Jay Miller’s Circus – A Review

September 15, 2012 in Reviews

Jay Miller's Circus

Jay Miller’s Circus

Last night I took Microdaughter to the circus. I make a point of trying to spend a little bit of quality time with each of my children where it is just me and them. I think it’s important to them to be able to have their dad to themselves every now and again, and also (and more importantly to me) I get to have them to myself too. Anyway, the circus was in town and Microdaughter had seen them on the green and asked if we could go. I checked the website (http://jaymillerscircus.co.uk/) and saw that they did a 5pm showing on Friday and so bought a couple of tickets. We went for centre tier rather than ringside as I figured she might get a little overwhelmed being so close, and being just behind the aisle meant we had more space and freedom to move.

The time came for us to set off and so, our pockets filled with sweets and drinks, we jumped in the car and went to the circus!

The Site

Jay Miller's Circus

A Classic British Circus

Jay Miller’s Circus has been travelling around the UK for 25 years this year and over that time they have become extremely experienced at setting up an impressive looking façade. The vehicles facing the green were all well decorated and really set the mood for what was to come, the second they came into view I was greeted with a gleeful “I can see the circus!” from the back of the car. Red vehicles and a white picket fence all in the shadow of the red and white big top all added to the atmosphere and whilst the vehicles and equipment are obviously not new it has all been well maintained and the circus staff clearly pride themselves on the way their set up looks.

 The Big Top

As we entered through the covered walkway (a nice touch if it happens to be raining) we were greeted by the box office manager who checked our tickets and then we were shown to our seats by one of the girls who were obviously going to perform later. We settled ourselves in and then Microdaughter noticed that there were lots of things for sale. I’d anticipated exactly that and so I was well prepared and had brought a little cash along just in case. One spinning LED windmill and a giant bag of candy floss later we were back in our seats ready for the show to start.

When I was a child back in the mists of time I remember going to the circus on a number of occasions. I remember the brightly painted tiered wooden benches and I remember how much fun it was to drop things down through the gaps so I’d have to drop down under the seats to go and fetch them. With this in mind we’d sat near the front on the lower benches, and as we waited the other seats slowly began to fill. There were only two rows of ringside seats and so we were closer to the action than I expected – Something to bear in mind if you’re looking to save a few pounds on ticket prices – and after a brief warning the lights dimmed and the show began.

The Show

The first act was Ross, the Ringmaster signing and dancing with a number of girls, one of whom had shown us to our seats earlier. Whilst Ross isn’t the best singer I’ve ever heard he’s pretty good, and his charisma helped a lot, the girls were all pretty and can dance well. It was a nice way to open the show and Microdaughter was mesmerised.

The acts continued thick and fast with juggling, balancing, acrobatics on the trapeze, and some very impressive hula-hooping from Jody, one of the daughters of J. Miller himself. Microdaughter was most impressed however by Peppi the clown, a loveable figure who played off against the Ringmaster very well indeed. In general I’m in two minds about clowns, it’s all too easy for them to come across as patronising, or even worse downright creepy, but Peppi’s performance was pitched perfectly. A mix of incompetence, mischievousness, and lovability make Peppi a joy to watch.

After a brief interval where Microdaughter became Microtiger courtesy of Peppi and his face paints the show began again.

Jay Miller's Circus

One of many impressive acts

The second half was similar in theme to the first, Joel on his unicycle, more acrobatics and the world’s biggest slinky all made an appearance with more of Peppi in between. There was a surreal moment when Peppi and Ross suddenly started asking the crowd “Where’s Wally?” only for us to find that he was indeed sitting in the audience with his stripy top, floppy hat and black framed glasses. The second half seemed shorter than the first, but as the whole thing came it at just under two hours that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Microtiger is pretty mature for her age but she is still quite young and two hours is about her limit.

 

Negative Points

There isn’t a lot that I can say that is negative, but there are a couple of points I should mention. There are a lot of things to buy and the circus staff are very skilled at making their items seem absolutely vital to children, so if money is a little tight, or you are taking a number of children I would bear this in mind. However everything is reasonably priced and despite me being a completely soft touch I still spent less than £10 on the pair of us even when you include the face paint. The other possible negative is that the benches aren’t the most comfortable. They aren’t cushioned and two hours can start to feel like a very long time. On top of this they certainly aren’t designed for tall people. If like me you are over six feet tall you might be better off paying the extra couple of pounds for ringside seats which are proper chairs.

Summary

Jay Miller's Circus

Peppi the Clown and Ross the Ringmaster

Jay Miller’s circus has been around a long time and it shows in their professionalism. As circuses go it is relatively small, but this works in its favour making it seem intimate and bringing you closer to the action. The acts aren’t world class, but without exception they are skilled, entertaining, and enjoyable to watch. They work well together and the individual performances are long enough to be impressive whilst not be so long they are boring to small children. The whole thing was drawn together well by Ross the Ringmaster, but the star of the show, at least from the point of view of Microtiger, was Peppi. For me the most impressive was Monika’s archery display, closely followed by Charlotte Miller’s (the eldest daughter) rope acrobatics only nine months after suffering a fractured pelvis.

Both Microtiger and I had a fantastic time, and whilst Jay Miller’s Circus has very little in common with the circuses of my youth that involved lions and tigers (though no bears – Oh my!) it was in every way a lovely example of a part of our culture that seems to be fading into history. Even if the acts weren’t fantastic (and they are) then it would be worth seeing just for that. As it is I’d be hard pushed to recommend it more. Just make sure you take a cushion with you!

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A Skilled Manipulator

September 11, 2012 in Words of wisdom

We’d had a lovely afternoon at a friend’s place – lots of barbeque food and plenty of tree climbing and waterpistols – and we were in the car on our way home when a small sad voice came from the backseat.

“Daddy, I think we’re lost,”

“It’s okay poppet, Daddy knows the way home.” I figured she was just tired after a long day and being a little overly worried. Little did I know that she had just set the hook and was about to reel me in.

“Are you sure Daddy?”

“Yes,” I replied. “Daddy knows the way everywhere.” (A bit of an exaggeration, but I’ve learned the hard way that the best approach with Microdaughter is to be confident – she’s a sensitive soul)

“Do you Daddy?”

“I do,” I said, now confident that the danger had been averted.

“Do you know the way to the zoo?”

“Yep!”

“Then can we go there now?”

Ponies

Ponies – It’s only a matter of time

Well played Microdaughter, well played. I suspect I’ll find myself inadvertently buying a pony before the year is out…

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Toddler Lock – Android App Review

September 9, 2012 in Reviews

When I got my first android phone (an HTC Desire) I spent some time browsing the market for apps that could help me keep Microdaughter entertained. I found an app called Toddle Lock and figured I’d give it a try, after all it was free so what harm could it do?

Since then I have upgraded my phone to an HTC Sensation, and Nanoboy has come along, but the thing that hasn’t changed is that Toddle Lock is still on my phone, and it is one of the most used apps.

HTC One X

Android Phones – Great for entertaining kids

It’s a very simple concept, when you start the app it locks the phone and makes it into the touchscreen equivalent of an etch-a-sketch. Single touches of the screen cause randomly coloured shapes to appear, and drawing causes coloured lines. It also plays seemingly random chimes and tones causing it to have become known as “The Music” by my two youngest. If you want you can also set it to put the phone into airplane mode when activated. To exit the app you simply touch all four corners of the screen in a clockwise direction. To date neither of my little horrors have managed to exit the app by themselves, but unfortunately the power button still works to switch the phone off (apparently an artifact of Android itself), but on switching it back on toddler lock loads so they can do no damage.

Android

Android – The most popular phone Operating System in the UK

It is a fantastic idea that has been well executed, Toddler Lock has kept my kids entertained for hours when I needed them to be, and the random nature of it stops them from getting bored quickly. Thankfully the chimes carry on even when the phone isn’t being used, so when they’ve wandered off with it and dropped it into a toybox I have always been able to find it again. If there is a downside to the app it is that a few more shapes would be nice. In an earlier version there was a snowflake which seems to have vanished. But as this is a free app that works on pretty much any android phone I can’t recommend it enough. If you have a small child, and you have an android phone, you HAVE to get Toddler Lock.

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5 unusual things to cook on the bbq

September 8, 2012 in Things to do

Barbeques for kids

Barbequed pizza anyone?

I love cooking on the barbeque (of course I do, I’m a man) and the kids love eating outside. It’s a partnership made in heaven, and whilst we all love the usual things like sausages, burgers and chicken on sticks my natural tendencies to experiment have led to a number of roaring successes (it’s probably best if we ignore the dismal failures but suffice it to say that I wouldn’t recommend barbequed Yorkshire Pudding).

  1. Pizza. Half of the fun with this is making the pizzas in the first place, if you go to the effort of making your own dough, and tomato sauce you can entertain them for hours. They’re best when the coals are starting to die down a little and if you have a barbeque with a lid it helps get the cheese extra melty!
  2. Chocolate bananas. Slice a banana lengthways and push a few squares of your favourite chocolate into the fruit. Wrap it in foil and barbeque for about ten minutes. Best served with a spoon and a disgusting quantity of ice-cream.
  3. Bread. It might seem obvious, but toast made on a barbeque is awesome. Crumpets, Muffins, even waffles are all equally scrumptious when they’ve been cooked outside on a barbeque.
  4. Fruit kebabs. Pineapple, peaches, apple and pears all barbeque well, and if you go to the trouble of putting them on skewers it makes a fantastic pudding, expecially if you’re not averse to a decent dollop of chocolate sauce.
  5. Cookies. There is nothing that beats a freshly barbeque chocolate chip cookie. Seriously, nothing at all. They are amazing! 10-15 seconds each side and you’re good to go. Make sure you buy a big pack of cookies though because they’ll go quickly, I promise you.

Have you made any interesting discoveries whilst barbequing?

 

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Blue Reef Aquarium Portsmouth – A Review

September 6, 2012 in Reviews

Pippa Mattinson

Pippa Mattinson

This review comes courtesy of Pippa Mattinson, a well known dog trainer and author of several successful books. She also runs a number of websites and popular blogs looking at dog training specifically and country living in general. If you’d like to see more of her then look no further than www.pippamattinson.com

An aquatic experience

My beloved and I both agreed that a nice grand-parently thing to do, would be to take our two small (aged nearly two and nearly four) grandchildren out for the day.

“Let’s take them to the Sea Life Centre in Portsmouth”, says himself. And this sounded like a great idea.

We are somewhat out of practice in catering for the needs of tiny tots for more than a couple of hours at a time, but I felt that a Sea Life Centre might be just interesting enough without being too long a day for little ones, or us.

Twelve years ago

My last visit to the Sea Life Centre was around twelve years ago for our then seven year old younger son’s birthday. The highlight of the visit for our kids had been the tank full of rays that the children could ‘stroke’.

The tunnel under the water with sharks swimming above had been quite impressive. In addition, I figured the place had probably been much improved over the last few years.

Location, location…

Our youngest son was home for the weekend and I encouraged him to join us. A bigger adult to child ratio always makes things easier, and besides, the little kids love him and I thought he might enjoy it.

It would be a trip down memory lane!

As we were about to depart, younger son listened intently to our conversation about locations and directions, and pointed out, that the Sea Life Centre was actually in Brighton, not in Portsmouth.

A small fact that both I and himself, had completely forgotten.

Brighton is quite a journey from our home (a good hour and a half) and we didn’t know how the kids would cope with being in the car for that long. And himself was insistent that there is now a brilliant new Sea Life Centre in Portsmouth (around forty minutes away).

It is called the Blue Reef Aquarium he stated firmly, and informed us that he had looked at their website, and deemed it a ‘good place to go’.

At the last minute our elder son, at a loose end that morning, and encouraged by his father’s confident description, decided to join the party too.

So we set off for Portsmouth in two vehicles at around ten to nine on Saturday morning and arrived there at ten-thirty. The Aquarium was signposted quite early on as we approached the town centre which was promising. And we were directed to the sea front itself.

“That must be it” exclaims I , pointing at a large pyramid shaped structure covered in glass windows, as we drove along Clarence Esplanade.

But ‘that’ turned out to be some kind of sports centre. We drove along the esplanade slowly, looking for a large building with no luck.

A small café

Blue Reef Aquarium

A massive underground complex?

Eventually we pulled in outside a small café on the sea front to get our bearings and give the children a snack. We then noticed that the name ‘Blue Reef’ featured prominently on the front of the café. It must be near here somewhere! A closer look revealed the entrance to the aquarium at the front of a small, single storey building right next door!

This was it.

No building big enough to house large sharks and a huge underwater viewing tunnel was apparent, but as himself pointed confidently, out the ‘entire structure’ was probably underground.

A supposition that was not confirmed by the polite girl on the desk who gave us an odd look as she shook her head in reply. The large complex that we had expected was clearly not on the menu.

How fast can we get around!

1st Grandchild was in a fever of excitement after having her hand stamped (so that we could return at any point that day should we need a break from the proceedings), and couldn’t wait a second longer so we headed at great speed to the first exhibit, a tank with some large sea bass in it.

“Fish!” exclaimed our small grandson with delight

“Ooohh”, said his sister, momentarily, then “what’s in the next one?”

This was to set the pattern of the next few minutes, with our Grand-daughter admiring each tank briefly before pressing on determinedly to the next one. She was clearly on a mission to break the record for the fastest circuit of the centre.

Within a few exhibits, it became clear that if we progressed at this speed, our entire visit would be over within ten minutes.

With the aid of some jam sandwiches, we managed to slow the three year old down enough to spread the experience to an hour, but in truth the collection was very small.

Value for money?

I don’t want this to be a snipe at the Blue Reef aquarium.

On the reviews I looked at later online, some people complained about the price, but I actually think that it was perfectly good value for money at less than £50 for four adults and a three year old (the baby was free) and it would have been an interesting experience for any child over seven.

I felt that the building generally had a bit of a ‘seedy’ and run down air to it, but that the fish seemed very well cared for. The costs of running the place, keeping the exhibited tanks clean (which they were) and the fish in good health, must be very high. 

My own expectations were very unrealistic, and largely a product of my fertile imagination. But the reviews I looked at online later, do confirm that many visitors are at least underwhelmed, and sometimes very disappointed.

Newquay Aquarium

The tunnel in Newquay

Perhaps there might be more satisfied visitors if the advertising were a little more realistic?

Why not say that this is a very small collection that you can cover in an hour with no difficulty? That would be a bonus for some people at a loose end with an hour or two to spare.

It’s fair to say, that the image on the Blue Reef website, of the shark swimming over the underground tunnel that we walked through is not quite representative of the experience we had that day.

And it was sad that the children were not allowed to touch the rays, who were just as friendly and appealing as the ones in the Brighton Sea Life Centre.

Be realistic

If like me you have images in your head of the sort of underground walkway featured in Jaws, or the kind of Sea Life Centre you might expect to find in Florida, you are going to be disappointed.

I think I must have fondly imagined I was going to Miami, so waking up in Portsmouth was a bit of a shock..

I also felt as though I had got my sons there under ‘false pretences’, but they were very sweet about it.

In conclusion

If I had driven for more than an hour to get to the Blue Reef, I think I would have been quite fed up.

However, if you live locally to Portsmouth, have children of the right age, and if you are realistic about what you are going to get, I think you will enjoy your visit.

Who is it suitable for?

I think this is an outing for children from around 7-12 years.

It would be fun to provide older children with a list (perhaps with pictures) of fish and other sea creatures to find and identify (maybe there was one at the entrance desk).

I would allow up to an hour for your visit.

If your children are under five, they will probably enjoy the limited facilities in the play area more than the tanks full of fish.

We had our only disagreement here though.

My three year old grand-daughter and I had a slight difference of opinion when we made a pit stop at the play area. She felt that anywhere with sand to play in (there was a large sandpit) required the removal of clothes. And I mean all clothes.

Whilst I felt that when playing in a public place in the middle of Portsmouth, watched by a cross section of society, a girl should probably hang on to her knickers.

I was insistent and she soon recovered from the shock of discovering that Granny was not going to be persuaded on this one.

The café next door is very basic but gave us some passable portions of chips, to round off our visit.

It had three high-chairs available. But if you are taking a baby or toddler, note that the café lacked a nappy changing area in the ladies toilet.

A lovely day

Despite being somewhat underwhelmed by the aquarium, we had a lovely day out. The children were just brilliant. Beautifully mannered and with smiles and enchanting chatter all day.

And they both slept all the way home. Perfect.

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5 Questions I never expected to be asked

September 5, 2012 in Words of wisdom

Following on from the recent post 10 things I never thought I’d say here are a few of the questions Microdaughter has asked me that were unexpected.  We all expect our kids to ask awkward questions like “Where do babies come from?” or “Why can’t I hit him with the lawnmower?” but these were  a little more out of the blue.

Spike Milligan

For the record I did not kill Spike Milligan

  1. Where’s my willy gone?
  2. Can I eat this poo?
  3. Did you kill Spike Milligan?
  4. If I took my skin off would all my blood fall out?
  5. Were there Dinosaurs when you were little?

 

Have your kids asked you anything that stumped you recently?  And more to the point do they even care who killed Spike Milligan?

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Children’s Laureate UK tour.

September 4, 2012 in General

The Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, author of such books as The Gruffalo, and Stick Man,  has recently announced her National Library tour dates. She is planning on visiting 35 libraries across England, Scotland and Wales reading from her famous books and hosting groups of children from local schools who will put on presentations and dramatisations. She says “This tour is my way of celebrating libraries, to highlight all that they do and offer – from lively baby and toddler Rhymetimes and book club discussions to calm spaces for study and contemplation – and to protest against the cuts and closures which are threatening so many of them”

The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo

On top of the libraries she will be visiting independent bookshops and launching a new website for teachers helping them use drama and performance to bring her picture books to life.

The full list of venues Julia will be visiting is available here

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Co-op Children’s toothbrushes

September 2, 2012 in General, Health

We’ve had a bit of a tummy bug in our house recently, and after Microdaughter didn’t quite make it to the toilet to be sick and covered the entire bathroom I went out to buy everyone a new toothbrush.  The only place that was open was the local Co-op and so I bought a basket full of toothbrushes from them and headed home.

Toothbrushes

Our toothbrushes

Toothbrush stuck to a window

Microdaughter’s toothbrush

It might seem a little odd to be writing a review of toothbrushes, but these really deserve a bit of recognition.

They are nice and chunky for the kids to hold, and fun colours.  But that’s pretty much standard for kids’ toothbrushes regardless of the make.  What sets these apart is the fact that on the other end from the brush is a small rubber sucker.

That means we can stick them to any smooth surface, and of course like most bathrooms ours is full of them.  Currently they are residing on the window.

When you need a new toothbrush for your little one(s) you could do a lot worse than getting one of these.  The kids love them, and to be honest so do I.  I wish they did it in grown-up size…

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10 things I never thought I’d say.

September 1, 2012 in Words of wisdom

When you become a parent a lot of things change in your life.  Taking sleep for granted, not wearing food, that kind of thing, but one of the main things that has changed for me is that I find myself saying things that no actual person should ever have to say.

Here is a list of my ten favourites.

  1. Please don’t lick the television again.
  2. If you spit in your wellies again I’ll take them away.
  3. Don’t hit your sister with the lawnmower.
  4. Please stop sitting on the cat.
  5. Get out of the toilet.
  6. Please don’t climb me when I’m making a sandwich.
  7. If you keep trying to put that in your bottom it will hurt.
  8. Don’t lick the dog, she doesn’t taste nice.
  9. Ow! Don’t hit me with biscuits.
  10. Try not to wee on me again.

Are there any things you’ve said that you never thought you would?

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My top 5 Bedtime reads

August 28, 2012 in General

My wife and I both love to read, and we have gone out of our way to try to pass on the joy of a good book to our kids. Microdaughter is now of the age where she enjoys a good story as much as picture books and so we’ve started to branch out into more complex books that are a little heavier on the text, and lighter on the pictures. These are my personal favourites.

The Sam Pig Storybook – Alison Utley

Sam Pig

The Sam Pig Storybook

A delightful collection of stories about a innocent family of young pigs that live together in a rural idyll under the guardianship of Brock the badger. Sam is the youngest and his adventures form the basis of the tales, from disguising himself as a boy so he can go to school, to discovering a dragon whilst picking blackberries which follows him home. I was read these stories by my Grandad when I was very young and I have always loved them. Microdaughter loves them too.

 

Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne

Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh

Milne has a knack with words that appeals to children and adults in equal measure. Your kids are probably already familiar with Pooh bear thanks to Disney, but if you haven’t read them the original stories you are all missing a treat. Microdaughter tells me he favourite story is the one where “Kanga says she’s not there” which is a fantastic example of how differently they see these classic tales as I have no idea which one she means! If you can figure it out please let me know…

 

My Naughty little sister – Dorothy Edwards

My naughty little sister

My Naughty Little Sister

These stories are the perfect length for a bedtime read, and every one has a lovely moral hidden in it, some subtle, some not so subtle. But despite that they are still nice, the characters are appealing – even the naughty little sister who often isn’t that naughty after all – the settings are delightfully reminiscent of an era recently passed and the language is fun to read without being off putting to little ones. This is probably the book that Microdaughter asks for the most often.

 

 

The Worst Witch – Jill Murphy

Worst Witch

The Worst Witch

 

Perhaps one for older children, but lots of fun all the same. Long before Harry Potter we had Mildred Hubble, a well meaning but accident prone student at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. The stories follow Mildred as she tries her very hardest not to end up in trouble yet again whilst Ethel tries her best to make sure she fails.

 

The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows

Whilst this is not a collection of shorter stories, if your little ones are mature enough to have a bit of the story every night then this is possibly the best book you could read to them. The adventures of Ratty, Moley, and Mr Toad are funny, endearing, entertaining and enchanting all at the same time. I’m the kind of person that likes to throw myself into the characters when I’m reading to my little ones and this book has some of the best. The scene where Mr Toad sees a motor car for the first time is possibly my favourite of all time.

 

I know I’ve probably mortally offended you by leaving out your favourite book, and if that is so, then I apologise. These are my own personal picks, either because I loved them as a child, or because Microdaughter and Nanoboy love them now (or possibly both). If I have missed yours and you can bear to talk to me why not let me know what it is in the comments below?

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