A donkey-ride through Shipley

Unless someone moved the Pennines while I wasn't looking, I probably live about as far away from the sea as it's possible to get in England (though don't quote me on that, I was even worse at Geography than I was at English Literature). Not only have I noticed a strangely high number of Save the Lifeboats car-stickers this weekend, but I was innocently wandering through the market on Saturday afternoon when OneMonkey asked if I'd seen the donkeys. Turning towards the jingling noise I saw a man muffled up against the cold, leading half a dozen donkeys, one or two of which had a small child perched on their back.

Donkey rides. Through a crowded market. In November. Maybe there's a tenuous Bethlehem connection there, but more likely it's to do with the bringing forward of seasons. With Christmas goods appearing in the shops by August, traditional summer activities need to be brought forward as well, and while you'd be mad to go on a northern beach at this time of year, it's marginally more pleasant inland. Yet another idea to add to my storybank.