Farmer Diaries

After spending five days in the US, we flew to Calgary to see friends of ours. The province of Alberta is in the middle of an independence debate that is going badly, especially when the leader of the independence movement has just been served with a $100 million lawsuit by a US hedge fund that was backing his independence movement activities. It seems that the hedge fund was sold something that could not be delivered. Our stay in Canada was limited, but one thing we found amazing was the new Canadian identity that has been created since Donald Trump, the American president, began his trade war with the country.  Canada, like Germany at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, know that a trade war with America will be costly. Aside from a few crazy separatists, the vast majority of Canadians, even in Calgary had the same view, as they say "elbows up". Somehow that refers to ice hockey. In our two days stay in Canada, it was apparent that there was a strong anti-American sentimen...

I must be a glutton for punishment but my wife and I are just back from a trip to America.  Again the wedding of the daughter of a friend of my wife, and so we went to Georgia for five days.  We landed in Atlanta, and the whole process was as unpleasant as it had been in the past.  Many questions about why we were in the US, and that I appear to go to the US very often.  They did not like our home address, somehow they still have issues with addresses in the UK.  Still after an hour, we made it into the country. Weddings are weddings, they change and they look different. Some of it is cringing, but there’s a rhythm to the things and usually by 1 AM you’re done.  We underestimated the welcome we received in Georgia.  To be perfectly honest, the entire weekend was lovely. Both my wife and I stayed away from any political conversation. Nevertheless, we were both surprised by the ignorance of the people of the party, in particular the young ones. I have no...