Dolly the donkey has a new girlfriend. (Dolly is a He.) He was causing lots of problems, escaping and running around in pursuit of love, getting himself into scrapes with other donkeys etc. So Ace said that we ought to find him a girlfriend. She arrived last week and hasn’t got a name yet. She has already started to pull the cart with earth for the land fill in her patient donkey way.
Malians, like most other peoples, treat their donkeys quite badly and hold them in contempt. If a donkey dies it is simply thrown onto a piece of waste ground to rot. Horses on the other hand are considered to be noble animals and are therefore buried.
I am running around trying to arrange everything for my departure. The hotel is closing mid May to end June, although I will be gone the day after tomorrow. Keita is here with me for my last week in Mali, and will accompany me to Bamako. I will fly to Spain on Saturday morning for a week’s riding holiday near Seville. I am hoping to learn some dressage so that my lovely Maobi won’t get bored with me…
Then on to England, France Holland and Sweden!