We had the cake yesterday...

...so we would have all weekend to eat it, but today is the day.

And special birthday daddy hugs to ubermonkey.

The Royal

As usual, when the young woman from Enterprise Rent-a-Car picked me up on Thursday, she asked about my weekend plans. When I said I planned to take my daughters to the Royal Winter Fair, she enthused, "Oh, I love the Royal! I go every year. There's something for everyone." Neither I nor my daughters had ever been, and I didn't know what to expect.

One thing I knew for sure: there would be plenty of farm animals.



But some things went far beyond what one usually expects at an agricultural fair: for instance, butter sculpture. Sure enough that's outgoing Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on the left; almost looks like he's melting away.



Indeed, the displays featured something for everyone, sometimes with tenuous connections to agriculture.



Want to see more sights? ( Three more images )

We took in much more, including the dog agility trials, some fascinating storytelling by horse whisperer Linda Little Wolf, and a delicious apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch. There was the mandatory candy floss for the girls and some eye candy for Dad (though not as much, perhaps, as expected). Upon arrival I had no idea whether the fair would keep the girls entertained for long, but five hours later I had to persuade them it was time for us to leave.

The entire event was housed in the National Trade Centre, Exhibition Place..