Xmas day arrives as fine and mild. It is just wonderful when the weather is clear and you can walk around without a scarf and coat. We exchanged gifts and then got down to the serious business of cooking the ham, two turkeys and all the veggies.
The Bishops supplied the oysters purchased locally and shucked by Mick. Even the little birds attracted by Micks bird feeders had a nice Xmas. After lunch about 3 o’clock we took a trip to the donkeys.
The Poitou donkey or Poitou ass, also called the Poitevin donkey or simply the Poitou, is a breed of donkey originating in the Poitou region of France. It is one of the largest donkey breeds, and was selected for size so that it could be used for the production of large working mules, in conjunction with the Poitevin horse breed. It is known for its distinctive coat, called a cadanette, which hangs in long, ungroomed cords. Breeders originally prized the coats highly, but today, many Poitou donkeys are shorn for hygienic reasons.
Due to the changes in transport and farm production, the Poitou almost died out as a breed, but the work of the Dampierre Assinerre farm, the breed has been saved. So a visit to see these delightful beasts was very relaxing after our big lunch. To learn more I suggest a visit to http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poitou_donkey
glendon1954 