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mrssavageangel

First time mother just trying to figure out where to go from here.

family days out

Zippos Circus – our first visit

10/10/2017 by MrsSavageAngel Leave a Comment

We’ve never taken Oscar to see any kind of ‘show’. When your autistic child has a history of struggling to sit and attend to anything, you just avoid things that are likely to demand that of him. No theatre, no cinema, no concerts and no circus.

Our small town is regularly visited by a circus and for the last few years Oscar kept asking to go. The thought of it worried me. The noise, the lights, the atmosphere, the sitting and attending. How would he cope? So I just kept putting him off. It might sound mean but it just didn’t feel like the time was right.

Then a few weeks ago Zippos Circus contacted us and asked if we’d like to attend one of their shows in Guildford. I weighed it up in my mind and decided maybe the time had come. He’s five and a half now. We have to give him the opportunity to experience as much as we can. Making assumptions on his behalf really isn’t fair. It’s up to him to ‘tell’ us whether he can cope.

Preparation

So we prepared as well as we could, showing Oscar plenty of online videos and pictures of Zippos Circus. He was more interested than I thought he’d be and loved the clips of the slapstick action on Instagram.

My only concern was that he seemed convinced there would be “an elephant on a tightrope, that jumps into a bucket” and “tigers”. Yeah, thanks for that Disney! The days of exotic animals in circuses are long gone (in the UK at least). The only animals in Zippos Circus this year were the horses of the Khadikov Cossack Riders and Norman Barrett’s Famous Trained Budgies.  I hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed.

To the Circus
a circus big top
Big Top – photo courtesy of Zippos Circus

The Big Top itself was a sight to behold. Despite confusion over where to park (we parked in the nearby Park and Ride, ignoring the handwritten signs that the car park was NOT for Circus visitors and hoped for the best), the immediate impression was one of excitement. The buzz of the families arriving was palpable. Oscar was given a programme which he studied in detail before we went in. Then we were shown to our seats by a very helpful member of the team. In fact all the staff we came into contact with were courteous and helpful.

small boy reading circus programme
Oscar swotting up before the show.

We sat and waited for the show to begin. With popcorn and without any real expectation. As it happened, this was the first time any of Family Savage had been to a circus. Our biggest concern was obviously how Oscar would cope. We were ready to leave at a moments notice.

He was enthralled in a way I’ve never seen before.

The acts were so diverse. From the fearless Timbuktu Tumbler Acrobatics team,

African acrobats in formation

to the heart thumpingly awesome Los Carmonas Del Sol from Argentina.

Argentinian drummers at the circus

The way the show was structured really worked for us. The energy was so high and the pace so fast, Oscar had no time to feel like he was waiting around. He was fascinated from the start. And add in a little peril, like trapeze artist Kimberly did as she flew over our heads..

…. well he was spellbound!

My personal favourite was the knife throwing act. It had a real vintage feel and to be honest more of what I expected to see at a circus. Give that woman a round of applause.

However Oscar’s absolute favourite was the slapstick comedy act Emilion Delbosq. Zippos make it very clear on their website that this is a circus without “scary clowns”, but Emilion really was that comic element that circuses are known for and Oscar adored him. He talked about him for ages afterwards!

This dude moved around so fast my photos don’t do him justice. Picture courtesy of Zippos Circus
Issues

Our only issue was something we hadn’t planned for at all. The intermission.

After the interval, which Oscar coped with admirably, we had to come and sit back down for more acts. This threw him entirely. He was so confused. And that confusion quickly started turning to anxiety. Ben took him outside for a walk, but when he bought him back in he just couldn’t cope and announced very firmly that he needed to leave. Now.

So of course we did. Ahh well, you live and learn.

It meant we didn’t get to see the whole show, but then at 2 hours I wasn’t convinced we would anyway. It’s a long show for any five year old, let alone one on the spectrum. And I was just so proud he’d made it through as much as he did, I didn’t care that we missed the Globe of Steel motorbike acrobatic team or Alex the Fireman (!). We’d been to the circus and had a great time.

Would we go again?

Yes. Ben and I loved it way more than we thought we would and we’ve both said we’d like to go another time, without Oscar. An evening show without children would be a real night out! Would we take Oscar again. Actually yes. We wouldn’t pay for the fabulous (although rather expensive) ringside seats we had this time, only for him to want to leave half way through. But because he really enjoyed the acts he did see, we’d definitely take him again.

Just we’d make him sit in the cheap seats 😉

 

 

 

We’d like to say a huge Savage Family Thank You to Zippos for inviting us and gifting us our tickets.

As always this review is my own opinion and I have not been paid to write this post.

I would also like to point out that our experience of Autism at the Circus is ours alone and I do not attempt to speak for other children on the spectrum.

Although if you’re an Autism Family you know that already 🙂

 

 

 

Filed Under: Children, Family Tagged With: Autism, autism family, Autism Spectrum Disorder, circus, family days out, zippos circus

Our Favourite Five – July 2016

05/08/2016 by MrsSavageAngel Leave a Comment

There just seems to be so much negativity all over social media at the moment. So here’s Our Favourite Five for July to try and redress the balance!

1. Dyson Cordless Vacuum

We love Dyson in our house. We’ve never owned any other brand of vacuum in 18 years of adulting together! Despite our last purchase (an Dyson Animal D23 we bought in 2010) still going strong, our lives have changed significantly in the 6 years since we got it. We’ve gone from a professional couple in a one floor apartment to a young family in a three story period cottage. Think steep stairs. Lots of ’em. Anyway I’ve been lusting after a cordless Dyson for a few years now. They just made so much sense to me. However Ben wasn’t convinced they’d be good enough for cleaning a whole house, or to be fair, that the whopping price tag was worth it, especially when we already had a machine that worked well enough. However, things they are a changing round Casa del Savage at the moment. With Oscar starting school in September I decided that a cleaner was no longer going to be a weekly expense I could justify, meaning I was going to have to go back to cleaning myself. Meaning I needed a decent machine, fit for purpose. And not one I was afraid would fall on my head every time I vacuumed the stairs.

Ben finally capitulated in July and we got a Dyson Cordless Absolute V8. And it’s already changed the way we clean the house. It’s just so easy to grab at the end of every day when we put Oscar’s toys away and give the tiny downstairs a once over before we sit down to our evening. Or should Oscar (or myself to be honest) make a mess in the day, it’s just so quick to grab and sort out. The battery is fabulous and I’ve done the entire three floor house on one charge (the battery only drains while you pull the trigger, so in between rooms it’s saving all the energy it can – clever!) It makes me sad that we didn’t have something like this sooner. It would have been a boon when Oscar was weaning!

And Ben is also completely sold. He’s just as happy to grab it and spend  the two minutes it takes to clean the downstairs as I am. Thank you Dyson for giving all your cleaners the look and feel of military hardware (at least in my husbands eyes!)

The Dyson V8 Absolute is kept in its charging bay in the conservatory. Always ready to tackle any job!
The Dyson V8 Absolute is kept in its charging bay in the conservatory. Always ready to tackle any job!
Dyson cordless vacuum
The new love of my life
2.Thaikhun

You may have read my previous post about the Thai Street Food restaurant Thaikhun earlier this week. I took Oscar and you can read about my thoughts on the eatery from a parent’s perspective in my review. However at the end of July, I decided to do a really nice thing for some of my mummy blogger friends who have helped and supported me recently. So I arranged an End of Term celebration at Thaikhun Guildford for us all. I wanted us to breathe a sigh of relief that we’d made it to the end of term and take a steeling breath to prepare us for the holidays! And what better way to do that than get the ladies together and have cocktails and wonderful food in a really fun location? Thaikhun were kind enough to host and we can’t thank them enough!

We started the evening with spicy crackers and cocktails! Elfa from Californian Mum in London and I began with a Thai Takeaway – not dinner but a cocktail in a box! Then the non drivers among us moved on to drinks in a bag! Seriously, a bag!

Woman drinking cocktail
A Thai Takeaway. A cocktail in a box? Yes please!
A 'Street Sipper' literally came in a plastic bag!
A ‘Street Sipper’ literally came in a plastic bag!
I wasn't so sure. I mean it's not the most elegant of drinking vessels. But it was actually delicious!
I wasn’t so sure. I mean it’s not the most elegant of drinking vessels. But it was actually delicious!

The four of us then had starters. Maria from Suburban Mum won that round with the most gorgeous looking Tempura Prawns! And I would have to say I won the mains round with my beloved Moo Prik King – Pork Belly in Red Curry Sauce, but then I am a bit biased! We talked and laughed and talked some more. When I told the girls about the worms they’d given Oscar and I, Elfa insisted we get our own to try! We had such a great night and we would like to thank Thaikhun Guildford for being such wonderful and accommodating hosts. I’d also like to say thank you to the girls for coming from all over Surrey to join me and especially to Alice from Three Men, a Little Lady and Me for giving me a lift. Thaikhun is the best kind of place for a girlie night out with your chums, we had a super night!

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Thank you ladies. Photo courtesy of Californian Mum in London
3.Trains

Oscar’s been a die hard fan of Thomas the Tank Engine for a long time now, but has only just recently started to look at modern trains with an understanding that they are also trains. Until recently we’d avoided taking him on a train ride as A) we weren’t sure he’d enjoy it or B) that he’d be able to sit for any length of time. However, he’s recently become much better at following instructions and using public transport without the buggy (we’ve been walking and getting the bus for preschool every day in July). So a couple of weeks ago we finally decided to give it a go. And he LOVES it. I mean LOVES it. From buying the ticket, to the waiting on the platform to riding on the actual train, he gets so much out of it. It’s also opened up doors for days out that we just didn’t have before.

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We also love the one of the ticket staff in Haslemere Station. She very kindly made Oscar his own special ticket, when she saw how excited he was at going on a rail journey. She didn’t need to do that and it really touched me! Thank you South West Trains ticket lady!

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4.Pick Your Own

I love berries and there really is no better or fresher way of getting them than picking your own. We’ve not gone for a few years, as Oscar has struggled to cope with new places and not running off, however this year we thought it was time to try again. So a few weeks ago we took him to Secretts Pick Your Own in Milford. And what can I say; he amazed us! Awesome at picking the best looking strawberries, he enjoyed it so much we ended up with an enormous bucket full! Although no need to worry, Strawberries are Oscar’s favourite and they all got eaten! We came back with Raspberries and Strawberries and Rhubarb and even Sunflowers. Such a fun day out and such good value too! No way could you buy as many berries for the price of pick your own in the supermarkets. And the taste? I swear it’ll catapult you back to childhood.

Strawberries
All of the Strawberries!
raspberries
It was so relaxing picking this many raspberries, especially when I found some canes away from where the noisy family (not mine) were
Sunflowers
How gorgeous are these Sunflowers? I just love them against the brickwork of our fireplace!
5.Marwell Zoo

We’ve been to Marwell Zoo a few times now. Oscar likes it there, but for the most part I haven’t enjoyed our trips. I think its primarily because I have found it so hard to deal with the fact that Oscar is accessing the park in a completely different way to how one would expect a child to access a Zoo. He hasn’t ever really showed much interest in the animals and has always just run from one thing to the next. It’s been exhausting and also made me feel like we could be anywhere, a park near the house would be giving him as much as a Zoo an hour away. However, this time we went I was more prepared to let him go where he wanted and do what he found interesting. And yes much of that was the play parks around the Zoo, but he also LOVED the train that went round the park and he did actually start to pay attention to the animals (He loved the giraffes). The best bit was that this was the first visit where we didn’t leave with him in mid melt down!

 the Marwell Zoo train
He loved the Marwell Zoo train, Well it was a train afterall!
Boy and giraffe at Marwell Zoo
He was fascinated by the giraffe. Who wouldn’t be?

It wont always be a great day out, I get that, but this time really was. And I think that was largely down to me managing my expectations and coming to terms with who he is.

PLyground at Marwell Zoo
His favourite was still the playground. Ahh well!

What were your favourites last month I’d love to know!

 

I would like to thank Thaikhun for their hospitality and hosting our Mummy Bloggers End of Term Celebration.

I paid for my Dyson myself. Well Ben did. But you know what I mean! As always all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Children, Family Tagged With: cordless, Dyson, family days out, family life, Favourite Five - July, girls night out, July, marwell zoo, OurFaveFive, Pick Your own, Secretts, strawberries, thai food, thaikhun, trains, vacuum

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