Olympics LONDON 2012 Day 3 and HITCHIN

                                          For Husb and I there was no Olympics Day 3 =(

but we were quite happy to let our children "bond" in Clapham, while we had a little look round Welwyn Garden City and drove several times round their roundabouts, eventually arriving at Welwyn Garden City Cricket Club for the Under 18 County match between Herts and Norfolk, a game in which our nephew Bensk was playing.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the picturesque ground reminded me a little of Christleton's ground, although at Christleton there are no low flying trees with orangutans swinging on branches!

I couldn't believe it when the first person I saw on arrival was Cookie!!! I grew up with him and Phil on Norton Hill Drive Estate (138, 614547, haha) What a bonus!

Joe was playing here in the OD game the following day.

It was like standing between Geoff and Tonse!!!!!!

Benski batting

Benski still batting! Though it wouldn't be for much longer.....whoopsieeeeeee

My fave bro and my fave Husb

Meanwhile back at the Olympic Park The Pixen and The Drakester were having fun at the HOCKEY, while The Cubba was at the TENNIS watching the almighty FEDERER
                                    (Can you all keep up with this itinery??!)(Cub made a flowchart haha)

Have I told you how COLOURFUL the venues were.... they were soooo pretty.

A visitor to Pixen's knee.... well.. her knee IS flower-coloured

All my daughters kept saying was "We really want to play Hockey again!!"

Consider the Generation Inspired!!

The quickest way back to Diddy's was the new JAVELIN LINE to KING'S CROSS (6 mins) (!) but they checked out PLATFORM 9 and 3 quarters first!

9 and 3/4 !!! 

Did you make a run for it, Drakey?

Then it was fun and games back at the SmithyBears' before driving home.

Our nearest GOLD POSTBOX is in Flint.... Jade Jones WOOOO!

What a suberbly uplifting fortnight! We loved every minute of it, and it is a HUGE THANKYOU to our favourite son for making it all so easy for us.

Highlights include... 

The Gamesmakers....SO ENTHUSIASTIC-every day was like ONE BIG PARTY

JADE JONES face when she won Taekwondo GOLD

Beth Tweddle's amaaaaaaaazing routine

Ian Thorpe's gorgeous voice, accent and subtle ability to "own" Gary Lineker 

Horses dancing to music

Tom 

The half time SKIPPING at the Basketball....Fantastic!

Cubba's packed lunches

Radio Five Live commentary

Clare Balding being ultra smooth and super prepared

Sir Chris Hoy.

so many many more......and...

Mo ...the ICING on the cake...literally!

 We are now looking forward to the Paralympics with Rich Hennahane competing in the Archery.

He just happens to be Drake's boyfriend's brother

and Rio anyone? 

This is now the sign up at the Stratford station!

Olympics LONDON 2012 Day 2

Day 2 started early! But we were more than happy to get up at the crack of dawn, we were going to the Aquatic Centre to watch some SWIMMING heats.WHOOP WHOOP! But not before we'd had a Macdonald's porridge and a cup of tea.

We spotted the new BBC studio at the very top of the tower block overlooking the Park. Poor Gary Lineker was stuck up there for days on end, only seeing the action on a screen, until he begged to be let out and into the Park.

The Aquatics Centre is impressive. 

I expected it to be ridiculously hot like the viewing area at Northgate Arena but it was pleasantly cool due to the "winged" design, which meant the crowd were air conditioned while the swimming competitors stayed warm. The photo is deceptive, we look like we are sat miles up but in fact we were only half way up and we could see fantastically well. 

Every time the crowd saw a red hat they went mental! Some would call it noise but the atmosphere was just superb. Flags, banners, wigs, face paints, there was so much home support for Team GB.

 Jamieson and Willis swam well. Later that night Jamieson broke the British record for breaststroke. Husb and I heard the roar from the othe side of the Olympic Park

I was obviously so engrossed in all the action.

Nice transfer, Drakester.

Panoramic view of the Aquatic Centre.

Team GB relay team WOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Nice Links bands Drakey

                                  We thoroughly enjoyed the swimming. We like swimming.

                                 ("We like swimming" hahahaha -remember Corfu, Dids?!)


        Husb had opted out of this event having sat through his fair share of hot, noisy, echoey school        swimming galas, but now it was time to find him. (After a photoshoot with Wenlock)

Have I told you how colourful, jolly and pretty the Park is?

Well what do you know.... Husb was engrossed in the equestrian events! I think he watched Zara Phillips getting a Silver medal from her mumski.

So we joined him. And the legend that is CHRIS HOLLINDALE opened his back pack and produced cheese and ham sandwiches for us all, with bananas and juice. WOTAHERO!

You don't grow beautiful flowers like these without a little rain and  sure enough, in typical British Summer fashion, it started to drizzle a little. 

We were prepared! Husb had brought his 50p ponchos haha

The British red telephone box may be an endangered species but not in the Olympic Park. These installations are part of the BT Artbox project which sees over 40 artists creating an original phonebox with a twist.

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

 (This was before the legend that is MO FARAH won his 2nd GOLD MEDAL WHOOPWHOOPIDOOOOOOOOOOO!!)

(I've just watched it!)

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

(I have just watched Tom Daley win a BRONZE MEDAL

WHOOPWHOOPIDOOOOOOOOOOO!!)

The Jolly Hollies split up for the afternoon sessions. Husb and I headed off to the Basketball Arena

 which looked a bit like a meringue, and Pixen, Cub and Drakeydrake went to watch some skimpily clad beach bods leaping around in the sandpit at the Horseguards Parade.

Panoramic view of Horseguards Parade-BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Friar Hol with Sister Nem

Your Holinesses Friar Hol with Sister Etty and Sister Nem

       Beach Volleyball players indicate moves and tactics on their fingers behind their backs.

The entertainment looked good.

What a fabulous setting. The drizzle soon stopped and it brightened up beautifully.

Team GB

Team Jollyholly minus their habits

Meanwhile Husb and I were sat in the warm and dry Basketball meringue and the atmosphere was incredible (well I thought it was but I've just watched the 5,000m final and heard the stadium ERUPT when MO FARAH won the GOLD. I honestly thought Steve Cram was going to combust)

(The crowd went wild for Tom Daley too)

Team GB v BRAZIL

HOW LONG has CHRIS FINCH been Team GB coach!!!!???!!!.... I remember him coming to the Arena as coach of Sheffield Sharks, along with Nate Reinking. We spent many Sunday evenings supporting the Chester Jets and willing Reinking's shots to miss the basket but this afternoon we were willing them to go in and he played a great second half game. We lost. But it was close, Deng is a quality player, he won all the rebounds for us.

We were done. We had run out of tickets! But we didn't want to leave the Park. 

So we delayed leaving  and mozyed  around , just taking it all in. This turned out to be a bonus because we ended up talking for an hour (over a cup of tea and a muffin) to Ian (and Megan) who had worked on the building of the Park. 

The Beat Box

The Velodrome

On the evening of Day 2 Cub and Drakey took the Emirates cable car  to the ExCel Centre, home of the Olympics martial arts, boxing and weightlifting events and also TABLETENNIS.

The Pixen made herself comfortable back at the Cub's flat, she was more than happy to watch Becky Adlington swim on tele, who later went on to win the Bronze Medal. Little did we know Diddsville would be meeting Becky a week later at the Open Water swim...

But I'm being sidetracked..... here is the cablecar....

The ExCel Centre

The tabletennis was too fast even for Drakster's camera! 

Chris please whatsapp me a good tabletennis photo!!