The week that was

Started a new contract this week with work so it took me a wee while to get into the swing of being in the city by 8.00am. Am going to have to change some feeding times to evening again instead of mornings.

Tuesday blessed those who were up early enough with the most amazing sunrise.

OS visitors arrived Thursday night (thank God for Jenny the house cleaner) and accommodating kids who had to share (I KNOW - teenagers sharing!).

Saturday I participated in a multi agency fire and rescue operation that I can't really tell you about. Great day and, as always, some good laughs.

Today was home day. Walked the boundary of the donkey electric fence to check it was OK. That takes about an hour because of how steep it is. Donkeys and dogues came too. I have to say though, it's not a comforting sound to hear two donkeys charging down a very steep hill behind you (trot/canter) when they have realised they can't stop and I'm on the path in front of them! Luckily we all made it to the bottom of the paddock without anyone falling or getting injured. Then it was the hike back up the other side, which is not as steep (but still lung gasping steep).

Roman was dog tired after that any managed to find himself a leather pooffee to rest his weary bones on. He is currently snoring at my feet.

The sky could have fallen and he wouldn't have woken up

The mountain is covered in a sticky tall grass called molasses grass. Great for donkeys to eat, bad for donkey to walk through and rub their faces in. It makes them  sticky and then every seed, bindi, bramble, vine, etc. sticks to them. I'm pretty sure it's uncomfortable because they'll just stand there for hours and let me pull them off their fur. But there comes a time when there is simply not enough hours in the day to pull this quantity of seeds off two donkeys. The solution: bath time.

The first time I bathed them last year, I am sure they were in pure shock. Did not move.

NOT impressed!

This year, shall we say, they were a little more savy about the hose and the shower gel. Guinness tried to crush me against the fence several times and Irwin just stuck his tongue out at me (he's such a sweetheart). Good news is a have had two clean donkeys, free of sticky seeds until they both had their own dirt baths. Luckily they are no longer sticky and covered in bindis and seeds.

I did manage a 'before' shot of Irwin. Note how matted his fur is with the sticky grass and the clumps of bindis on the poor boy's ears.

Maybe there's a business opportunity here with donkey hydrobaths...