Monday 6th August

 

Day 10 – We are up as early as we can manage, we were going
for 6am, but it ends up being 6.45am. Oh dear our eyes do not want to open today
one little bit, we are back at Olympic park for some athletic heats today and
then off to Wembley later for the woman’s football semi between Japan and France.
We begin to realise just how vast London is and how tired we are getting as we
are both having our slightly over tired tetchy moments (to be fair this is more
Julie than Miss O).We know we have early athletics again tomorrow and know how
mad the Olympic Park is so we go knowing today is going to be one of endurance,
patience but enjoyment as we are confident more medals will come the way of
team GB.

We arrive a little too late for getting into the World’s
biggest McDonalds or into the Megastore that bulges at the seams and is circum
navigated with queues and then a queue for the queue. Top tip is really to get
into your venue, and although once you are in you are in you can then usually find
some space to chill and relax. Today we debate for ages (we struggle with making
decisions at the best of times), about what we fancy for breakfast, Miss O goes
for an egg mayo sandwich and a cup of tea, Julie a chocolate muffin and a
vitamin drink.

Today is the first day we have bought our mascot Wenlock with
us, he is a GB Wenlock so be sure to check his page for his updates. Miss O has
a little doze before we amble around the stadium, we are at the opposite end
from Saturday so are able to get a good view of the cauldron. We take our seats
and watch some great heats, the atmosphere is good but I don’t think anything
will ever match what we experienced the other night.

All GB athletes get a rousing reception. Also any athlete in
the heats that are a long way back ( we had heats of 800m and 1500m) get a huge
reception as they complete the final bend and finishing straight. The fantastic
thing about being at something like this is the feel good factor of everyone in
the crowd, there were two families near in front of us, one were Aussies with 3
young girls and a baby as well (poor dad is abit outnumbered),and an Irish family
with older girls and boys, the dad went out to get mum a cup of tea and muffin
to give her bit of a break, it was so sweet.

After the athletics we head off to try a new route to Wembley.
Miss O has been collecting maps, she does this when we go away and so we are going
to use an overland route rather than the tube all the way. Before this we are herded
through the huge shopping mall at Stratford and stop at a smoothie and juice outlet
and grab one, it tastes good to have something really healthy, we decide this
will be a port to call at on all future visits to the Olympic Park.

We board the train to Wembley and get there in good time to
grab a burger and head into the stadium, it isn’t as full as the GB v Brazil or
Gabon v South Korea. We debate who to support, in the end we plump for the
underdogs. France start well but an
awful mistake from their keeper gifts Japan a goal, I think they will struggle to
get back into this match. In the background to the match we are keeping tabs on
the cycling and other events as Team GB continue to add to the medal haul. It’s
another chilly evening and as we all know Miss O feel the cold so we have tea
and hot chocolate rather than beer. The second half begins and Japan soon notch
a second, a well taken header, we decide to head off 15mins before the end,
although we miss France’s consolation goal it isn’t enough to stop Japan going through,
We meet another fabulous little family on the train back, we are liking the over
ground, it’s not as crowded, cramped or hot as the underground. Their little
girls amuses the whole carriage we are in.

We get back to the apartment and watch the end of the USA v
Canada game, which USA win at the end of extra time, shame that one wasn’t the final, for me that means supporting USA in
the final which we are going to on the 9th August. We are doing well
in the boxing and I am proud to see Anthony Agogo from Lowestoft (my home town)
doing so well in the boxing, as are all the fighters.

We crash with the alarms set for 5.45-6.15am, another early
one, we are catching up with Lara tomorrow who is at the athletic heats,
determined to get into the megastore and the biggest McDonalds in the world, we
then have a relaxing massage and facial to look forward to.