I'm mad keen on animals, me. I remember when all this was fields and we'd tempt horses to the fence with crudely chopped carrots. I even rode the little one for a few feet before we both got too scared and scampered in opposite directions. God knows how many cow pats I trod in as we snuck through the herd's field, now Newcastle United's academy pitches.
So this weekend we took the opportunity to visit Toronto's 90th Royal Agricultural Winter Show, our hearts positively palpitating at the prospect of goat judging, hen handling and more ten-gallon ascots than you can shake a riding crop at. Livestock-wise, we weren't disappointed - a two-tonne heffer here, a freshly sheared sheep there - and the food hall delivered as ever (Mexican poutine, since you asked), but the stalls were a little odd, and often only tenuously agricultural. Looking for a shower head that works with a low pressure water supply? Then you may live on a farm. Looking for ladders? They're useful for fixing leaks in barn roofs. Looking for a comfy leather recliner and five minutes on a Sony Vaio laptop? Sure - you farmhands deserve a break.
It's always a pleasure to visit Toronto's many exhibitions, even if it's a rather steep $20 to get in and $11 for a beer, if you're so inclined. There are few better ways to start your weekend than gawping at a glass tank full of new-born chicks, delivering judgement on the butter sculpture contest (not pictured, sadly) and breathing in lungfuls of sordid air in the ill-ventilated sheep enclosure.
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| Feeeeeed meeeee... |
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| I still don't know if this was real or not. |
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| The McDonald's exhibit. |
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| This whole area HONKED. |
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| As instagrammed: criminally insane sheep. |
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| Equestrian demonstration, beautifully photographed. |
