Donkeys

Well Palm Sunday survived. Around the country real donkeys were probably press-ganged into service. In one Bristol church we heard there were going to be two donkeys because each wouldn't go without their friend.

I have experienced pantomime donkeys before. The instruction to the Palm Sunday procession at St Paul's, Leamington that 'We all sit down for a moment' was greeted with inactivity. Clearly the donkey had not worked out how to sit down. We couldn't see the facial expressions of the occupants of the costume (hi Seb and Alex by the way), or hear their deliberations, but on the instruction being repeated the donkey simply gave up standing and fell over sideways in the centre aisle, its legs bouncing into the air briefly. 'The donkey's dead' squealed a toddler and burst into tears.

Yesterday our children's leaders had gone to some trouble to authenticate our pantomime donkey, alleging they had visited Donkey Genes Re-united to check its pedigree. Whilst the front of the donkey was being interviewed on the events of Palm Sunday the rear passenger in the outfit jettisoned brown papier mache donkey poo. I have three pieces to add to my small shrine of unusual souvenirs from church services down the years.