I had the pleasure of attending the Surrey County Show at the weekend. This is a totally British institution where we congregate in the middle of a field to look at livestock and judge who has the best cow, chicken, goat etc. I do find it all strange and fascinating in equal measure.
We walk around with our cider (or ice cream in my case), in our wellies which have never seen a wet field and nod along with judges as they praise the straight back of a sheep, or the stance of a pigmy goat. When, lets be honest we won't look at a sheep again until the event next year. Hands up, I was nodding along with everyone else and loved it, its nice to be a country-bumpkin for the day when you're a city girl through and through
There were some amazing livestock specimens and some of the sheep I could happily have climbed into the pens and had a cuddle, they really did look that fluffy and warm.
There was even the opportunity for a little retail therapy
But then as with all great British days out the clouds rolled in and we all bolted. I'm pleased to say that we managed to get everyone inside the car before the heavens really opened and gave the fields the watering that the farmers wished for more than any gold medal.
So tell me reader, is this a traditionally English affair or do these events happen all over the world?
They happen here in Canada, but then we are part of the Commonwealth. :) These types of shows are more popular in rural areas, and don't usually have much in the way of sheep since sheep aren't a super popular livestock here. Our shows normally have cows and horses and such, and are almost always attached to a good ol' North American rodeo...which I actually find appalling because every year a large number of animals have to be destroyed due to injuries at the events.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, Thanks for letting me know that these strange events do take place around the globe. But so sad about the rodeos, I didn't realise there were so many casualties, how horrid.
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