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Donkeys On My Doorstep: Hoofing it in the Mallorcan Hills
The dream is near completion. Anna is loosening the reins on her London PR company to spend more time in Mallorca with her family, cattery, chickens and goats, and insists their menagerie will only be complete with not one donkey, but two. She attempts almond harvesting in the countryside amid summertime ant and wasp infestations in the finca, and attends a traditional wedding and the spectacular Sant Juan horse festival in Menorca. Meanwhile, she befriends an elderly poet whose love letters to his fiancé during the Spanish Civil War waft into her field, unveiling a poignant story of bravery and sacrifice.
Brimming with humorous and loveable characters, Donkeys on my Doorstep is a charming take on the simple and rewarding life of rural Mallorca.
Brimming with humorous and loveable characters, Donkeys on my Doorstep is a charming take on the simple and rewarding life of rural Mallorca.
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2010
3 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Anna Nicholas
13 books10 followersAnna is a bit of a wild Celt being of Irish, Scottish and Welsh extraction.
During her childhood, she spent many unconventional yet magical school holidays travelling around Eastern Europe and some off the map destinations in a battered old car and on a shoe string with her older sister, Cecilia, and her inspiring teacher mother and aunts Minny and Della. It is these experiences that have led to her life long love of travel and adventure.
After leaving school, Anna studied English Literature and Classics at Leeds University before joining the national charity, Help the Aged, as a graduate trainee. Promoted to senior press officer, she organised many fundraising and gala events involving high profile celebrities and the late Princess Diana, who at that time was the charity’s patron.
Moving to the Guinness Book of World Records she became International PR spokesman and invigilator, working closely with both the late Norris McWhirter, CBE, and TV presenter Roy Castle and travelled the world judging extraordinary records.
Those she most enjoyed adjudicating included the world’s longest conga line with singer Gloria Estefan in Miami; the tallest tower of bread in Indonesia; the festival of record breaking in Korea; the longest train journey which culminated in Hong Kong, and driving around Finland in the world’s longest limo.
After several years of unadulterated fun and madness at Guinness, Anna became marketing director and then a board director for a luxury bathrooms and aromatics company in Mayfair. Some years later she established her own PR and marketing consultancy with international clients in luxury travel, retail, hotels and spas.
After an impromptu meeting with renowned British explorer, Colonel John Blashford-Snell, CBE, Anna accompanied him on an expedition to Nepal, and for 10 years served as a trustee and director of his charity, The Scientific Exploration Society (SES).
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and continues – time permitting – to participate in tough scientific expeditions to remote corners of the globe. The most bizarre of these, the subject of BBC2 TV documentary, A Grand Adventure, was when she and the colonel led an expedition to the remote Wai Wai community in Guyana in order to bring them a grand piano for their mud hut church.
She is a keen runner, having completed ten full marathons and 20 half marathons on behalf of her favourite causes. Her most recent international marathon was running in a South African reserve alongside the Big Five beasts. Anna has been a freelance journalist for many years, having written features for the Financial Times, Independent, Sunday Telegraph, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Daily Express, UltraTravel USA and Tatler among others, as well as several in-flight magazines.
She is the Mallorca destination expert for Telegraph UK and writes for local island newspaper, Majorca Daily Bulletin. Anna lives in Mallorca with her husband, Alan. She has presented her books at the Times Oxford Literary Festival and been guest speaker at numerous events. Her new title, Fallen Butterfly, was published 15, December 2022.
During her childhood, she spent many unconventional yet magical school holidays travelling around Eastern Europe and some off the map destinations in a battered old car and on a shoe string with her older sister, Cecilia, and her inspiring teacher mother and aunts Minny and Della. It is these experiences that have led to her life long love of travel and adventure.
After leaving school, Anna studied English Literature and Classics at Leeds University before joining the national charity, Help the Aged, as a graduate trainee. Promoted to senior press officer, she organised many fundraising and gala events involving high profile celebrities and the late Princess Diana, who at that time was the charity’s patron.
Moving to the Guinness Book of World Records she became International PR spokesman and invigilator, working closely with both the late Norris McWhirter, CBE, and TV presenter Roy Castle and travelled the world judging extraordinary records.
Those she most enjoyed adjudicating included the world’s longest conga line with singer Gloria Estefan in Miami; the tallest tower of bread in Indonesia; the festival of record breaking in Korea; the longest train journey which culminated in Hong Kong, and driving around Finland in the world’s longest limo.
After several years of unadulterated fun and madness at Guinness, Anna became marketing director and then a board director for a luxury bathrooms and aromatics company in Mayfair. Some years later she established her own PR and marketing consultancy with international clients in luxury travel, retail, hotels and spas.
After an impromptu meeting with renowned British explorer, Colonel John Blashford-Snell, CBE, Anna accompanied him on an expedition to Nepal, and for 10 years served as a trustee and director of his charity, The Scientific Exploration Society (SES).
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and continues – time permitting – to participate in tough scientific expeditions to remote corners of the globe. The most bizarre of these, the subject of BBC2 TV documentary, A Grand Adventure, was when she and the colonel led an expedition to the remote Wai Wai community in Guyana in order to bring them a grand piano for their mud hut church.
She is a keen runner, having completed ten full marathons and 20 half marathons on behalf of her favourite causes. Her most recent international marathon was running in a South African reserve alongside the Big Five beasts. Anna has been a freelance journalist for many years, having written features for the Financial Times, Independent, Sunday Telegraph, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Daily Express, UltraTravel USA and Tatler among others, as well as several in-flight magazines.
She is the Mallorca destination expert for Telegraph UK and writes for local island newspaper, Majorca Daily Bulletin. Anna lives in Mallorca with her husband, Alan. She has presented her books at the Times Oxford Literary Festival and been guest speaker at numerous events. Her new title, Fallen Butterfly, was published 15, December 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 29, 2025
Some interesting History of Mallorca, but largely self-indulgent middle class piffle.
March 19, 2025
2.75⭐️
Ich habe gemischte Gefühle bezüglich des Buches. Beziehungsweise habe ich vor allem nicht sonderlich starke Gefühle dazu entwickeln können.
Was mir gut gefallen hat, waren die Beschreibungen von Sollér, Ibiza und Menorca und die Berichte über die Bräuche. Ausserdem mochte ich Michel/José und dessen Geschichte.
Allerdings haben mich auch ein paar Dinge gestört. Das Lieblingswort der Autorin scheint „to tut“ zu sein, was irgendwann anstrengend wurde.
Der Ehemann der Autorin beschwert sich, dass die „politisch Korrekten“ ein Fest umbenennen, damit es nicht mehr „Mooren gegen Christen“ heißt, wobei diejenigen, die sich als „Moor“ verkleiden, das Gesicht schwarz bemalen. Die Autorin selbst verwendet auch weiter den Begriff Moor, obwohl dieser gegen Peasants ausgetauscht wurde.
Ausserdem hat die Autorin ein Problem damit, dass ein Klient Geld mit Eselgelatine machen will, weil sie plant, sich zwei Esel zuzulegen, isst aber selbst Schweinewangen und Schinken. Die Debatte fand ich sehr anstrengend und scheinheilig. Insgesamt fand ich die Charaktere recht sympathisch, das hat mir aber sehr arge Boomervibes gegeben.
Ich habe gemischte Gefühle bezüglich des Buches. Beziehungsweise habe ich vor allem nicht sonderlich starke Gefühle dazu entwickeln können.
Was mir gut gefallen hat, waren die Beschreibungen von Sollér, Ibiza und Menorca und die Berichte über die Bräuche. Ausserdem mochte ich Michel/José und dessen Geschichte.
Allerdings haben mich auch ein paar Dinge gestört. Das Lieblingswort der Autorin scheint „to tut“ zu sein, was irgendwann anstrengend wurde.
Der Ehemann der Autorin beschwert sich, dass die „politisch Korrekten“ ein Fest umbenennen, damit es nicht mehr „Mooren gegen Christen“ heißt, wobei diejenigen, die sich als „Moor“ verkleiden, das Gesicht schwarz bemalen. Die Autorin selbst verwendet auch weiter den Begriff Moor, obwohl dieser gegen Peasants ausgetauscht wurde.
Ausserdem hat die Autorin ein Problem damit, dass ein Klient Geld mit Eselgelatine machen will, weil sie plant, sich zwei Esel zuzulegen, isst aber selbst Schweinewangen und Schinken. Die Debatte fand ich sehr anstrengend und scheinheilig. Insgesamt fand ich die Charaktere recht sympathisch, das hat mir aber sehr arge Boomervibes gegeben.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2016
My first experience reading travel writing! And, I loved it immensely!! The author is an incredibly talented writer, giving breathtaking descriptive scenes which made me feel as if i were there.
I wasn't interested in Michaels story very much. I suppose history doesn't interest me so I couldn't relate. The lifestyle though! Ugh. Luxury yachts, fabulous parties. Add this to living on a Spanish island and you have a dream combination. Also gave me the idea to start learning Catalan. The family is loveable, especially Ollie.
Will look out for her other books (:
I wasn't interested in Michaels story very much. I suppose history doesn't interest me so I couldn't relate. The lifestyle though! Ugh. Luxury yachts, fabulous parties. Add this to living on a Spanish island and you have a dream combination. Also gave me the idea to start learning Catalan. The family is loveable, especially Ollie.
Will look out for her other books (:
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October 30, 2011very descriptive...wish there had been a small map of the area she was talking about. Seemed to drag on toward the end
April 14, 2016
Nice story especially when you know about Mallorca Island. I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews