A big thank you!

Posted on by Gareth Thomas

I am now returning to work for the two weeks of summer school teaching I have to do before the real holiday begins in August!

The past few weeks have not been a holiday, but involved a huge amount of effort: putting up fences in the new donkey field, dismantling the old donkey field, and of course, moving the donkeys!  None of this would have been possible within the time-frame that I had – between end of school year and summer school work – without the help and support given by my friends.  If you have never moved a donkeys farm it is difficult to imagine the amount of effort involved!  I think my friends have put in every bit as much effort and enthusiasm as I have myself. A special thanks is due to Carl for all his physical labour and building skills.  Cait helped Carl with the fencing, and of course she also had a key role in the donkey moving, managing Morris across variations in the tarmac and drain covers…

Also thanks to the paid professional guys, Pedro and Oliver who worked on the installations in the house: plumbing and power. Everything has been accomplished remarkably smoothly.  Thank you.

Here are some additional photos from these weeks of transition: the old field, the donkey moving, and the new place.

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Postscript

When you have good news to share, there is sometimes a sad person out there with less joy in their life who simply wants to spoil the party.

To the “Anonymous” stalker who keeps trying to put offensive comments on this blog: please note two things. No such comments will appear, as only comments by trusted regular readers get posted without blog owner’s approval. All other first time comments or incoming stuff from known nuisances need to be approved first.

Secondly, you are not actually “Anonymous” You may not realize it, but your IP address shows up and identifies your computer’s location: your IP address in Spain is 176.83.16.43   Any further annoyance and your internet provider will be informed of your internet nuisance activities.  Desist.

As expected, the IP address shows the nuisance has internet provided by Telefonica. Surprise surprise!

IP: 176.83.16.43
Decimal: 2958233643
Hostname: 43.red-176-83-16.dynamicip.rima-tde.net
ASN: 3352
ISP: Telefonica De Espana
Organization: Telefonica De Espana
Services: None detected
Type: Wireless Broadband
Assignment: Static IP

20160717_125615[1]
Morris out for his first local walk in the valley on Sunday
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This, in the end, is what the effort was all for!
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And back home for a tantalising glimpse of level 2 before returning to the only completed fenced area on level 1.  Level 2 will be opened up in August probably.

11 thoughts on “A big thank you!”

  1. Congratulations on such a gargantuan effort! Many blessings to you and the donks for a very happy and peaceful time in your lovely new home. I hope the next few weeks go smoothly by so that you can REALLY enjoy a proper break in August.
    Oh…and to the idiot who wishes to snoop and snipe….go away, do something more appropriate with the life God has given you and do something about your envy and malice. If you don’t…God will and you won’t enjoy that. I will pray for misguided self.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Yes, peaceful is the word, up there in El Parral. The only sounds for most of the day are the wind in the pine trees and the wide variety of birdsong, ranging from eagle to partridge! Oh yes, and the very occasional bray! The donkeys kept silence for most of the two weeks after they moved. I think it is instinct: not wishing to give away their presence in unfamiliar territory (in case of lions?); but they let out a great chorus yesterday when I was late with their breakfast because I thought I deserved a lie-in after all the physical effort of these past weeks. I still can’t believe we have found such a lovely setting. Haven’t really had time to enjoy it yet: that time will come in August hopefully.

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  5. Braying at last! That must mean they are beginning to feel more at home! The Donks would like to say a big thank you to you for all your hard work dismantling their old field and creating their new one. Rubi would also like to thank you for your support and encouragement during this anxious period for her. She and all the other Donks love their new home! There is much anticipation about who will be the next donk to go for a walk, or to explore level 2… Well done Dad! It has been a joy to see it all developing and all that you have achieved. Enjoy the time to relax and appreciate it now! The Donks certainly are! xxx

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  6. Yes, the donks have worked up enough confidence to bray more freely now. Apart from Rubí, of course: she never brays. There was a load of braying this morning! The house at El Parral is much closer to the donkey field than the house at Elca Seriu, so from the moment I get up and start putting the kettle on, flushing the loo etc., the donkeys are aware of the little noises from within the house. Braying follows soon after. I haven’t yet established the permanent feeding point, so I have been giving them their food under the pine trees or under the covered area where the stable is under construction. The mistake was to feed them in the narrow area near the gate, where Morris or Matilde took turns to dominate and chase the others away from the food. The plan for August includes construction of two mangers attached to the cisterna walls, so their food can be put in from standing on the cisterna (under the pergola). Unlike the set up at Elca Seriu, everything now needs to be planned carefully for the long-term, so I am wondering about constructing metal mangers. Metal seems cheaper than timber anyway, if the pergola is anything to go by. (It was at least 50% cheaper buying metal than timber.)

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  8. Funny that you should ask, because the moment the pergola was finished – and before I could paint the untreated metal – there was a very short shower and surface rust appeared instantly! But we don’t have too many problems with treated metal. Cars don’t rust here as they do in the UK for example, and my old 1998 Ford Fiesta shows hardly any sign of rust.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. That’s a good idea to put the mangers there. The water point would make sense to go in that area, close to the cisterna.

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