Donkey-appropriate Gourmet Goodies

[J.R.]

Being a wild-life person, I'd try and find a compromise.

Is there no way you can leave a secure gap for mum and dad to fly through ?

In my case, I'd probably knock a brick out for summer, replacing after the fledglings have gone.

[lonelymom]

Good idea, JR. You can't let them starve Neill! We've got housemartins nesting outside our bedroom window, using the same nest for the 4th year in a row. They sound lovely (except at 5 o'clock in the morning), and look beautiful swooping down into the nest. Apparently it's illegal for us to remove the nest even when it's empty, not that I'd want to anyway.

[chaosriddenyears]

Thank you Caroline - gives me an excuse to buy some strawberries too!

I've discovered that there is a Donkey Sanctuary not far away - I so enjoyed meeting Sarah that this might be an interesting experience? Masses of donkeys! Different colour donkeys!

XXX

Angela! I just do not believe this but looking at your location, it must be!

One of my brothers worked for about a year after leaving Housey at a donkey sanctuary in your area and I visited him there - I was still at Hertford at the time and it was the summer holidays. It was a beautiful place close to the sea and set up by a rich lady who had a passion for donkeys and travelled about saving ones that had been badly treated.
I have loved donkeys since then and still want to have one of my own one day.

I will mail him and ask him about special treats - get it straight from the donkeys' mouth, so to speak.

[Angela Woodford]

I'm sure there must be some specialist magazines dedicated to this practice which may well be provided in a plain brown wrapper !

Now JR! when I spent my year working as a trainee gardener at a historic house, I bought these rubber trousers very promptly when I saw that the rest of the team relied on them in wet weather. Especially the planting-17,000-tulip-bulbs-in-drizzling-rain experience.

However - facebooky people look away now to avoid repetition - I think rubber gardeners' trousers must feature in a Security Staff Reminder Manual for Chuckoutability. I had whizzed into Morrisons for a quick purchase, in the trousers, and looked up from a bottom shelf search to see the size 13s of Security bearing down on me ... fast. I must have looked particularly mud-spattered and disreputable. However, I rose to my feet fastening upon the hapless man the terrifying cold furious glare that Queenie Blench would bestow on anyone who hadn't handed in their Latin prep. The guard backed away and retreated before this counter-attack, ashen-faced and obviously alarmed.

You see? Latin can be useful for all sorts of things.

Now I am relying on the rubber trousers to aid in the creation of a garden in Devon - the soil consists of wet heavy clay/builders' rubble.

chaosridden years - this Donkey Sanctuary must be the same one! Rich lady... close to the sea.... that's it! It's definitely on my visit list now.

After CH, I hitch-hiked to Morocco and was terribly upset to see how donkeys were treated. Overloaded, looking half-starved, beaten if they fell down under their loads; it was horrifying.

Sarah the donkey managed to get out of her field, and was found happily trotting down the road! She's clever.

[chaosriddenyears]

Apparently this rich lady rescued quite a few badly treated donkeys from I think Tunisia and Morocco because she was so horrified at how they were treated. At the time my brother worked at the sanctuary they had about 200 donkeys and there were plans to buy another property or extend in some way.
I remember being startled out of sleep in the middle of the night - if one started braying they all joined in and 200 donkeys braying has to be heard to be believed!

He says by the way that they go barmy on mints but (as has already been mentioned) shouldn't have too many of them - he says they really like polos.
I know that he really likes polos so this may have influenced his opinion!

They are clever animals - and really lovable.

[lonelymom]

I remembered the name of the mints my sister-in-laws ponies like. They're called Mint Creams and they're made by Bassetts. They literally make her ponies mouths froth, and they lick their lips/noses for ages. It's lovely to see them getting so much pleasure from a mint! Give it a go, Angela

[Angela Woodford]

Bassett Mint Creams. They are now on my Must Do List for today.

Having created a wildflower bed and a new bed for sunflowers, herbs and tomatoes in the sunniest aspect of the garden, I admit shamefacedly that it's in my every interest soilwise to remain in the very good books of Sarah the donkey.

I now long to see her frothing and licking with a Bassetts Mint Cream anyway!

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Having created a wildflower bed and a new bed for sunflowers, herbs and tomatoes in the sunniest aspect of the garden, I admit shamefacedly that it's in my every interest soilwise to remain in the very good books of Sarah the donkey.

Hi Munch

We don't compost our horse poo, and have been known to successfully transplant seedlings directly into a deep layer of poo (we have access to LOTS of the stuff, of course), but I think that this only works because our guys live out 24/7, so the poos isn't urine soaked.

However, do be prepared for LOTS of weeds if your eeypoo hasn't been composted.

We feed sunflower seeds, and I live in hope of a sea of sunflowers in the paddocks, but have so far only managed one seedling in the vege patch that the chooks very rapidly dispatched. Shame that I can't say the same for oats, barley, and assorted weeds whose seeds survive transit through the equine gut, and happily sprout and thrive in my gardens.

On a positive note: they pull out really easily.

xxx

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

I know I shall be accused of "Lowering the Tone" (As usual) but on the matter of the Compost Heap and Urine -------
An occasional dose of Male Urine contibutes a hormone which works wonders. ----- I am glad to say, and so is my Wife that it doesn't apply to Female Urine --- nothing to do witrh "Aim" it just doesn't contain the Hormone !

I kid you not -- this is true ! ----- I can't think of a suitable "Smiley" !

[Angela Woodford]

However, do be prepared for LOTS of weeds if your eeypoo hasn't been composted.

We feed sunflower seeds, and I live in hope of a sea of sunflowers in the paddocks, but have so far only managed one seedling in the vege patch that the chooks very rapidly dispatched. Shame that I can't say the same for oats, barley, and assorted weeds whose seeds survive transit through the equine gut, and happily sprout and thrive in my gardens.

Hey Caroline! Excellent advice - how I do know exactly what you mean! Years ago in the Kent garden, I was tempted by bags of "well rotted" sheep poo on sale at a farm gate. I was anxious to grow lots of gloriously exuberent jungly cannas. The cannas were the talk of the neighbourhood, but I had to dedicate myself to weeding up growth +++ of meadow grass seedlings. Overall, the texture of the soil was greatly improved eventually.

Sarah's manure heap is really ancient though. Dark brown, non-whiffy, crumbly - I have every hope that it won't be too weed infested. I'm prepared though!

(Caroline - you know how you're a fount of knowledge on essential oils and scientific Stuff? What's the ingredient in spray-on moisturising oil which makes the oil sprayable? I've been puzzling over the list of ingredients on the bottle of my ginger body glossing spray, and apart from the oils, they are a mystery to me!)

NEILL - at the historic house garden where I used to work, the Boss would wander out at night and pee on the giant compost heap. I'm only glad it was at night, and the team were spared this sight. Oh, the wobbling patients' elbows I've held whilst assisting in loos over the years - aiming for the foil pot for vital specimens, etc! Those nursing days! I'm quite happy to rely on a donkey these days, for fertilising purposes, honestly!

[Ajarn Philip]

I'm trying desperately to work out the connection between a manure heap and spray-on moisturising oil, but I'm failing miserably...

Indidentally, I can't think of anything more pleasurable than a late night pee in the garden. In the UK, I used to favour the rhubarb, but I never did like the stuff.

Definitely time for bed!

[Angela Woodford]

Hi Philip, mwah! mwah!

The connection is.... Caroline! She knows about manure heaps, definitely; and also about things that get added to other things with essential oils too. Caroline can stem your tears with a special lemon oil, should you be having a magnificently male ee-motional moment. And also of a wonderful potion to put on mosquito bites, but that's not my problem right now...

The thing is, I feel, that I must ask Caroline these things promptly whilst the Devon - Adelaide connections are glowing bright - as once did the night-time Underwood rhubarb patch.

XXX!

[icomefromalanddownunder]

The thing is, I feel, that I must ask Caroline these things promptly whilst the Devon - Adelaide connections are glowing bright - as once did the night-time Underwood rhubarb patch.

XXX!

The connection may be stronger than you think Munch . I have a photograph of my neice (now. um, about 26, but aged 4 or 5 in the photograph) riding a donkey at a Devon sanctuary, and an English friend, who has lived in Adelaide almost as long as I have, worked at the sanctuary.

Back to emulsifiers (the things that enable oils to mix with waters): try checking the ingredient list for lecithin or, um, brain freeze ......... something from soy.

xxxx

PS for Neill and Phil: consider relative size of horse bladder to human, and, therefore, the relative amounts of urine voided at one time. Plus, we have two mares and only one gelding .....................

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Thank you for the information about Urine ---------- I wasn't referring to HORSES !!

[J.R.]

Very good for blisters !!