Hi everyone,
I just read that the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey circus in the US is closing down. They had their last show yesterday. Very sad!
I always loved circuses. We had about four or five different circus companies in India in the 1960's and every year one of them would come to our town. We would know from their large light beam scanning the skies. We would then look out for posters showing the lions, tigers, horses, trapeze artists etc. What fun! Pester my dad to go for the show. Never missed it.
The circus would often perform in a ground near my school. Some of us boys would run out during lunch break and try to walk into their enclosures or at least look through the gaps in the outer enclosure. We would see the animals in their cages, the artists and clowns walking around or practicing. The colours, the smells (stink actually) and the energy. Great!
Sad that the days of circuses are over. Even in India I think all the circuses are closed down. No animals allowed, no children allowed, Fire and safety regulations etc. have been too much for them, besides TV and the internet.
I don't know about circuses in the UK...but I always loved reading Enid Blyton's Galliano's Circus. Sitting under a tree during summer hols with a glass of orange squash and reading those Enid Blyton books....nothing better!
Cheers.
Sriram