Thursday 5 December 2019

Zippo's Circus At Winter Wonderland

Last weekend we were invited along to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park to enjoy a day out which included a visit to Zippo's Circus. I hadn't been to the circus for as long as I can remember and this was Eliot's first time so I was looking forward to it!
Eliot, the ringmaster & some of the performers!
 It didn't disappoint at all and one of my favourite things about the show is that it lasts just under an hour meaning its perfect for families! I'm sure we've all had the experience of young tots wanting to make an escape but the show was just the right length!
Each of the acts were brilliant in their own way and some of the performances were just unbelievably talented!
Two sisters from Norfolk performed amazing acrobatics together mid air who earned lots of gasps and applause from the audience. 
Khametov's high wire troupe really had me on the edge of my seat with their act! I was in awe of the skill and amazed at their performance.
The unicycle act from Russia made riding a single wheeled bike look easy peasy and again left the audience mesmerised.
One of my favourite acts from the show was the roller skating duo, New Revolution from Cuba. I mean the speed they skated and the moves they made were insane! 

As well as all those acts there's a talented juggler and  the very funny Emillion whose comic timing was absolutely spot on! He made me laugh when he got some of the audience involved!
We all enjoyed the show and I definitely recommend watching if you're heading to Winter Wonderland this festive season! Zippos Christmas Circus is at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland  until 5th January 2020. Tickets should be pre-booked to avoid disappointment!

As well as Zippo's Circus there is a Mr Men and Little Miss show in the mornings, again another great show for families!

As well as some great family shows there is obviously the rest of Winter Wonderland to enjoy including rides, food and stalls!

There's plenty of family and toddler friendly rides as well as those for thrill seekers so plenty to keep everyone happy!

We also visited the 'Magical Ice Kingdom, this year the theme is 'A Christmas Carol'. This is definitely worth a visit but wrap up warm as it's very cold!



I'm not sharing too many photos of the ice kingdom as I don't want to give too much away but you can see how exquisite the sculptures are! The detail and craftsmanship is outstanding! There's even a slide made out of ice which Eliot had lots of fun on!

I certainly recommend for a family day out, there's plenty to see and do to keep all age groups entertained!

Have you visited Winter Wonderland?

* We were gifted tickets to experience what was to offer at Winter Wonderland 2019, all opinions are my own


Tuesday 16 July 2019

Carter's Steam Fair



 At the weekend we enjoyed a family afternoon at Carter's Steam Fair when they visited town for a few days. Carter's is a unique fair with rides that the Carter family have collected and restored originating from the 1890's to the 1960's.
 It did feel like you'd taken a step back in time, from the rides to the music I really felt that there was a sense of going back in history!
On the carousel
One of my favourite things as a child was to go to the fair when one came into a local town. These days I'm not keen on the 'usual' fairs that appear during the holidays but Carter's is not your 'usual' fair and the atmosphere felt completely different!
Each and every ride is beautifully painted just as it may have been all those years ago when it made its' debut, keeping that sense of history and originality.
When we arrived at Carter's Eliot was so excited he couldn't decide which ride to go on first! There were plenty of rides for younger children to enjoy and that are suitable for toddlers. He was able to go on many alone but also gave some a try that he wanted to go on with a grown up! 
There are also a couple of rides that aim to please those that enjoy white knuckle rides including the 'Victory Dive Bomber' which is the only remaining travelling Dive Bomber!





See the Dive Bomber in action?!
As well as rides to enjoy Carter's also have plenty of fairground games to play including 'Hook A Duck' (the traditional fairground game), a coconut shy and even an arcade full of vintage slot machines!
Hooking one of those ducks!
 As well as 'Hook A Duck' Eliot had a go on the 'test your strength' traditional 'Striker' game. There were three sizes to cater for different ages and strengths, giving the opportunity for all to have a go!
Candy floss at eh coconut shy

Entry to Carter's Steam Fair is free, tokens are required to be purchased to go on the rides. These can be purchased online before you visit or at the machines or token booths at the fair. To get the best value it's a good idea to buy online as Carter's give extra ride passes! 
Each token is worth 50p and the number of tokens needed for each ride varies. Most of the toddler rides require four tokens, whilst family or thrill rides require five or six. You also need tokens to play the games too which cost five tokens.
We had such an enjoyable visit to Carter's and certainly recommend a visit for a family afternoon/ evening out. To check if Carters are coming to a town near you have a look at their online tour dates.
They are back at a local town in September and we already have it booked in on the calendar!

*We received ride passes & refreshment vouchers in exchange for our honest views. All opinions are my own!

Thursday 28 February 2019

Rare Disease Day 2019 - A Little Bit About Tuberous Sclerosis

Today is Rare Disease day across the world which I wrote my first post about last year!

Rare Disease Day aims to raise awareness of rare conditions and how they affect individuals and their families. 1 in 20 people will develop a rare disease in their life so that's why it is important that more people become aware.

50% of rare diseases affect children.

Nola is one of those children. She has Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TS/TSC) which looking at current figures, affects 1 in 25,000 to 1 in 11,300 people in Europe.

It is present from birth but some individuals do not learn that they have TS until they are adults. Symptoms differ from person to person as does the severity of how it affects them.
Tuberous Sclerosis causes benign tumours in different parts of the body, the most common to be affected are:

The brain, eyes, lungs, heart, kidneys and skin.

If you have them, you are born with the tumours in your brain, heart and eyes (possibly elsewhere but I'm not 100%) in other organs the tumours can develop later on. The good news about tumours in the heart is that they usually shrink as you get older. This has happened in Nola, a second ECG revealed that the rhabdomyomas on her heart had decreased in size.

At present Nola also has tumours in her left eye which fortunately don't affect her vision at the moment. She also has multiple growths in and on her brain, these unfortunately do affect her and she has epilepsy which on the whole has been controlled by medication. Unfortunately she has recently relapsed in a rare type of seizure called infantile spasms.

Some people with TS lead a next to 'normal' life whilst others are severely affected and need life long care.
TS is caused by mutations in either the TSC1 or TSC2 gene which play a part in determining cell growth. The mutations cause uncontrolled growth which results in multiple tumours in/on the body.

There are treatments for the various areas that can be affected by TS, sadly they do not always work for every patient.

So there are a few facts about Tuberous Sclerosis on Rare Disease Day 2019.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I appreciate comments and read all of them!