The Tenerife Sun Newspaper Tenerife

I have a habit of leaving my television on while I’m working, sound turned down, just for a bit of background noise. What’s on the screen doesn’t usually provide any kind of distraction – just moving wallpaper in a tiny corner of the room.
But last week something caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that there was a donkey prominently displayed, filling the screen, and he seemed to be speaking directly to me.
It’s not every day that this kind of thing happens and I promise you, not a drop had passed my lips. I turned the sound up.
My new donkey friend told me, first person, that he had been mistreated but a very kind lady from a donkey charity had spoken to his owner, pointed out the error of his ways, and now Donkey was treated kindly. He was very grateful that this particular kind lady had taken the trouble.
He went on. For only two pounds a week I could make sure that other donkeys were offered this wonderful service and he urged me to send, without delay, a cheque or direct debit details to a postal/email address in order to put the wheels in motion. If I did this, there would soon be a dearth of miserable donkeys and it would be all down to my generosity.
Shaking my head in disbelief, I carried on working. But 20 minutes later a small terrier was addressing me in a similar manner.
He suggested, quite strongly, that I send £3 a month to sponsor him or one of his kin. In return I would receive posters and photographs and my new friend would write and let me know how he was getting on, apparently.
For goodness sake! If these animals can write and speak, how come they need my couple of quid a week to fund themselves? In the right hands, they could make themselves fortunes overnight. Have they not thought about getting themselves an agent?
Unfortunately, it is the gullible – and usually vulnerable – people who take this kind of nonsense literally and part with their money.
I have no problem with charities doing their best to drum up finance but the people who are more likely to be in a position to help are those with sufficient intelligence to realise that dogs, donkeys and small children looking pathetic are probably no more than the imaginative outpourings of an advertising agency teaboy, always accompanied by a backing tape of music in a minor key to create the most effect for these cringe-worthy adverts.
Comic Relief, Children in Need, Appeals after Songs of Praise on a Sunday for international disaster funds I can tolerate and have been known to subscribe to but, really, talking dogs and donkeys – only in Shrek, please.

Comment from the Tenerife Sun Newspaper


British stiff upper lip protestant work ethic makes them so. It is probably a little of both and the more outdoor, outgoing way of life in Tenerife can make even the most introvert burst into life. But the real characters were born that way and you can’t buy that for all the tea in China. They are special people who have a zest for life and boundless energy and enthusiasm that leaves most of us gasping for breath just watching them. Things are changing in Tenerife. It isn’t the Wild West frontier town it once was, attracting as it did an eclectic mix of everyone from retired fighter pilots to saddle tramps and ‘chancers’ seeking their fortune in a mini-Klondike. But we can hope that, despite a raft of European red tape and legislation, we can still attract characters to our little corner of heaven. After all, life just wouldn’t be the same without them. And it certainly wouldn’t be as much fun.


Of talking donkeys, dogs and suffering children	That’s UK Life by ROSIE BARHAM

I have a habit of leaving my television on while I’m working, sound turned down, just for a bit of background noise. What’s on the screen doesn’t usually provide any kind of distraction – just moving wallpaper in a tiny corner of the room. But last week something caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that there was a donkey prominently displayed, filling the screen, and he seemed to be speaking directly to me. It’s not every day that this kind of thing happens and I promise you, not a drop had passed my lips. I turned the sound up. My new donkey friend told me, first person, that he had been mistreated but a very kind lady from a donkey charity had spoken to his owner, pointed out the error of his ways, and now Donkey was treated kindly. He was very grateful that this particular kind lady had taken the trouble. He went on. For only two pounds a week I could make sure that other donkeys were offered this wonderful service and he urged me to send, without delay, a cheque or direct debit details to a postal/email address in order to put the wheels in motion. If I did this, there would soon be a dearth of miserable donkeys and it would be all down to my generosity. Shaking my head in disbelief, I carried on working. But 20 minutes later a small terrier was addressing me in a similar manner. He suggested, quite strongly, that I send £3 a month to sponsor him or one of his kin. In return I would receive posters and photographs and my new friend would write and let me know how he was getting on, apparently. For goodness sake! If these animals can write and speak, how come they need my couple of quid a week to fund themselves? In the right hands, they could make themselves fortunes overnight. Have they not thought about getting themselves an agent? Unfortunately, it is the gullible – and usually vulnerable – people who take this kind of nonsense literally and part with their money. I have no problem with charities doing their best to drum up finance but the people who are more likely to be in a position to help are those with sufficient intelligence to realise that dogs, donkeys and small children looking pathetic are probably no more than the imaginative outpourings of an advertising agency teaboy, always accompanied by a backing tape of music in a minor key to create the most effect for these cringe-worthy adverts. Comic Relief, Children in Need, Appeals after Songs of Praise on a Sunday for international disaster funds I can tolerate and have been known to subscribe to but, really, talking dogs and donkeys – only in Shrek, please. Comment from the Tenerife Sun Newspaper

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Of talking donkeys, dogs and suffering children