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There was much electricity in the skies overnight, but none in the house. It was all required for a spectacular thunderstorm. From the news this morning it was apparent that we were very fortunate. Even in Christchurch, about eight miles away, a house was struck by lightning, and in other parts of the country many people woke up to continuing power cuts.
By late afternoon, when we were on a driveabout, the skies had broken up, but still looked dramatic.
Before then, I had filled two more of our large bags with chopped up branches, and we had taken them to the dump.
As before, bees had worked alongside me.
Following a roundabout route, we found ourselves at Hatchet Pond where
donkeys basked
or foraged.
The youngster snoozing by the Lyme disease poster is quite appropriately positioned, because, although the ticks carrying this very nasty complaint inhabit the forest grasses and shrubs, they are also carried by the donkeys.
The two adults seem so much more elegant than many of the asses found wandering in the National Park that we wondered whether they might be mules.
A family by the lakeside had come to feed the birds,
which became very excited at the prospect;
in particular, when watching them fight over breadcrumbs, we were given plentiful evidence of why the collective noun for seagulls is a squabble.
The donkeys turned up for their share,
and became quite persistent.
A magpie also tried its luck, until being seen off by a gull.
Not far away, in Furzey Lodge, a thatcher’s donkey has found its way onto a roof;
and the agisters’ pound is dedicated to Jeffrey Kitcher, M.B.E. : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8646105/Jeff-Kitcher.html
This evening we dined on chicken breasts in sweet chilli sauce, Jackie’s onion rice topped by an omelette, and runner beans. I drank Old Crafty Hen.
If only I had a donkey on my roof, my life would be complete.
🙂 Thanks a lot, Leslie
…except for the chore of shifting the dung 🙂
Well, there goes that dream.
Lovely again…
Thank you, Zigyasa
Lol@ the collective noun for seagulls is a squabble 🙂 I didn’t know that. 🙂
Thanks a lot, Timi. And they make such a row, too
🙂
That sky is spectacular. I”m glad you only had power loss for a brief time and no other damage.
The donkeys are so cute, even if they may carry ticks.
I love the active bird photos!
Very many thanks, Merril
This is a great post Derrick – the pictures are outstanding! 🙂
Many thanks, Terry
I looked up ‘agister’ and am now eddicated, thank you. However why the agister needs a pound is beyond me – and Mr Google was no help either. Every thatched cottage should have its own donkey on the roof don’t you think?
Thanks, Pauline. They use the pounds for The Drifts. They are the enclosures where they clip the tails etc. They donkey on the roof is definitely an interesting variation on the usual birds.
Is that a REAL donkey on the roof? I have always been overly fond of a goat on a dog house – they stand up there so proud and silly at the same time – but this takes it to a whole new level!
🙂 It’s a thatcher’s trademark creation placed on top of the roof. They are usually birds, but this one reflects the surrounding aninals
Derrick….beans not beens for goodness sake!
I had no idea that you have Lyme in the UK… I wonder if it affects the Donkeys the same way they do us? I adore that foraging one and like everyone, the one on the roof.
Many thanks, Mary. I don’t think the donkeys and ponies suffer from the ticks other than stiffness of joints. It’s quite nasty for dogs.
And horrible for humans. My niece got a mild case after I took her on a bush walk. My fault really. I’d noticed the tick but failed to remove it completely. The first two visits to the doctor failed to detect its remnants. She suffered mild paralysis and drowsiness which cleared up with treatment. It could have been worse but gave us all a scare.
Nasty
The daughter of a friend in New York State has it, and has done for 6 or 7 years. It took a fight by my friend to get the medical professionals to recognize it, which delay made the situation worse. It’s pretty pernicious, so well worth knowing how to minimize exposure to it.
Love the donks …. Need one on MY roof!
Thanks, Osyth 🙂
Donkeys carrying Lyme. Who knew ? Great photos. Love the roof donkey. ?
Roy, the owner of The Camperdown Elm, told us. https://derrickjknight.com/2013/07/14/the-camperdown-elm/ Thanks, Van
I wondered if those more graceful critters—taller, and with somewhat smaller ears— might be mules, also. I read somewhere that donkeys are more intelligent than horses, which are more elegant than donkeys. The mule apparently inherits the best of both.
Thanks, Cynthia. This sent me to Google images. Mules they must be.
I love the thatched roof, also, with its donkey maker’s mark and scallops. It is so flipping cute.
I thought of you, when taking the photo, Ginene. Thank you.
What a nice thought, Derrick, that someone thought of me from so many miles away. Yes, I feel, somehow, I don’t know how because I had relatives that came from Ireland and worked in England and Wales before they came to the USA, but I feel like thatched roofs are in my DNA somehow. My ancestors from Ireland were poor and probably slept on a floor somewhere, but when I see a house with that roof, it feels like coming home. Thanks, Derrick.
You once spoke of your fascination with thatched roofs. One of the delights of blogging is that we make such relationships which touch us as they do. And of course your interest in antiques resonates with ours.
Derrick, I just realized that Ireland is covered with thatched roof cottages and houses. I’m embarrassed of my personal lack of knowledge about the rest of the world. See! Thatched roofs are in my DNA!
They are 🙂
I had a difficult time moving past that first photo, Derrick…it’s a stunner!
Many thanks, Jill
I love thatchers little twists – and all things donkey
So that would be a result, then. 🙂 Thanks, Sol
I love to take photos when the skies looks dramatic, Derrick. I have an indescribable feeling.
Hahaha! In one of my posts today I have a donkey, too 🙂 Only that mine is made of stone.
Have a beautiful Saturday, Derrick <3
Snap! Monica. Thanks
😀
Lyme’s Disease is a shocker and quite possibly fatal. It was thought that England was too cold for it, but it began to be found in Devon and Dorset around 1985-1990 I think. A young person I know caught it in the East Midlands last year. She is a young doctor and recognised what it was, but the GP she went to see did not, which is a bit worrying for the rest of us.
Many thanks, John. We should be OK down here because there is much knowledge of it on account of the equine population. Occasionally warnings are put out about dogs.
Hmm.. donkeys, seagulls and swans–not a combination I can ever remember seeing before. Looks like a fun day. Incidentally, you have to be careful of Lyme Disease. My nephew got it from a tick and was very sick for a while. Even today he sometimes suffers the after effects, my brother tells me.
Thanks, Bun. I never touch the animals 🙂
Very wise. 🙂
My favorite part of this was the pale creamy colored donkey, Derrick. Each photograph gave me a peaceful feeling with the sense of being part of the pastoral scenery. Lovely images, including a double bee sighting!
Many thanks, Robin. Donkeys in particular have such peaceful faces.
I am fond of your first two sentences, especially, but the whole piece was a good read. I learned a few things and enjoyed it all during a few moments of my own rainy day.
Many thanks, Cynthia G.
I didn’t know you had Lyme disease over there. Too bad! I got bitten by a tick when I was around 5 years old. We figure it happened when I was jumping around in a leaf pile in November. I tested positive for Lyme and had to take antibiotics. The last donkey is very cute and lastly, we can’t feed the birds over here – illegal.
From what I hear, you are lucky to have been cured of Lyme disease. It is interesting that feeding the birds is illegal. Thanks for reading and commenting.
We don’t use the word “interesting” 🙂
I was being polite 🙂
Beautiful
Than you, Vikey
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Thank you Jacque’