Boys Toys Review

The hugely popular Boys Toys event was held last month and, whilst I was hugely disappointed at not being able to attend, one of our lovely Chelmsford Mumsnetters went on my behalf to write this review:

"Whilst our group could be considered by some to have the incorrect male/female ratio for this event, my daughter (age 3) and I are petrol heads and it was only for the want of maternity leathers and decent motorcycle child seats that I ceased my blossoming motorcycle adventures. My husband is a fan of musical theatre but takes a good piccie so we let him come along too.

We arrived as the gates opened and were the first on the Hylands' Heavy Horse and Carriage ride. Great for toddlers and we were allowed up close to our steed (Joe) for photos after. This was instrumental in my daughter's rehabilitation after witnessing my husband being bitten by a wild horse in a freak carrot incident in February. 

We had just enough time to stroll over to the aerial display area, where we saw the Supermarine Spitfire perform numerous fly overs and stunts. It was stunning to watch the vertical climb in particular. Sadly, due to the weather, the Spitfire had to return to North Weald rather than land at Hylands. After a run of scorching days, this day was rather overcast- it was a shame but the weather didn't impinge on any of the other attractions. The helicopter rides carried on throughout the day. 

Our little unit then went to watch the first of the three extreme stunt shows scheduled. We saw cars driving on two wheels, quad bikes leaping and stunt BMX bikes interspersed with the odd flaming circle. A great show and obviously years' of experience in the creation. I would suggest that you arrive ten minutes early because it does get three deep around the barriers which, if you are 2 metres' tall (or have a Daddy who is) doesn't prove problematic but mere mortals like me had to jostle a bit for a good view. This is probably testament to the show's popularity which is well deserved. We found ear defenders very useful at this show. 

The event has plenty to attract the under 5's- as well as the older child/bloke (excuse my bias- it is based on our group's composition). There was an entire area given over to free inflatables, a number of kiddy friendly rides and lots to look at in the display arena. I did harp on hubby to have a go on the hovercraft ride but he wimped out- there were a number of stands and displays including jetskis and the Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group which he "hovered" lustfully over instead. 

This isn't a place to go and eat at if you're on a diet. Very lad orientated- fair enough! We settled on the German sausage offerings as the least "wurst" option. (Sorry) There were food stalls there that I recognised from the usual Hylands Farmers' Market which provided a contrast to the fried fodder though. We would have liked to have stayed and watched more of the music but nap time beckoned."

What The Ladybird Heard at the Civic Theatre

What the Ladybird Heard is a show aimed at children aged 2+ and it has been touring the country. Last week it was shown at the Civic Theatre and, because he loves the book, I took T along for his second trip to the theatre. 

It is always difficult to know what to expect from a theatre adaption of a childrens' book. These books take 10 minutes maximum to read at bedtime, and that is when T is at his 'What's that?' best. (To think that I was worried about his lack of speech a year ago!). How are they going to to fill a 50 minute show? We'd been to see Peppa Pig earlier in the year and that had been really good but a friend had recently been to see an adaption of another one of Julia Donaldson's books and had been really unimpressed. 

I needn't have worried! 'What the Ladybird Heard' is a really charming play which engages the audience from the very beginning of the play. Even before the lights had gone down the actors worked their way through the audience asking if anyone had seen Lanky Len.  This engagement continues throughout the whole play with the audience being encouraged to sing, remind the actors of all the animals in the story and, most importantly, finding the ladybird. 

The way that the animals were portrayed on stage was very clever. I had assumed puppets or costumes but they were actually made from stage props and it was really lovely to see the children get excited as the different animals came together and they realised which animals they were. The set was very true to Lydia Monk's illustrations and there were some lovely touches, with flowers growing around the door of the house and from the flower pots. 

After finding a 'new' actor to play Lanky Len, making the animals and lots of songs, the story itself only took up 10 minutes of the total running time. However the story was told in the same way as it was in the book. Fidgety children were then back and engaged with the story that they could follow as they do at home. 

It has been a while since I'd been to the Civic Theatre and on booking the tickets worried that I might have been too far from the stage for T to see everything that was going on. The Civic Theatre however has a very intimate feel about it and we would have been able to see the action from any of the seats. There were also plenty of booster seats available for children. 'Hugless Dougless', another well read book in this house, is on in October at the Civic Theatre and we will be going to see that too!

If your children (or you!) like 'What The Ladybird Heard' I would definitely recommend this play. It is the perfect length  for children and the actors work hard to keep them engaged throughout. 

'What The Ladybird Heard is' currently touring the country and will be in Southend in September.