Summer of Love

I have loved the summer of sport that descended upon the capital in July. Initially i didn't get on board and especially as you could only use visa to buy tickets....all my credit cards are mastercards i didn't buy tickets in advance. However as the games started i was hooked watching the frantastic acheivements of our sportsmen...i use the term generically here. I was lucky to attend some events because of good friends who had tickets to spare, including someone from the Beating bowel cancer forum! This enabled me to take the boys to the paralympic athletics. We loved it we cheered and stood in awe of the fantastic atheletes. We watched the blind long jump ...... in silence that is the other overwhelming experience to sit in silence in order to enable them to acheive, we did the same at the equestrian so we didn't spook the horses. A singular experience, the girl who eventually won the long jump encouraged us on her last jump to clap along as she had already won and boy did we cheer and clap till our hands were sore.

Danny Boyle and the Boys

It was lovely to have a day with the boys and we headed off to Westfield afterwards for a bit of shopping, something we all enjoy far too much. I love to spend time with them which doesn't happen so often now that Joe is 20 and Adam 16 they have their own lives to lead away from their mother, and Zak is moving that way too. They have their moments but i am proud that on the whole they get on, chatting joking and ganging up on be together at times. We had a lovely day and returned a couple of days later to attend the closing ceremony of the paralympics. We had great seats looking head on, they were still within the main body of the crowd and it was with exreme surprise that i turned in my seat to be confronted with the face of Danny Boyle who was responsible for the main opening ceremony, i quickly hissed to Joe and the boys so as not to be too obvious as you do that...it's Danny Boyle 'where' there just behind me!!! Joe immediately jumped up and landed next to Danny who at the time with his wife was tryingt o sort out his seats by asking us which numbers we had so that they could orientate themselves....turns out they were to the left of us across the aisle in the same seats. He was very nice and kindly stood with my then all three boys to have his photo taken with them, and they in turn were in the camera lenses of all the people behind and along from us who had just cottoned on to who they were standing with.
At the end of the evening as we left the park we came across a brass band a small affair playing modern tunes with trumpets drums etc and a huge tuba! The joint was rocking everytime they finsihed one song the cry ran out for more not least led on by my three boys. They were dancing and singing and encouraging others to do the same, at one point they were so entertaining that they became the next main attraction to the band itself, the conga'd around the park and whooped and hoollered for more. When Zak complained of thirst a woman who was wlaking away next to us handed him a bottle of water. People chatted and shook hands on departing. Games makers smiled and showed us the way home and Policemen did the mobot en mass.
Great times and great memories for the boys to store. It was for me a relief to see that they are able to hold their own and get along, it always comes back to what happens if i am not around, i think they will be ok it will be hard but their lives will go on without me......spectacularly!!!