Thursday's Child: Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto

I've been to the Royal Winter Fair as a kid, both with my parents and as part of a school group. Andrew and I have taken our own girls many times through the years. But with both girls busy a couple of weekends ago, and Andrew and I looking for something to do, we decided to visit the Royal on our own.

We stopped first to watch the goat judging. (I don't know anything about goats. But if you're looking, you can find drama anywhere.)

Yup, "Overall Best Udder" is actually a category.

When I think of livestock at the fair, I think of the beef and dairy cattle competitions that are held throughout the week. But in addition to cattle (and goats), there are contests for poultry, sheep, rabbits and pigeons.

Young 4H members were proud to show off their cattle.

When I was in 4H, girls usually joined cooking and sewing clubs while boys joined agricultural clubs. Now, of course, the fair is full of young men and women showing the animals they raised.

We enjoyed watching the many art students sketch livestock with their classmates.

Produce and fresh baking are probably my favourite part of any fall fair. (When I was a little girl, I was the junior division fudge champion at Rodney Fair more than once. I'm sure that comes as a surprise to no one.)

We came across a cow standing patiently in the middle of a hall. This photo is begging for a great caption. Any suggestions?