The Donkey Incident

Hello fellow budget hunters

Today’s post is another storytime. This one features a great throwback picture of me when I was 11 or 12 so let’s not be too mean!!

In the summer after my first year of high school, my parents decided to go on a staycation. We had looked at going to France like we previously had done, but during the holidays it was expensive for a caravan. So instead we went to 3 different places in the UK, starting in the hotel that was the inspiration for Fawlty Towers in Torquay. We then went to Yorkshire to Selby and then Lancashire.

While staying in Selby, we went for a day trip to Bridlington beach. I had been there a year prior, on a school trip to York and I remembered it being grey and miserable. When we went a year later, it was also grey and very overcast – British summer at its finest. So we had gone around the fair, been on a drop ride (next to what looked like a 4 year old) and been on the log flume.

My sister then wanted to go on the donkey’s on the beach. My Mum paid for both of us and I reluctantly sat on the donkey for the short walk up and down the beach front. I was not impressed.  I sat on a donkey called Harry, and my sister sat on the bigger one called Jack I think. Personally I am not a huge fan of animals, especially horses or bigger creatures that could do me some damage, so this experience was not the highlight of my holiday.

That is the face of someone who is not enjoying this experience, especially after the man in charge of them had to get me a leg up and then laughed a lot as a scrambled on. Considering I am the oldest of the two of us, my sister just got on the donkey normally and showed me up as a blithering idiot. I am even holding the bar so tightly I look petrified – even though I was only about a metre off the ground.

I actually look as afraid as I did on a camel, which really was a terrifying and painful experience that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. (Unless they like horse riding) Anyway, we walked up and down the beach, looking at the overcast day and the few families trying to enjoy the beach in british summer time.

After this, our ride had come to an end. The man helped my sister off and came round to help me, but I am a very impatient person. So I took it upon myself to climb off the donkey, it couldn’t be that hard, right?

WRONG – the saddle had a raised back, almost like a chair and I tried to lift my leg over the back of the seat. While I was concentrating on that, I lost my balance and promptly fell underneath the donkey. It was almost like I did a barrel roll over the donkey and just lay there underneath.

The donkey didn’t seem phased and just cocked his head towards me, lying on the beach underneath him and just shuffled over. My Mum was crying with laughter about how one second I was sat on the donkey and the next I was lying underneath it on the sand.

In fact, she regrets not capturing it on camera to remind me for the rest of my life. Regardless, I have never been on a donkey, mule or hinny ever again.

I hope this gave you a little chuckle on this friday morning!

Until next time

The Great Ambini

x x x