Saturday 1st September

Well this monrings alarm was met with the need to snooze it several times. The plan to get to Olympic Park early, have a McDonalds Breakfast and then pop round the megastore is just not going to happen. We alter in the day manage to get breakfast about 4.30pm, such is our ehctic schedule for today.

We are really looking forward to the action in the pool as everytime you walk pas the aquatic centre you hear and feel the buzz when a session is on.

This morning we have the heats and later on the final. We learn from our Diving experience you need to going into this venue until the last minute and you must have enough liquid to re-hydrate if not you run the risk of evaporating.

We take our place about half way down the pool and quite a way back but have a good view of all the action. In the morning sessions we see 4 world records and paralympic medals. Top of our list is of course Ellie Simmonds what a talented young lady she is at 17 breaking the para record and being the fastest qualifier for the final later today (as you can imagine we are giddy again with excitement that we may see somethign special later).

We also marvel at the blind and partially sighted swimmers who not only dive into the pool but have to be tapped on the head the other end to know they have to get their finishing touch in. Also as amazing are those without limbs some of whom who have to finish by touching in with their heads.

Well after all that excitement we head to Bridge B to meet Trudy, she today begins her Gamesmaker shifts and she looks nervous in her lovely poppy and aubergine uniform (I think they are the colours Clare Balding narrowed it down to). She has her photo taken with Wenock and Manderville and we wander round the park and chat and catch up on the events of the summer. Trudy has to get off to her first shift and we have Goalball  so we say our goodbyes. Trudy agrees to write us a daily update which we have added to Trudys page as Tales from the Manor as that is where Trudy will be stationed for her time at the games.

Well after all the action from the morning and again the wondermeant (not sure if thats a real word but sounds good to me) we head over to Goalball. This is a game I have only seen on some of the build up programmes so am interesting to see how it works.

It is for partially sighted or blind so everyone has to wear blackout blinds. There are three players on the pitch at one time. They play on a pitch and each teams defends a large goal that runs the width of the pitch. The players try to roll the ball into the other teams goal. The ball has a bell / rattle in it so the players use thir hearing to know where it is and kind of lay on the floor to stop the ball.

The interesting thing in this sport is that the crowd have to be silent throughout (something we have not had to do before in, fact the latter has been needed in making plenty of noise). During breaks of play or when the ref deems it necessary the crowd are told "silence please", also the Bjork song line ssssshhhh is used along with Helen Mirren telling us to "button it".

In between games the crowd are encouraged to make lots of noise and sing and dance to the various songs that have become part of the games. I have to say the dancing in the aisles from the games makers was also top quality.

We watch two games and as is usual the teams we choose to give our support to as GB are not playing lose. Sweden beating Canada and Japan beating USA.

A game that is very hard on the knees I would suggest. Also I said to Miss O a game to try at school.

Well we after two games of Goalball it is time to get soemthing to eat before heading back to the sauna that is the aquatic centre (on reflection my GB football shirt was not the best to wear as far to clingy in the heat). We decide to go for the BBQ option as we have had this previously and although one of the more expensive options one of the best. We get wings, ribs and jerk chicken with a healthy dollop of salad, we stock up on water and the lemon and lime vitamin water we now have as our favourite, and the obligitory bag of goodies, its choccy buttons this evening, costly but hey it is the Paralympics.

After finally eating for the first time today we head over to the aqautic centre for the 17.30 start, we have little wander round as there as some good views and vantage points once in that we haven's found before. We decide to get another couple of bottles of water and head up to find our seats. Bingo we are pretty much opposite where we were last night and back row. We meet a family whose little girl is a huge Ellie fan and we clap and cheer the swimmers as the finals begin for the evening.

Team GB win a silver and bronze and every final ends with either a world or paralympic record. Then the moment we have all waited for the S6 400m battle between our Ellie and Vicky Arlen from USA (there had been some debate over her classification so we knew Ellie has a huge challenge on her hands). The race starts and the wall of noise mounts as they complete each length, stroke for stroke until the American takes a small lead between 300m - 350m, the crowd goes quite for a moment until the 350m turn and Ellie edges into a lead......she extends it and as she does the roar of the crowd takes the roof off the stadium as we all reaslise Ellie is going to win and WOW in what style she does shattering the world record by 5 seconds. Never have I screamed as much as someone to swim faster and never have so many tears been shed by Miss O.

The emotion in the place is clear to see as you look around. The medal ceremony follows a few races later and the applause and euphoria for this youngster is a privalige to be part of. We cannot believe our luck, we had super saturday, Tom Daley bronze, first gold in the rowing that GB on their way what seems a lifetime ago and now Ellie Simmonds, and those many other events where we have seen medals and seem magnificant performances.

We decide that the Italian national anthem is the best to observe as it is quite up tempo and the spectators decide to clap along (not sure this is the thing to do but it seemed appropriate at the time). The Italian seemed to enjoy us joining in which led to added cheers as she took her applause in fromt of us after the medal ceremony.

As the evening draws to close we sit in awe of the the most severly disabled swimmers compete in a freestyle final and observe their medal ceremony. It really has been a wonderful inspiring day.

We head out and Miss O high 5's games makers and the police are now joining in the customery way of saying hello and goodbye as people enter or leave Olympic Park.

Back at the hotel we have a pizza and glass of veno as we share our emotions at what we are experiencing. Slightly better light out tonight at just past midnight as we have more events tomorrow as well as  the train home and work on Monday which will be slightly more of a shock to Miss O than me.

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Today we have a busy day with the schedule looking like this.

09.30-12.30  Swimming

12.30-13.30  Meet Trudy the Games Maker (Womble)

13.45-17.15  Goalball

17.30-21.10  Swimming

Its going to be a non-stop day. Both events we have not seen, as we had diving but not swimming at the olympics. Goalball is played on the floor with blindfolds and a ball where a goal can be scored in large goals either end of an indoor pitch.