Balmoral Show: Catching up ... with '˜boy's toys' and old friends

Trevor and Vivienne Kane from Portadown visited for the first time in many years.

“I always used to come every year with my dad,” said Trevor. “He had a farming background and we were in landscaping together.

“But I hadn’t been in a few years so I thought I would come back and see what has changed.”

He confessed he was always keen to see the machinery or “boy’s toys” as he calls them.

“Tractors, diggers, anything that moves, anything with big engines always appealed to me.”

His wife Vivienne was pleasantly surprised.

“I like crafts and artisan things and there are some quite nice stalls,” she said.

John and Gloria Martin travelled from Holywood to take in the event.

“I come to see the animals mostly,” he said. “There has been so much change – it is just not what I remember.”

He worked for Dale Farm for 26 years.

Gloria was surprised at how many beauticians offered to do her eyebrows,

“The food hall is excellent,” she said. “I really liked the smoked turkey, chicken and ham, it was really lovely and moist.”

Ronnie and Vera Phair from Enniskillen have visited for the last three years.

“I kept some pigs and cattle 40 years ago but have not visited the show since I was at school,” said Ronnie.

His wife added: “It’s a nice day out. You see people you have not seen since last year, catch up with old friends and have a wee chinwag.”

Mark and Tracey Anderson from Richhill bring their children Daniel and Emma every year.

“It is just a family day out,” Mark said. “I am from a farming background and things aren’t that wonderful this year but we have come to see what way things are.”

He keeps 350 dairy cows and enjoys looking around to see what other people are doing.

However, he will not be buying any machinery this year as things are “very tight”.