Then, just at the last moment, the cry comes from below 'HUP!' And you let go and grab the catcher's hands and it feels like the strongest grip you'll ever know...

Our whole family does circus trapeze, even our kids. Don't ask why. After a week of training, our hands are blistered, there are bruises all over our bodies - and we still go back for more. It is the most amazing feeling to swing high above the ground and sail through the air and in one incredible split second meet up with the catcher from the other side of the trapeze. It all takes just a few seconds, but the moment when you see the catcher and watch his hands reach out for you, seems like forever. You want to grab hold immediately, but you have to wait for the call from below, and every time I swear they have forgotten, that I'll miss the catch, that they've left it too late to call. Then, just at the last moment, the cry comes from below 'HUP!' And you let go and grab the catcher's hands and it feels like the strongest grip you'll ever know...

Of course the first time you try trapeze, it isn't exhilarating at all. In fact, all I can remember was the feeling of wanting to climb right back down the ladder again and throw up. However, for those of you who still dream about flying, here are the basic instructions:

1) Stand at the bottom of a ten metre circus rig. Try to remember this is fun. Do not look up.  (And when you get to the top, do not look down.)

2) Put safety harness around your waist.

3) The circus crew will now tighten it. Immediately breath in and push your stomach out. Failure to do this will leave you feeling tight around the chest and short of breath. At first you put this down to the fact that you will be swinging ten metres above the ground and trying to connect in mid air with another human. Later you will understand that the shortness of breath is merely oxygen deprivation caused by the safety harness pulled so tight your ribs and your spine meet.

4) Coat hands with magnesium chalk to stop blisters. This means your arms, thighs, hair, face and eyes are also coated. It also means you will still get blisters.

5) Climb ladder. Rock climbing skills come in handy here. Don't look down.

6) Stand on platform at top of the climb. Try not to notice that it is narrower than your feet.  Do not shake. The platform is not fixed and excessive shaking will cause it to swing in mid air.

7) Attempt to answer the totally useless questions of the circus person standing with you on the platform. Sample questions include: 'Are you going to the disco tonight?' and 'Want to go on the hike tomorrow?' Answer 'Yes, if I survive,' to all of them.

8) Grip the bar hard. This is good for the blisters.

9) The call 'hup!' from the catcher is the cue for you to jump off the platform into mid-air. Refusal to believe this means you will get a knee in the small of your back and be thrown off the platform anyway.

10) Listen to the 47 rapid and totally incomprehensible instructions of the circus leader on the ground. The fact that you are swinging high above the air is no excuse for not following orders. Complaints that you can't think or listen whilst upside-down are also irrelevant.

11) On the second call of 'hup' let go of the bar, hold out your arms and wait for the catcher to grab hold of you in mid swing. It is useful to open your eyes as well.

12) Transfer accomplished! You are now swinging through the air with the catcher. Don't look down. Do hang on.

13) Three seconds later, just as you are starting to enjoy the ride, the catcher throws you back into mid air again. Your task is to half twist in the air and catch your original bar again. The chances of this are about the same as buying three winning Tatts tickets in one day. 

14) If you fail to meet up with the bar, you just drop a small way down to the safety net. If you do manage to catch the bar, you then have to learn how do a back somersault and peel off to the safety net.  Remind yourself as you do this to buy a Tatts ticket.

15) Once on the ground, you will be asked to sign a paper to prove you have completed that trapeze trick and are now considered legally insane. It doesn't matter what name you sign, you are shaking so much, no-one can read your words anyway.