The Donkey Whisperer

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This week has not been easy – not for me & certainly not for Susie.

On Wednesday morning I found her practically unable to walk – bizarre given that on Tuesday she was her usual lively self. A call to the vet resulted in a phone diagnosis of a likely case of laminitis, apparently brought on by her over healthy appetite. This was even more strange given that she has been on restricted rations since last year and this year all of our guests were very good at not giving into her noisy and endearing requests for extra titbits. I would even say that she lost a bit of weight.

Even so , I duly gave her the medicine but two days later she was no better.Another vet ( the same one featured in this post!) came out to examine her and as I feared she was a terrible patient. Our adorable Susie has never been easy in times of distress and has a huge dislike of men in long coats ,a psychological throwback to her very first visit from a vet I think.

After much struggling and protest, two attempts to bite and several more to kick him, she eventually gave in enough for the vet to ascertain that she had an abscess inside her front hoof. This was  drained & cleaned and she got an injection of penicillin. The worst part ,for me at least, was the news that she had to have 4 more injections which the vet was expecting me to administer…was he kidding??? She also had to have a visit from the farrier to tidy up her hooves.

A farrier's job is never easy!!

This I was dreading…the last time she had her hooves done it took two men 45 mins to do a 15 minute job. Sod must have been at work too as Amar is away this week and I’m sorry to say that my brute force is no match for Susie’s determination and bulk….there was no way I was even going to offer to help. Not even just to show willing…

But the farrier came alone and bravely soldiered on single handedly until the job was done. With a transformation which would make Jekyll & Hyde look like amateurs, Susie morphed into some raging beast.  I don’t think I could ever adequately describe the pandemonium which took place but the fact that he said ( among many other unprintable things) that if she were his she would be sausages, probably says it all! Still, he was good enough to give her the 2nd injection.

Then yesterday I got a phone call at 8.30am from a man in the area who trains/re-educates/breaks in horses & donkeys. The farrier had told him that I had an urgent problem with a juvenile delinquent donkey which needed 3 more injections. I had already managed to draft in some help but he came round anyway to see how he could help …our very own donkey whisperer!!

Susie was putty in his hands and I’m pleased to say that he pronounced her to be the gorgeous, adorable, gentle creature which we have all grown to know & love – she just needs to learn some manners! So, she’ll be going to finishing school at the end of the month and hopefully will come back the perfect lady!

A learning curve for me - first time I've ever given an injection! Luckily she behaved!!

Oh and in spite of it all she actually let me give her yesterday’s injection with relative ease …maybe she just doesn’t like men in long coats!!

September’s Recipe

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Way back in the 1980s La Potinière in Gullane, East Lothian was the place to go for a gastronomic meal – you had to book months ahead to get a table (at one point their Saturday night waiting list was reputed to be two years long!)  and I remember people saying that if you didn’t plan way ahead there was no point in even asking –  this wasn’t always true, especially at lunch times or midweek but such was their reputation.

La potiniere cookbook from 1980sWe regrettably didn’t get the chance (or rather make the time!) to eat there while  Hilary & David Brown were there … after 27 very successful years in the business they decided to move on. La Potinière is now run by Keith Marley & Mary Runciman.It still all looks wonderful & we still haven’t been.( Not surprising though as we now live more than 1500 kms away ).

We still have the original well thumbed La Potinière & friends cookbook though and one of my favourite recipes is Hilary’s Tomato & mint Soup. With a glut of tomatoes in our vegetable patch at this time of the year I make lots of it to freeze & enjoy over the Winter.

tomato and mint soup

Tomato & Mint Soup ( 6 servings )

  • 50g unsalted butter                                  home grown tomatoes
  • 225g finely sliced onions
  • 900 g ripe, juicy tomatoes
  • 85 ml dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 3 rounded tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • seasoning
  • sprigs of fresh mint & a little lightly whipped cream to garnish
  1. Melt the butter in a medium size saucepan. Add the onion & cook gently until softened but not coloured. Stir from time to time with a wooden spoon.
  2. Add the tomatoes whole, with skins and stalks, the sherry, sugar & mint. No water is needed at this stage. Stir together, cover with a lid, then simmer for 45 mins to an hour. Stir occasionally.
  3. Ladle the mixture into a liquidiser & blend until smooth.
  4. Pour the soup through a mouli into the rinsed- out pan.
  5. Stir together, then add enough water to correct the consistency. Season to taste, about 1-2 teaspoons of salt. It should have plenty of body so don’t add too much water – the tomatoes should have created enough liquid.
  6. When you are ready to serve, reheat the soup and ladle into warm bowls. Garnish with a little lightly whipped cream & top with a sprig of fresh mint.
My own tuppence worth…
  • We rarely have sherry in our cupboard as it’s hard to find here so I have made this soup with whatever has been lurking at the back of our fridge at the time ( within reason of course!!). White port, Tawny port and Madeira have all been successful but the best soup I’ve made was with a mixture of Marsala & something else which I can’t quite recall now….no matter, it should still be delicious!!