Donkeys "Help" Us Metal Detect

Yesterday Tom and I went to the Refuge to finish checking the mammoth paddock for old-time pieces of metal that might find their way to the surface and either be eaten by curious donkeys or be stepped on and cause hoof damage.
I left Tom at the barns and headed to the office to collect items for the Carlin Hall craft sale.  Tom was to get started in the paddock and I would catch up in a few minutes.
I arrived back at the barn to find him sitting waiting for me.  Huh?  It turned out that when he went into the mammoth paddock the boys and girls were so happy to see him and interested in what Tom was doing that they surrounded him and he couldn't even swing the metal detector without hitting legs and bumping into donkeys.

Stormy and Ollie

I thought he might be exaggerating a wee bit but I was wrong. As we attempted to search the ground, Ollie walked along beside us followed by his sidekick Stormy.  Whenever we stopped to dig he moved in so close that I was actually digging underneath him.  He leaned over Tom's shoulders and rested his head on his chest.  He leaned over my back at one point when I was bent over and I couldn't stand up.  He nibbled on our hair, our pockets and anything else he could find.
Ollie and Stormy were joined by all of the other donkeys, even Jenny and Mikey and Cotton. Sampson was the only one who stood back a few meters but even he wanted to be part of the fun.
We actually had to shoo the donkeys away at times because it started to feel too crowded.
Twice only the donkeys left us - once when they heard "papa" Rob coming and the second time when their supper was delivered.
By then we had only completed 3 of the 6 fence post widths that we had left to do.  It was getting chilly and dark and we knew it would take another day to finish up.
WHAT A GREAT DAY!!!! WE DIDN'T GET OUR JOB COMPLETED BUT WE GOT HUGS AND SNUGGLES WITH ALL OF THE MAMMOTHS AND THAT WAS SO MUCH BETTER.
I wish everyone could know the absolute joy of being with these amazing, loving, gentle giants.  It doesn't get much better than that.