Rubí Donkey writes her Rubí Tuesday blog.
So I will expalin about the drama of burra Matilde and the badnage. First I will expalin why we have to start any expalination with “So…”
Morris donkey, who is one of the last listeners to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, tells me that any expalination of complicated matters these days must begin with “So…”
So somewhere there is a residential media training programme – probably costing as much for a weekend as the cost of the deposit on a one bedroom basement flat in Croydon – where politicians, financial experts, social commentators and anyone except ordinary people – learn how to respond to a media interviewer with unnatural grammatical constructions that give them an edge, like starting their expalinations with “So…”
JOHN HUMPHRYS: Minister, why is it that every simple task you turn your hand to results in chaos and complaints from the public that you are a complete wanker?
MINISTER: So, this is why I have introduced a new programme of reforms called, “This Time We Might Get it Right” so let me take this opportunity to expalin it to you. So my first point…
Note the genius of this approach. After the word “So…” there is a kind of acceptance that this is going to be a long and complicated expalination, after which there will never be any need for further questions. So, now that we understand the portance of the word “so,” I will now expalin about the drama of Matilde and the badnage.
So, once again, burra Matilde was limping around and looking tragic. This included loud braying at three o’clock in the morning which caused our Peasant to get up and visit in his pyjamas, shining a torch on Matilde. She limped a few steps and held up a front leg for the Peasant. He muttered reassuring noises and went back to bed. Next day he confidently said to Matilde, “Now we are going to put a nice badnage on your leg to sort it out!”
So, there followed an hour of chasing Matilde around level one, down the slope to level two, back up to level one, and much snorting and omnious warning kicks at the Peasant. Finally, the Peasant managed to get the head collar on Matilde and tied her up to put a badnage on her leg. Five minutes later, Morris had spotted the badnage, chewed it and pulled it off. Morris ran around several circuits of the field parading the fluttering badnage like a trophy.
So, we are now into the third day of the Peasant trying to put a badnage on Matilde. The third attempt. It’s looking good so far.
So, Morris took a lively interest in the new badnage but the Peasant chased him away with a fly swatter and now he’s lost interest.
So I’m just standing here defending the badnage. So, I’m sorry there’s not more going on, but that’s life in El Parral, and we can’t all be hanging on Donald Trump’s every last Tweet.
Equus Asinus 
SO it sounds like the Peasant is either chasing Matilde with the badnage, or chasing Morris for the badnage! SO you are doing a very good job of standing their protecting the badnage Rubí. Even SO, Morris donkey parading about, fluttering his trophy, must have been very comical! SO get well soon Matilde. xxx
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We have used an elasticated adhesive badnage and that finally defeated Morris. He tried sniffing and biting it but eventually got bitten by Matilde and lost interest in badnages.
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Détachez-les et amenez-les-moi ; le moine qui murmure à l’oreille des ânes et des chevaux
Siniakov, Alexandre(Auteur)
ésumé
La plupart du temps, les moines murmurent des prières à l’oreille de Dieu, pendant que les chevaux écoutent bruire l’univers. La plupart du temps, les moines vont à pied à l’appel des cloches, pendant que les chevaux piétinent ou dodelinent sans nulle part où aller. La plupart du temps, les moines se retirent dans leur cellule, pendant que les chevaux regagnent leur stalle.
” Mais il arrive qu’un moine se recueille auprès des chevaux sous leur abri. Il arrive qu’il aille à cheval par les chemins à la rencontre de l’inconnu et peut-être de l’abandonné. Il arrive qu’il murmure ses prières à l’oreille des chevaux comme une hymne de louange adressée par l’homme à l’univers. ” Russe et français, cosaque et moine, recteur de séminaire et éleveur de chevaux, le père Alexandre Siniakov a dévoilé son étonnant parcours dans un premier livre, Comme l’éclair part de l’Orient, remarqué et récompensé en 2018 par le prix du livre de spiritualité La Procure Panorama.
Son nouveau récit débute par la rêverie d’un Cosaque, se poursuit dans les pas d’un pèlerin russe à dos d’âne, avant de se conclure sur la vision lumineuse d’un starets à cheval.
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Hi Luisa. Thanks for the book review. I haven’t heard of Alexandre Siniakov before: he is clearly one of a new generation of Orthodox writers who I have not caught up with. (I used to read Anthony Bloom’s work and in fact I had a meeting with him once, when he agreed to sponsor me when I was undertaking a fund-raising pilgrimage to raise funds for a charitable cause.) Father Alexandre’s book does not appear to be available in English yet (?) and although I once spent time in a French Catholic community, my French is no longer good enough to read a text of this complexity. It’s another link to add to my donkey spirituality collection!
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So, have and interesting time over there with Badnages Gareth; but the weather does look good so Matilde should be making grand progress, which is a lot more than I can say about the other side of the water….. Good luck!
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