As a young girl I remember picking up a book from a charity shop called A Donkey in the Meadow. It was the picture on the front cover that first caught my eye - a donkey foal!
Now 30 years on, I still have that book, together with a full collection of the "Minack Chronicles" (all first editions, hardback).
A Donkey in the Meadow was the fourth chronicle that Derek Tangye had written. The front cover reads: "A Donkey in the Meadow is about a way of life that thousands of us in this oversophisticated, urbanised world are yearning for...". After 8 years of he and Jeannie running their flower farm, they wanted to take a holiday and decided to go to London. The room was booked, train tickets bought "when suddenly and unexpectedly into their lives came Penny the donkey ... and Penny was expecting a foal." With their plans cancelled, the book beautifully describes the first year of Fred's life and the wonderful life Penny now has at Minack. I particularly enjoyed reading about their walks with the donkeys along the Cornish cliffs.
I would thoroughly recommend A Donkey in the Meadow along with the rest of the Minack Chronicles. I have read them and re-read them over the years and "escaped into the world of Minack".
I also am a great fan of the Minack books by Derek Tangye. It was a lovely surprise to visit the Donkey Sanctuary and see Susie Tangye there in the yard, she is such a friendly donkey. After reading about her it is great to be able to make a fuss of her and to know that she is being looked after so well. Keep up the good work.
There's a lovely photo of Susie Tangye on the Main Yard here at the Sanctuary.
Thank you for posting the photograph of Susie Tangye, it is lovely
I knew Susie and Merlin when they lived with Derek and they wandered the meadows at Minack. I used to go and see Derek twice a year and was with him just before he died sitting in his cottage - I have wonderful memories of him such a lovely man always so welcoming. It was hoped the person who took the cottage over would have them back but it wasn't to be, but they at least could smell the sea where they are and they could never have wished for a better life for sure. I was always worried that Susie would not cope without Merlin but she has done so well and I think has more confidence now. I miss Merlin with his lovely coat but so pleased I can still see Susie.
I'm just now reading the Tangye books -- I found out about them on this site. Is Susie a descendant of Penny's or another donkey who's story will come later? I finished A Donkey in the Meadow and am about 1/2 way through Time was Mine. I plan on reading them all. I didn't get a picture of the time frame for Donkey in the Meadow so don't know if Penny and Fred could still be alive or long gone by now.
Hi Jan
Susie is no relation to either Penny or her son, Fred, who you will enjoy reading about in the Minack Chronicles. I love these books and am re-reading them all again from the first one published in 1961 ("A Gull on the Roof") and have just finished "When the Winds Blow". Not wanting to give any of the books away, this is where Mingoose Merlin comes into the lives of Derek and Jeannie and Susie joins Minack later. Merlin and Susie were Derek's two remaining donkeys and after his death in 1996, as he had instructed, they both came to live here at the Sanctuary. Merlin sadly passed away himself in 2005 but Susie is here and receives many visits from fans of the Minack Chronicles.
Web Editor,
The Donkey Sanctuary
Thanks for your answer, Jenifer.
I'm just about done with "Time was Mine" now. Another question I have is about the name Tangye. How is it correctly pronounced? It doesn't sound like an English name. Is it?
I've never heard it before and thought there might be a good story behind it.
Just curious.
Thanks,
Jan
I'm not sure if this is right, but I have always heard it pronounced as "Tan-ghee". In one of Derek's books he delves into the history of his surname and what I can remember, it is a very old English name of Norman-French origin which has Cornish connections.
I've just finished reading both "The Cherry Tree" and "Jeannie" over the new year and now reading "The Evening Gull".
If you get a change to read all the Minack Chronicles, I would recommend that you read them in the order they were written. Have a box of tissues at hand as you submerse yourself into the world of Minack...
Thanks again Jenifer. I came across the origins of the name in my reading right after I submitted the question and you're right.
I'm American so not as familiar with the various regions of Great Britain. I'll do some net surfing and see what I can learn about Cornwall, Brittany, etc. I suppose they had their own dialect, if not language long ago, like the Welsh.
That name was new to me and not what I thought of as typically Brittish-sounding.
I finished "Time was Mine" and now into "A Gull on the Roof". Read "A Donkey in the Meadow" first -- out of sequence -- but I've got the rest lined up to read in order.
Have you read "Last of the Donkey Pilgrims" by Kevin (last name)?. That's a good one too -- The diary of a VietNam vet's one-year walking journey as a story-teller around the perimeter of Ireland with his donkey "Missy" in the 70s.
I also have very happy memories of Derek, after reading his lovely books. I made the first of many journeys to Minack, the first being when Jeannie was alive, Derek was so warm and i have many photograhs that were taken on my visits, many of the donkeys and cats. One of my fondest memories was Derek allowing me to pick daffodils from the field which always looked magnificent in Spring. Derek took me back to the guest house i was staying at laden with flowers! They were lovely times at a magical place, I hope to visit the sanctuary to see Susie.
Hi Valerie
I have been a big fan of the Minack Chronicles for many years and have been trying to get a hard cover copy of "Jeannie" for quite some time.
I recently purchased one through an internet site and when it arrived in Camden, Australia, where I live I was thrilled to see it was inscribed by Derek "To Valerie, Welcome again to Minack! with best wishes from all of us Derek Tangye.
I was wondering if you could be the same "Valerie"?
Kind regards
Narelle Duncombe
Sadly, since this review was written Susie passed away in June 2010 and she will be greatly missed by us all.
Read more...
Susie Tangye... the end of an era
I am a bit late to this particular conversation due to my computer crashing.
I adore the Minack stories and have read all of them, I am presently re-reading The World of Minack which is lots of short reminders from all of his books, I love Dereks description of the how the donkeys behave, I also love the descriptions of the countryside and the cottage. I especially love the description of when Merlin (Mingoose Merlin) the new donkey who Jeannie and Derek adopted after sadly loosing Penny insisted in looking round Minack cottage with poor old Fred outside braying his dissapointment at not being able to do the same.
I cried at all the animal losses and when Jeannie died, I suppose some people would say that the loss of a human is far more important, I think all loss is just as sad.
I am always reading the Minack books over and over again, and many a hearty laugh is raised as well.
It is lovely to see so many fans of the Tangye's and the stories.
The Friends of Minack Society's aims are to promote the books of Derek and Jeannie Tangye with the hope of introducing the books to new readers as well as to give those who are already fans of the books somewhere they can keep in touch with Derek and Jeannie's lifestyle. Our AGM is on the 21st of March at the Queen's Hotel Penzance and we have a web-site containing lots of Minack news and a forum.
There are downloadable membership forms also. Membership also includes a thrice yearly newsletter which is full of Tangye stories, photographs and news of Cornwall especially the West Penwith area. FOMS sends a yearly donation to the Donkey Sanctuary and two other animal based charities.
Memorial Weekend (the weekend nearest to Jeannie's birthday) consists of a visit to the Morrab Library which contains memorabilia, a visit to the Penlee Gallery, the AGM, a visit to Oliver Land, visit to the Lamorna Pottery and a guided walk round some of the intriguing ancient holy sites. This takes place from the 20th of March to the 23rd March.
We hope to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of 'A Gull on the Roof' in 2011 with displays and various other events and our aim is to re-publish AGOTR.
We would be happy to see new members.
Gloria