great sporstmen

So where has summer gone, if you have any idea at all please tell me where it is cos I want it back.

Coo and damp here today. We’ve been watching some of the Olympic coverage and boy can those athletes move. There’s a big TV in the reception room at work and I’ve seen bits and pieces of  the different events. Even spotted a bit of equestrian with NZ competing, and winning bronze. Go Kiwi. Real shame about the oar breaking for one of the NZ teams, but that’s the way it goes.

And what about that Michael Phelps then, one stroke of winning the men’s butterfly and a third gold in the same event for the third games. But didn’t he do well in the relay. Now he is the most successful Olympian of all time, having won the most medals of any Olympian. Sports commentator said that his comment was that he wasn’t counting the medals, all he wanted to do was to count the number of toppings he can now have on a sundae.

Not much to say today, so I wont...

First working day of the games, and how was it getting to work this morning. Not bad at all. Train going in from crystal Palace was marginally busy as was the one I transfer onto at Canada Water. And The Man’s run in was pretty much the same. Coming home wasn’t too bad either, though The Man avoided London Bridge station and came to Canary Wharf via the DLR (Dockland Light Railway), a nice surprise that. Fingers crossed it continues.

Not terribly warm this morning, hasn’t been warm enough since this so called summer started for me to go to working in short sleeves. Today was no different. Cool wind blowing this morning. Nice to be able to catch the bus down to the station. Didn’t even get out for a walk at lunchtime.

The man finally gave in recently and went and had his eyes checked, and we had a phone call over the weekend to say that they were ready.  He went in to get them on his way in to meet me. His, like mine are varifocal and it will take him a few days to get used to them.

Fulham palace...

What a lovely day we woke to this morning. And what do you do on such a day? Yes, that’s right you get out and enjoy it. Don’t want to go too far. Hmm, last time we went over Putney Bridge way Fulham palace was closed for a private function. Fingers crossed it won’t be today.  Nice and easy to get to as well. Get a Southern train to Clapham Junction, transfer to another train and just two stops and we’re there.  

Oh dear, the road across Putney Bridge is sectioned off, no cars allowed and Olympic banners are everywhere. Seems there ladies road race is set to go through here sometime in the next hour or so. So, if that big black loud is anything to go by, will be the rain.  There’s a Pound shop down the street and we stop off and buy a brolly each. Just as well because we no sooner get across the bridge than it begins to rain heavily. We join others sheltering under the trees near the church. It doesn’t’ last long and soon we walk on to Fulham palace gardens. Lats time we were here there were a lot of construction barriers, but today all is clear. Over there is what was hidden behind them, a kids playground, and over there are new heavy wooden gates into he park, I’m sure they weren’t there before. 

The palace itself, formerly home of London bishop now houses a trendy café on its ground floor, and the upstairs is ‘private, staff only’.  Friendly staffer tells us we can go through to the garden and that there is a barbeque and describes what we can find to eat there. And we were tempted by the fries and apple pies and summer fruits in jelly. Very nice thank you.

Well fed, we wandered around the garden until the rain drove us back under the trees. Overhead we saw several hovering helicopters, obviously filming the ladies road race.  Time for us to make our way back home and we retraced our steps to the station and got back to Clapham Junction. Oh-oh. Seems there is a problem with the Crystal palace signalling system and this train is now bypassing the very station we want to go to. And other passengers on the train are too. The young lady opposite us, a volunteer at Battersea Dogs Home, suggests an alternative route by bus and we follow her off the train at the next station and get back home via the circuitous route. 

GO KIWI...

The Man and I watched the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. What an amazing show. I really liked the way it portrayed some recent British history. If you don’t already know I am rather a fan of history. Beginning with a pleasant rural scene where most of our ancestors would have lived and worked. Mine were Ag Labs (agricultural labourers). Roll on through the years and the beginning of the industrial revolution. It lured the ag labs and their families into the cities and polluted the very air they breathed and the water they drank. It was a very clever transition in the Olympic arena. And those industrial labours appeared to create five glowing rings that rose to join into the symbol of the games. Again, very clever. It lost me and The man a bit there, and then there was a all that modern music and dancing. We persevered and were rewarded by Bondy visiting the Queen and escorting her in a helicopter. She was brave to jump out of it at her age (OK, I know it wasn’t really her). The icing on the cake, so to speak, was Rowan Atkinson donning his Mr Bean persona. Priceless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBDTCuJF7g8

This morning, between doing the washing and getting it dry flicked between channels and had the puotr set to BBC live. Good think I can multi task. Swimming, cycling, more swimming, rowing, swimming, then more rowing. Pairs heats, and there they were the New Zealand pair. GO KIWI., The heat was close but they did it.

 OK, I know it's a duck, you'll just have to use your imagination.