Chickens and Llamas and Cows, Oh My!

Every year in Sussex, the South of England Show takes place at Ardingly. It's a county show with roots in agriculture--a big thing in West Sussex!
Alongside the livestock and other animals on display there are trade stands, arena events, food tents, a flower show and crafts. For children, there is a fun fair.

The most recent show ran last week, from Thursday 5th - Saturday 7th June. I have attended with my parents and sisters nearly every year since I can remember! We went along on the Thursday as it is normally the least busy day.

Yellow rose from the flowerbeds outside the flower show

The norm when we go to the show is that Dad and my youngest sister go off to watch equestrian events and visit the equestrian stands, whilst Mum, my middle sister and I look at the food and fashion (and everything else). It was much the same this year, except that my middle sister, having moved out and working full time, didn't come. Bah!

One of the exhibits I always look out for is the llamas! These are from The Llama Park in Ashdown Forest. I noticed that they do Llama Walks (something on The List), so I picked up a leaflet.

I like llamas, they always have such comical expressions, full of attitude and character!

Sometimes I'm pretty sure they pose for their picture to be taken, too!

Another of my favourite features of the show are the displays by Huxley's Birds of Prey! Their displays are always really informative and interesting, with the birds showing off some of their abilities.

Asides the displays, where visitors can see the birds in action, there are always several birds of prey in a little sheltered enclosure. You can tell they are used to being looked at!
These birds are really marvellous to see in action and well worth a watch.

Amongst the agricultural exhibitors are a bunch of local schools and agricultural colleges. These ducks, along with the chicken at the top of the post, are from Chichester College. They look like they're having a staring match, don't they?

The South of England Show is always a fun day and we usually end up going home with some food. This time around it was Thunder Toffee Vodka, a selection of mini bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a loaf of artisan spelt bread. All of it was good and most of it is gone!