I just cannot understand how you humans manage with only two, but then I suppose you mostly do things in pairs anyway which gives you four legs as well!!!
Still it seems that most things here are being done by pairs of humans at the moment so who am I to question the number of legs? Marian and her mum come to put us all to bed so we get twice as many cuddles, and there you go-suddenly there are twice as many legs and if you look really deprived both lots give you tea and a pat!!!!
Mind you it wasn't twice as good when the tractor came to cut the hedges because we all had to be shut in a paddock without any hedge just in case we were tempted to help; now that was a bit unfair because I like to have a bit of a browse through the the twiggy bits, and so do all the others because it helps our digestion. Instead of which we had to eat grass all day and when that awful Annabell got bored with doing that she just became a total pain, wanting everyone to play with her and then running back to her mother when we did, and as you already know Capella doing the protective mother bit is quite scary. Well I think it is time for me to visit the back door - you never know with more legs there might be more treats...
10th March 2007
This time last week you may recall I was feeling sorry for myself and wondering what it would be like not having my special human to fetch and carry for me, and guess what it hasn't been at all bad !
Marian has come every day to see me and to make sure I had the extra cuddle that was emailed from the web site ? I know it was really so she had another excuse to drive the car ? because I understand she passed her driving test at the very first attempt ? now being a very important donkey I don't really know how important that is to you humans, but you hear a lot about ?driving donkeys? and they don?t come along too often so it must be quite difficult being a driving person in a car.
I do have one bit of sad news this week, my special granny donkey Genevieve, died in her sleep on Thursday, she was very old probaly nearly forty and quite grumpy when I was a foal, but she did teach me how to pull some really good funny faces. Still it will be lonely for her friends Lottie and Beans because they always went round the paddocks together, and stood and dozed in the sun when it was warm ? mind you that was part of the reason why she used to be grumpy with me, I never did do dozing!!
Oh yes and before I go, my special human has got her new leg and is doing very well, she should be home soon, so maybe I had better go and wait by the kitchen door????.................
3rd March 2007
Well whose got a big birthday then? Fancy that the Donkey Breed Society is 40 years old, who would have thought it?
Mind you when I look at all my ancestors a good few of them were around in 1967 so must have been part of the reason why it all started.
I am feeling rather sad today, my special human is going into hospital on Monday for a new leg, well a nearly new one anyway, and I just don?t know how I will manage without her. There will be no special moments or treats over the kitchen door for quite a while.
I am also feeling a bit guilty because last summer during all the excitement of competing in the championship at a show I pushed her into the hedge!! Silly really because I could easily have trotted beautifully in a straight line, instead of which I leant on her and did a big jump and whoops there we both were in the stinging nettles looking straight at this huge green barrier ? any of you have seen the film ? ?Over the Hedge? will get the picture.
It is lovely and sunny here today and that makes a real change after all the rain this week, we have been confined to the yard because despite all the efforts to keep us safe and dry it is rather muddy and slippery in our paddocks and the precious Annabell might just get pushed over ? yes she jolly well just might get pushed over, that mother of hers barging and pushing her way through to get everywhere first.
It is even quite warm in the sun and I am considering very seriously starting to shed my winter coat so that I can have the nice new shiny one that must be ready to grow underneath, but maybe I?ll save that for when I can have all the special grooming that my human knows I love.
Well I must go I see am needed to assist with the wheelbarrow and the mucking out, and there must be some treats to hand out before Monday.........
