There are some people in life that I hear about and just have to meet. Have to jump in the car, ​race up the motorway and ride over an incredibly bumpy track to get to.

Simon Hirst is one of those people, talented and humble with the most amazing selection of vintage ​and vintage inspired Circus and fairground prop hire. There are traditional swing boats for family events and signs, games and props for parties and as it turns out, for music video recordings as well.

I had been researching for weeks, a local source of a few props for Sammy's party this coming Saturday, but when I stumbled upon Simon, I was left open mouthed!​

Whilst not from fairground background, Simon has always had a love of the Circus and one of his first pieces in his collection was his beloved Henry - the carousel horse.​ An accomplished sign writer, Simon creates incredible works of art that look as though they are from a bygone era of traditional fun. You can see his full range on his website Traditional Fair.

I was so impressed by the attention to detail, the total illusion that some of his replicas are indeed replicas. Simon travels the country with his collection of fantastic Circus memorabilia and hires our various fete games for events and weddings.​

I will be seeing Simon again this weekend when I carefully bundle Henry the horse and the 8ft long Circus sign into our Pathfinder! It is going to be a very special photo booth at this party!

Thank you to Simon for letting me share my photographs - what an absolute pleasure.​

ps. He loves Pinterest as much as I do - what a guy!​

pps. Have you voted yet for the Loved by Parents Blogger of the Year Award? If not why not?! ;) You can vote for my blog HERE.​

​I had actually, genuinely forgotten it was a bank holiday today. 

I had planned to scoot up the motorway to take some photographs of pretty flowers with a lovely lady at the Clevedon Craft Centre. A plan which I kept of course, I love a good bloom.

But it feels like we have been given bonus time. The boys are glued to the new trampoline and I am scribbling notes ​and to do lists ready for Sammy's Birthday Party this Saturday. 

Here are my bank holiday weekend discoveries.​

I love my boys in a bow tie, in fact I think they have around 8 different colours each! But these grown up wooden versions from Two Guys Bow Ties are amazing! I so wish I could get Rich in one of these! 

I have been a fan of the Sister's Guild online shop for a while now ​(I have just got to get this beehive children's bag for my niece) and adore their for Mama collection. I love this grown up tiffin lunch box, I realised I make so many Bento lunches for the boys but I am missing out myself! Another pin to the wish list. 

Their blog is divine and this week I was transfixed with their ​Dream Home post which showcased their beautiful house storage range. They had me at mama.

I have fallen completely in love with Emily Henderson over the past week. Check out her blog for all sorts of inspiration and my favourite flea market finds posts, where she shares her upcycled wonder like this.​

Whilst the party planning is seemingly under control at the moment, ​I can always use some help. I have a little army of helpers arriving at the weekend to assist with the last minute bits and spotted this sweet book online. Ok, so I may need the internet to help translate it as it's all in French but still! It would make a really nice gift to a party loving parent. If you have any failsafe party tips please leave a comment! 

Finally I want to say a huge thank you for the best week in blogging there could possible be. Not only am I a Finalist in the MAD Blog Awards in September but this week, the Finalists in the National BritMums Brilliance in Blogging Awards were announced. I am over the moon to be a Finalist in the Photo category. Thank you for everyone who voted, especially if you got your other halves to vote as well! The winners are revealed in a ceremony on the 21st June in London.

Incredibly, I was also shortlisted as one of 6 blogs in the Loved by Parents Blogger of the Year Award. I keep pinching myself and checking the link as I can't quite believe I am amongst those names. I would love to be in the final 3 so if you fancy taking 30 seconds to vote click here!​

I am not quite sure how to express how grateful I am but another blog find this week may just do the trick. Check out Oh Joy! for more sweet videos like this. ​

When I was little, my mom always told me to tell my school bus driver "thank you" when I exited the bus. I didn't realize why it was so important at the time, but over the years, I've realized how many people make our lives better as part of their jobs and rarely receive a thank you.

Thank you! Have a great day.​

If you read this blog regularly, then you will know I usually post a weekend discoveries round up, of wonderful things I have found on the internet in the last week.​

As we have a 3 day bank holiday weekend in the UK, I shall be posting my usual weekend discoveries tomorrow.

But today is dedicated to our big boy, Sammy. Yesterday was his fourth birthday. The Circus extravaganza party is this coming Saturday, so there was only one place we could have gone on his actual birthday. A Circus.

​I have masses of photos to share this week, but after a long day of fun, high jinks and slapstick we have all crashed out. 

So I will give you a peek into our day, to get you in the mood for what will be a birthday themed blog this week!​

He is absolutely our clown. He makes us laugh until our sides ache and melts our hearts. Even when he tests us to our limits, it only take a split second for the atmosphere to change with a cheeky look or hilarious sentence that doesn't quite make sense.​

Don't grow up too fast darling boy we love you just the way you are.​