The Circus Came to Town

Every year a travelling circus visits Cormatin. We see the posters go up a couple of days in advance, then the trucks roll into town and the tent goes up. It is a family affair, Mum, Dad, the kids and the grand kids and it is very small-time. Due to an overabundance of embarrassment at not having small children to take with us, we have never gone, but this year we steeled ourselves and decided to go anyway and see what they had to offer - we weren't disappointed.

We parked near the Plan d'Eau (the fishing lake) and walked towards the circus tent. The first thing we saw was a small hump-backed cow (a miniature version of the ones you see in India) a very long horned cow, a lama, a goat and lots of chickens. My mind boggled what they were going to get the chickens to perform, or maybe they were just there to feed the other animals?

There were 36 chairs set out in the small Big Top for the audience, so the circus company obviously didn't have great expectations as to the crowds they would pull. We took our seats and waited. Some friends, who had come with their 4 year-old grandson, told us it was only for little people, which prompted a remark from Cees about my height, which I won't repeat. Indeed we were the only adults that turned up without very small children, the average age of which was about 3.

The show opened with a horse, who trotted round the ring in one direction, then the other, then the other, then the other etc etc, then it left. Next were little girls who did a little bit of tumbling. I must say that if they were my kids or grand kids I would have been very proud, but... The whole thing then started to really hot up, on came the ferrets, who wiggled in and out of some sticks and up and down a tube. The hula-hoops next - that girl really shouldn't wear a leotard it is not very flattering... On to the tightrope walking cat - oh yes this circus had it all ! The belly dancer (with as much belly as me to dance with) invited the local nurse to join her in the act, something she came to regret, when a boa constrictor was put round her neck. Then the finale, the goat who climbed to the top of a tower.

Absolutely brilliant, I haven't enjoyed so much in a long time.

La Tuilerie Website