Dear Consuelo,

No, no, I did call it a "childrens' farm", not a child farm. Intrigueing concept that would be - like something out of Brave New World! It is like, but more than, a petting zoo as it includes other agriculture related interests and areas devoted to various open air activities. They became popular as it became more difficult for small farms to make money and the UK government brought in a policy called 'set aside' that meant that farmers received money for non-producing land, ie: land that was set aside, provided it was open to the public to use for recreational purposes. I am not knowledgeable about this despite living in a rural area, one only has time to get into so much, but I believe the background includes the various problems brought about by the EC's Common Agricultural Policy. I am sure there are other Brits here who know more - where is Shona when you need him? (Seriously, I know he is busy, not taking a Sabbatical). Me, I just go the agricultural shows and enjoy the benefits of not living in The Smoke even though I work there! Not that its smoky anymore - beautiful blue sky out there at the moment, but frosty this morning at 6.00am.