Mr Business Editor has been busy of late, first going to the Gambia and now experiencing something equally as eye-opening. Here he is to explain more:
"Farmers Weekly has sent me to the depths of Africa, I've interviewed cantankerous chief executives, battled with countless un-cooperative press officers, but I'm not sure I'm ready for what lies at the end of my journey today.
I've been so busy recently I really haven't had a chance to think about the true enormity of what I'm about to do. And now it hits me, hard, right in the base of my stomach.
I'm going on a flower arranging course.
Everybody knows real men don't know how to arrange flowers. I'll never live it down. People might start to ask questions.
Stepping nervously out of the car, I am immediately greeted by farmer's wife Hannah Deane, a blur of non-stop jolliness and hospitality. Among her first words are "I'm not fat, I'm just pregnant". At once I feel at ease, a woman who can poke fun at herself isn't going to be too mean to me, surely?
And, as Hannah reasures me, some of the world's best arrangers, just like chefs, are men. They command up to £600 for a two-hour demonstration, so maybe there's something in this flower lark after all.
Everything on the course is explained patiently and nobody feels shy to ask questions. Soon I'm well on my way to creating an Easter wreath with miraculously only a bit of extra guidance from Hannah and Jill.
And do I feel silly? Not really, in fact my competitive streak soon starts to emerge. I'm taking sneaky peeks at other people's creations, trying to ensure my wreath looks better than anybody else's.
Under Hannah and Jill's excellent tuition I've created something that looks pretty good and had a good time. But, to be honest, I've got no inherent flower arranging skill. My masculinity is safe, I'm just glad I didn't wear my pink shirt."
The things we do for Farmers Weekly...