On the road again through Twitter and Air Canada

If you recall our trip to the Menno Colony in 2015, a working trip where I visited farms, but more importantly told the Canadian farming and agricultural stories one farmer or one industry representative at a time.

I follow Twitter carefully looking, scavenging, probing, and asking people with an interesting idea and concept for their cell numbers. Next, if they respond, with a telephone number, I set up an appointment to do an interview. When I meet someone on Twitter and they have a story to tell, and are willing to tell it to me, invariably they have pictures that go along with it.

I used to drive 80,000 km a month attending meetings, visiting farmers and farmyards, going on tours, so I could meet the people, and also take good pictures.

I remember when I still used the old film and prints, a grab a film, get out to the meeting, get back home and have those films developed, often only pictures from that one shoot, maybe two, spend 15 dollars and hopefully have good prints when the envelope came back with pictures in it.

I remember the day, I think in 2000, when my friend won a digital camera in a raffle, and because he didn’t know how to use it, gave it to me to try. Well, low and behold the rest they say is history. It is hard to believe, 17 years ago I started taking digital pictures, wore out many cameras, and gave away my film gear to my daughter.

Most recently, when I bought my iPhone 6 plus to go to Paraguay, taking some 1,800 images, I gave away my latest bif SLR camera to the other daughter because it was just an extra thing to leave behind when in a hurry, and not always by choice.

What prompted this column today is our plans are developing quite nicely for another excursion, but this one is taking Judith and myself to Switzerland, and of course a few other European countries, then off to England where a friend will arrange for more farm visits in that great country.

The reason for Switzerland is that friends, a client if you like, who lives part time in Manitoba where he’s from, and part time in Switzerland because his wife is from there have invited us to stay with them for three weeks, more or less. They own a bed and breakfast, but really don’t rent it out unless friends from Canada want to come and use it.

I’m just beginning to lay my plans, make more contacts on Twitter from those countries where I can make arrangements to visit farmers and other farm-related businesses. I know things are tough, but someone has to do it.

Yes, we have toured Europe including Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, France the UK, and Scotland back in 1982. At that time I contacted various embassies from those countries in Ottawa, with a reference letter from then our MP Jack Murta. I received so many responses we had to pare it back, and even so, the 28 days on tour weren’t enough and it tired me out completely. However, a great trip nevertheless learning so much. The following year we returned with two busloads of farmers from across Canada hosting one of the buses for the Canadian International Holidays tour company owned and operated by my friend Bill Quinn.

The offer from Derek McLaren of Carberry and Switzerland came back in January 2016. This year, saying we aren’t getting any younger, we decided to take him up on it. We will be leaving May 9 and returning May 31 and the tickets are booked.

Don’t worry, I won’t miss an article – Yes, the flavour will be a little different, but they will be on my website every week. •