Roll up, roll up

One of the many things I miss about London is it’s parks. I spent a whole lot of my childhood playing in two parks near my home. Forster Memorial Park and Mountsfield Park, once home of course to the mighty Charlton Athletic. These last couple of days we have gratefully strolled the green pastures of London Fields, Haggerston Park and Hyde Park.

We were in Hyde Park, like almost everyone else was, browsing the Winter Wonderland, which has grown exponentially since last time I visited three years ago. We sniffed Mulled wine, squeezed onto a tea cup ride and counted more sausage stalls than you could shake a stick at but we also took the little ‘un to Zippo’s Circus.

It was the first time I have been to a traditional big top circus for many years and thanks to animal welfare groups the ringmaster has only a skeleton of acts to introduce these days. It wasn’t quite the same, I mean the trapeze artist from the Argentina was okay and the Ukrainian acrobat brought a few gasps and the French clown was, well a clown but the Mongolian contortionist made my stomach turn and the big top was crying out for a lion tamer or a balancing elephant, even a human cannonball would have done me.

Our daughter appeared to enjoy it, quietly munching through a bag of roasted chestnuts, my roasted chestnuts I should add, but she was noticeably more excited about seeing a squirrel run up a tree in the park than the she was by the Kenyan fire eater.

The Christmas break continues for us, although our families have all gone their separate ways as we make our way up to Essex today to stay with friends.