It’s a joy to look out of the kitchen window while I’m washing the dishes and see Luly and Fanny sitting quietly out beneath the apple tree. Donkeys know how to guard sheep and work hard, but also to stand in ways that suggest a kind of animal contemplation. They can stand like that for hours, ignoring the world and accepting it for what it is.

Donkeys are smarter than most dogs, calmer than cats, and more interesting than sheep. They’ve been around humans for thousands of years and help them build their villages and houses. They protect our sheep – they are guard animals – and they love to sit with us and do nothing together.