Review of Paulos Circus

Anticipation had been building all day and as the big top came into view we all felt excited. Paulos Circus was in town and we were expecting laughter and thrills.

Today had been rainy and cold but as we went through the tent flap, the inside of the big top was warm with a sweet smell of popcorn. I was asked a number of times, “When’s it going to start? When’s it going to start?”

The count down signaled the beginning and the first act was a team of impressive acrobats from Ecuador. They spun round on a contraption nicknamed by Daddy as ‘The Double Hamster Wheel of Doom!” Even the young children seated around us were mesmerized.

The show lasted for 70 minutes and time flew by with lots of impressive acts. My favourite was the tight ropewalker. When he rode a bike along the high wire with a lady hanging from a swing underneath, I was holding my breath! Paulos Circus most definitely had the edge of excitement throughout.

Little Lady said her favourite bit act was: “everything.” I’ve taken that as a sign that our circus trip went down well. She did look positively fearful at some moments. The act that made her laugh the most though was Mr N. He took the role of clown, linking the acts and getting the audience involved with general silliness.

Seats are priced at £7 and all of the seats have a good view of the ring. We were glad that we had arrived early, as it was very busy with a long queue snaking towards the ticket office. If we had been arriving at the last moment, as is our usual style, we may have missed out on seats or at least have not able to sit together.

From a practical point of view, this was an easy trip for us as a family. Paulos is set up at Melbicks Garden Centre which is just a few minutes drive from junction 4 of the M6. There was plenty of free parking and we even managed a sneaky Costa at the Garden Centre café afterwards. Paulos are at Coleshill tomorrow and Bank Holiday Monday.

Paulos Circus @Melbicks Garden Centre, Chester Road, Coleshill B46 3HX

Box Office: 07508 584 811

Updates and show times: https://engb.facebook.com/ThePaulosCircus/

Thanks Paulos for the chance to see a great show.

Comments

Preparing to Potty Train

I do not have the perfect method for potty training. I am not an expert. I found potty training my daughter to be really, really hard work. This blog aims to share my experiences about how we prepared for potty training. I have found a great deal of support and encouragement from other parents, people who have been through similar experiences. Sometimes conversations make me think- ‘I’d never do that!’ or ‘Great idea’ or just reminded me that I needed to get on and do something. I hope that reading this is like having an encouraging friend. We started quite early for most children in the UK at 20 months. Back in the 70s and 80s this was pretty common from what I can gather so I decided to just get on with it. There were some reasons which influenced my decision- Little Lady wore cloth nappies some of the time and truthfully, I was fed up of the dreaded soaking bucket in the garage. She also hated having her nappy changed by this age and would cry and scream- I’d had enou...

Starting School

Starting school is a huge event in a child’s (and parent’s) life. There are new routines, new clothes and other new children. Having seen this transition as a Deputy Head Teacher, and more recently as a parent, I believe that there are some things that parents can do to make this move as smooth as possible. Here are my top four thoughts. Firstly, there are some brilliant books about starting school. My all-time favourite is Starting School by the Alhbergs. It’s obviously dated in parts. For instance, most schools won’t have a mum who comes into school to play the piano! However, it is beautifully illustrated and shows the different parts of the school day and events during the first term at school which provide lots to talk about. Other great titles are ‘Bella Starts School’ and ‘Harry and the Dinosaurs go to School’, both by Ian Whybrow. It’s well worth investing in a book or two, as they can be revisited lots of times during the school year. Secondly, ...

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Birmingham’s Symphony Hall is an impressive venue. What better place, therefore, to see and hear the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) perform a special family concert: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. When Catherine Arlidge walked onto the stage to present the show, I just knew that we were going to enjoy it. I have been to family concerts hosted by her before and she has a relaxed, fun style that puts everyone at ease. The concert was split into bite sized chunks with children waiting for the pause button visual at the end of musical pieces to shout out “PAUSE" before finding out more about the orchestra and enjoying games with Catherine. The show lasted about an hour and passed quickly- even for my eight month old who was being bounced on my lap. Catherine explained that the orchestra was colour coded for the performance. For instance, all the strings were wearing red. This visual image made it very straightforward for the children in the audi...

Capable Child

Search This Blog