Hello, my name is Izzy, and I am the farm President. I started this Poitou stud farm when I arrived from France with my best friend Doris. I do think Annie was rather rude when she first saw me, because as the back of the lorry went down all I heard was "Crickey, look at the size of those ears." They are supremely gorgeous ears, which befit my status as the most beautiful Poitou, or so I am told by Annie.

My life in France wasn't a particularly happy one. I was very thin and had a lot of lice and ticks in my coat. When I first came to England, Annie spent about an hour as soon as I got off the lorry taking all the nasty critters out of my coat, grooming me and then treating my lice and sores. She also fed me some yummy food, so I decided she was my best friend in the whole world, and I get pretty jealous if she pays attention to any other donkey. I would really rather prefer to live in the house with her, but for some reason she always laughs when I try.

When Annie had realised that Poitous should be bred in the UK, she went off to France and bought me 4 new friends, 2 pregnant, which upset me a little since I wanted another foal. She also found a nice boy donkey, Paulo. I wasn't very impressed with him when he arrived. Talk about gangly youth, and no manners at all. He used to try and play with Annie and the girls (as I call Wendy and Sally) because he was very lonely. He had been kept alone since he was 5 months old so Annie decided that Doris and I could share his field for the first 6 months. Doris loved him, which annoyed me a lot, but I taught him some manners I can tell you. We did both come out from his field with babies due the following spring, so I have to admit he has his good points.

In spring 2005 our first crop of foals were born. We had the 2 babies from the girls who travelled to England already pregnant. Sylvie and Suzette have stayed here and should have foals of their own in 2010. These 2 girls certainly caused a merry dance when we moved farms. I have never seen so much effort, applied by so many people, having so little effect. Laugh, I nearly burst my bridle. In the end Annie loaded Sylvie and took her off to Norleywood. Suzette was then lifted up by 4 strong lads and unceremoniously man-handled into the trailer. I think I heard the words 'never', 'again' and 'in a million years' float across the fields.

My first foal here was a stunning boy called Tizer. He made best friends with Tarka, Doris' young girl, so these two have now gone to live at Whipsnade Zoo. Causing quite a stir from what I hear. Most popular attraction, going to VIP lunches, saying hello to elephants and all sorts of exciting things.

My next foal is due March 2009, I must admit we are all jolly excited since Nestor is the Father and he is a very handsome chap, with nice manners too. I believe he won the National Poitou show in France in 2007, so he certainly has something to bray about.

A few changes have been made since we moved. Most of the alpacas have gone, some even as far away as Norway. Some short fat cattle appeared, and they seem quite fun. The funniest thing was when they saw Princess Fiona, the pig, for the first time. How so many large animals could be so frightened of one small pig( well relatively, since Kune Kune means round and fat), I will never understand. One of the cows even had her calf early this year, showing off no doubt, didn't want me to be first baby of the year.

Well I think I'll give the hooves a rest now, I'm quite done in with all this typing, and you have to remember my first language is French. Au revoir, as they say in France, or keep your hooves a'tapping and your ears a'flapping, as us Poitous say.