Melican at the Paralympics: Part 2

I think most people would agree a kind of sad lull has fallen over the UK, in particular London, this week. The event everyone was moaning about and worrying about its impact actually had us all coming together and celebrating what it meant to be British. London 2012 – the Olympics and Paralympics.

A bit of a latecomer to the party, I attended the Paralympics just before it all finished, but I am so glad I did. What an experience.

As I blogged previously my first experience was at the Olympic Park at Stratford and all on offer there. However, my second visit was quite different.

On Saturday 8th September my boyfriend and I attended the Paralympics at the Excel Centre. Again, we were using day passes (allowing you access to various events if there are seats available). This time we were allowed to see Wheelchair Fencing, Boccia and Wheelchair Table Tennis.

We ended up seeing all three – with Boccia without a doubt definitely our favourite. We saw two games – one where GB were aiming for Bronze and the other where GB were aiming for Gold. The second was GB v Thailand and Thailand won. We all know by now how much I love Thailand so I told my boyfriend I would be happy whoever won. Pattaya Tadtong – who won – was so happy when he got Gold, it was very emotional to be there and an amazing experience.

It was funny though – the day was a real mixture of emotions and experiences. On the way to the Excel Centre we ended up going via the Royal Docks and really appreciated how beautiful London can be and how being from here you can really take it for granted. The Games Makers were as friendly and enthusiastic as ever, but unfortunately some staff in the Excel centre weren’t quite so cheerful!

When we went to watch Boccia the first time the seats were in an awful position so we moved and then one of the staff were fantastic and came to find us to say they’d spotted a better seat for us – what service! However, on going to watch the Wheelchair Table Tennis, one of the men’s attitude left a lot to be desired and just gave off a real air of not wanting to be there. He kept telling people very abruptly how they must not go past a certain seat and was getting people to get up and move to the very end of a row (for no reason there were loads of empty seats!) A real shame and the only one we experienced.

I also found the Excel didn’t have the same buzz about it as the Olympic Park – I guess understandable when you consider the size difference. Although once you were in the events themselves you could feel the atmosphere again. We even got to see a medal ceremony for the Boccia which was fantastic to watch and again had my emotions going!

After we’d finished at the Excel (after around 5 hours) we decided to try out the cable car from the Royal Docks to North Greenwich. I’d really recommend it actually. The ride itself only lasts around 5 minutes, but it’s priced pretty reasonably and even the huge queue we joined moved quickly. You get great views, particularly if you’re up there on a sunny day like we were.

We munched down some food and drink at the o2 and then made our way home – exhausted. Then it was off to bed that night ready for the excitement of the next day – the closing ceremony!

London Olympics: 2 days to go

Whether you are overcome with British pride, counting down the days until it’s over or bursting with excitement, you can’t escape the fact that the Olympics are starting in two days. In London.

This morning the Olympic lanes officially came into force and practice opening ceremony run-throughs have already started.

Admittedly it could be said I have been more a member of the moan-about-everything group of Brits for the majority of the build-up to this historic sporting event. I can appreciate the importance of it – the sense of achievement for competitors, the tourism benefits it will bring to the capital, everyone coming together and taking pride in the country.

However, as someone who works in London I also see the nightmare it is going to cause for commuting to and from work, the impact it will have on my clients, even more packed and stuffy trains, tons of tourists everywhere and major delays to get anywhere. I’m also a tad fed up of everywhere I go having something Olympics-related thrust in my face or shouted at me over an announcement system.

Being driven into work this morning for client go lives I also got rather fed up again as I realised how much more traffic there was on the roads coming into London even around 530am (and the Olympic lanes didn’t open until 6am). This annoys me as it’s already early enough to get up without having to get up even earlier to arrive into work for the same time (or potentially later) on these days.

On going home last night I noticed the screens at Liverpool Street kindly letting me know that on Friday (the opening ceremony) we should note that trains will be running with at least 2 hour delays. Great, so I’ll just start my weekend 3-4 hours later then shall I. As for commuting during normal hours Monday onwards (we work 9am-6pm) I dread to think how that is going to go, Greater Anglia can hardly run a good service as it is now. Yesterday the trains were running more slowly due to the hot weather and some trains weren’t stopping at my station.

We have tickets to the closing ceremony of the Paralympics in September and also some tickets to grant us access around the Olympic Park and some general information events at the Excel Centre. My boyfriend purchased them whilst I was sulking I wasn’t bothered about the whole thing! The tickets and information packs arrived recently and to be honest I still didn’t feel that excited or interested.

However, on Sunday the Olympic torch came to the area I grew up in and something changed. I think for the Queen’s Jubilee there were one or two parties in the area but not much happened apart from a little bit of bunting going up.

As we arrived on the main road where the torch would feature this weekend, the pavements were lined – families and friends I haven’t seen since I lived on the estate were there, neighbours were there, some people had picnics, most had flags. A man was coming out of his house offering everyone cold cans of beer, people on crutches, in wheelchairs and on sticks all hobbled out (including my Mum recovering from her broken leg!) Families sat on picnic blankets, people brought up their own chairs, gardens opened up for parties, flags were waved and cheers called out.

It was fantastic. It was such a lovely lovely atmosphere. I thought how nice it was and how different it was to have everyone come together like that. I was proud of our country and genuinely excited about this historic event happening and my own area featuring in it in some way. I took tons of photos and smiled, cheered and flag-waved my way through the event.

Check out the Olympic torch video courtesy of my boyfriend to see some of it for yourselves.

Of course Monday came; I listened to Boris booming out at the station about the Olympics, the train driver telling me Stratford is home to the Olympic Park, saw the Olympic mascot figures dotted around everywhere and heard fellow commuters discussing delay rumours they’ve heard and my dread for this London 2012 event reappeared. Well, after all, I am British, complaining’s what we do!

Lunchtime thoughts

I'm sitting on my lunchbreak in a coffee shop trying to keep warm and shelter from the rain with my skinny mocha. It's on days like this I miss working in Canary Wharf. There just don't seem to be any good places to sit round here indoors and in the warm, unless you want to pay. The shops are rubbish too.

It's funny, yesterday we obviously went to the marathon, we went to a variety of spots - the ones I usually go to though - to try and catch a view of my man running. Canada Water/Surrey Quays, Rotherhithe, Canary Wharf, Embankment and Westminster.

I found as we got to Canary Wharf I'd missed it. Now I'm no train spotting enthusiast or fan of station architecture, but I felt sad as we arrived there.

Later as we navigated the maze-like system of the shopping centre - in order to simply get to the other side of the road for a better view - I felt sad. I remembered my lunchbreaks of sitting in the warm centre reading my book when it was cold and bitter outside. I remembered numerous lunches spent mooching round the many shops and the successful shopping trips on a lunchbreak where I could buy most things I needed.

My sister in law suggested I can go there any time to see the shops, but it's not the same I argued. It's ideal for lunchbreaks but I wouldn't want to go there on my weekends I admit.

So, yes, the marathon. Well my man completed it, in 5 hours and 19 minutes, a 40 minute improvement on last week's run. He's gutted he didn't get a sub-5 hour time, but after all he's been through I think he did amazingly!

However, the ongoing issue of raising the funds remains, we're still on less than £1,000 so over £600 to go. I'm trying not to dwell on it for now and hope over the next few weeks he secures it. After all he's just managed to complete two marathons and I want him to enjoy being employed again!

As for the marathon and London's transport system and organisational skills, I said I'd let you know.

Hm, well, overall the service itself was good. There weren't any line closures impacting on the journeys we had to make. Granted we had to queue to get into Canada Water, but it did progress relatively quickly. Although one of the station worker's manners left a lot to be desired when my Aunt simply asked him if there was a toilet in the station.

However, the organisation in the meet and greet area was horrendous. Normally we exit Whitehall and join everybody in the meet and greet area on the huge expanse of gravel/sand (whatever it is!) Unfortunately this year for those running over 5 hours the end was somewhat wet as it started to rain (yet again, what is it with all this rain of late, these April showers have featured enough now I feel!)

Meet and greet was a disaster, people leaving and arriving were let in/out the same route and so it was a mass of people barging all over the place in wet coats and carrying massive umbrellas. Not fun. Even those who'd just run the 26.2 miles had trouble getting back, my man waited 20 minutes in the rain just to get to his family.

Trying to leave was the same mess, no systems, no organisation, just people stuck all trying to go in different directions with nobody able to move!

As we finally emerged I noticed a lot of police and talk of crowd control so perhaps later on (when there'd be much less people anyway) they did sort something out.

My 'London is rubbish at organising thing's' rant continued this morning when it seemed yet again Greater Anglia trains couldn't cope with the simple Monday morning rush hour.

That was fun. What was even more entertaining was how our driver kept highlighting this was the Olympic host for 2012 as we neared London. He was telling this to a train packed full of grumpy commuters, on a train that was running over 20 minutes late on a standard working day. Not the best of timings...

Anyways time is getting on and it's time for me to brave the wet, busy streets of the city and get back to work. I've got more to say re my weightloss/exercise/diet plan though so you may well hear more from me later on...

A marathon achievement

This morning felt a little like Groundhog Day if I'm honest. We woke up, we had a late breakfast and we had a woman on TV cooking in her kitchen in Paris.

We got washed and dressed and then headed out to a marathon expo. Yep pretty much exactly the same as last Saturday. Well, apart from one thing, we weren't walking along a sunny seafront strolling to the exhibition, instead we were tubing it to London.

Now don't get me wrong, grumpy me was still evident to see as we got on the grimey District Line and people cut us up left right and centre throughout our journey. But I was pleasantly surprised by something I noticed. The transport system.

I used to regularly travel through West Ham and get the Jubilee Line - or depending on the journey the DLR. For once I'm going to praise the Olympics! If this is the influence of the Olympics coming to London then perhaps I have witnessed today a positive impact on our transport system - those trains were so regular and seemed to whizz out of the station!

The feel in the expo compared to Brighton last week was absolutely buzzing! It was packed with stalls and charities and had loud music pumping out giving a boost to energy levels.

Maybe it was the charity element but the thought of everybody coming together to support each other like that was a very nice feeling indeed. And dare I say it, it did make me think of the Olympics. If everyone comes together to will everyone on in Britain to do well in the Olympics it will create an amazing feel in London. Something I feel seems to be lacking at the moment (my slightly negative slant on things a good example of this I know!)

I found myself looking at Olympics related goods and feeling proud. I think this could be the influence of the marathon though, so please don't get celebrating (or sulking, depending on your views) just yet that I've suddenly become an Olympics fan!

I really can't wait for the marathon tomorrow in London, last week in Brighton was great and was so much fun standing with hardcore semi-pro cheerers!! It does make a difference if you really get into the supporting.

However I have to admit you can't beat the feel of the London marathon (Brighton of course is on a smaller scale and is still in its infancy to be fair).

I'm well prepared for tomorrow, I've got myself a supporters pack from Whizz Kidz (the disabled children's charity my man is running for https://www.justgiving.com/trevsolympicchallenge2012), which includes

Balloons and stick holders
Banging sticks
T shirt
Supporters guide so we know where to watch

Then I also nabbed some freebies, so I'm also equipped with banners and trumpets too! I can't wait to cheer my man - and others - on!

This will be my fourth marathon in London now as a spectator. I have to say every one I've attended I've thoroughly enjoyed, the atmosphere is amazing, the crowds are so friendly and London feels a very safe and close capital.

I'll admit I do tend to have a whinge about the trains on marathon day as they always end up temporarily closing stations and there's normally at least one or more lines with issues.

However this year again I feel I should thank the Olympics because there doesn't really seem to be any line closures on the tube this weekend. If the trains run as fast and as regularly as today it'll be amazing. What the stations themselves are like I'll only find out tomorrow.

So as I pack my bag and plan my outfit for tomorrow's events, I am feeling optimistic about the Olympics and excited about the atmosphere awaiting me in the capital tomorrow. Plus I have an overwhelming sense of pride and love for my man right now for all he's achieved and I can't wait to be there at the finish line for him tomorrow. Him breaking through that finish line tomorrow will be symbolic of more than him just finishing an actual run itself and I can't wait to be there to support and congratulate him.

Happy New Year

Wake up feeling moody and down
Thinking of all the things this year that made you frown

For weeks pressure builds up to make your plans the best
Will you be having the most fun on a night better than the rest?

You feel sad over those loved and lost family
And disappointment at the friends who've let you down sadly

All day, shops are bustling as people buy their drink and food
Around you there's that buzz, such an excited mood

You spend hours picking that outfit and getting yourself ready
Look forward to the midnight chimes and a kiss with your partner or perhaps someone new if you don't have somebody

You end up waiting in a long queue in the freezing cold
Paying a fortune on entrance fees, drinks and cab fares, thinking for this I'm too old

Or you stay in and keep warm with those close around you
People you know who care and want a happy new year for you too

As the countdown begins you look forward to the new year in sight
Plans for the future, new friends, new goals, please make them all go right

The party poppers and champagne corks all go off with an almighty bang
Auld Lang Syne in big hugging groups is loudly sang

Ahead are weddings, babies, engagements, hen parties, big birthdays and of course the Olympics
New achievements and being able to see your resolutions list full of ticks

Whatever you do, however you may celebrate
Here's wishing you a night that in your way is great

Happy New Year to you all
Here's hoping 2012 is set to be a ball!

Olympic letdown

I could well be feeling a bit bitter (to say the least) about my impending 30th birthday next year, but I’m just not feeling this whole London 2012 Olympic malarkey. You know what I think of when I think of the Olympics? Of what a dump of an area the main centre is based in and what a nightmare it’s going to be getting into work.

Maybe if my boyfriend had managed to get through the joke that was ticket allocation and secured us some tickets to see just even one of the events, then I might be more excitable.

I’m not really a particularly sporty person so I guess that doesn’t help. Getting on the DLR from Stratford to get to my last job in Canary Wharf and now getting a mainline through from Liverpool Street from my current job, I’ve seen the site develop and come together. Do I feel any excitement when I see the swimming area or main stadium? Nope.

Of course it’s argued this will bring the country together, revamp the area of Stratford, create huge employment opportunities, get West Ham a new ground, bring in lots of money from tourism and more. To me it equals travel chaos and messing up my birthday plans. Selfish? Me? Never!

When I was looking for work I even put myself forward to some Olympic-related employment, didn’t hear anything. Charming!

However there is a beacon of light, I’ve seen my friend has been nominated to be a torch bearer which is pretty cool I’ll admit. The best thing I’ve discovered though? Westfield Shopping Centre.

I’ve not been there yet – it’s been open less than week I know – but when I go past Stratford now on the train I stare out at that huge shopping mecca and get butterflies. Ooh all those shops, and restaurants… Apparently there are around 300 shops, the UK’s biggest window and approximately 70 restaurants. Wow.

I heard when it opened they were giving out goodie bags to the first lot of people in the door (well obviously only a set number), that it has a cinema, hotels and a bowling alley. You know what else? I’m prepared to go to Stratford and grin and bear it to experience that shopping area too. Well it does look like there is a huge walkway from the station to the shopping area anyway so perhaps I won’t even need to set foot in Stratford?

You all go and enjoy the Olympics next year now though won’t you. I’ll be the drunken, sobbing woman sat in an empty bar surrounded by endless shopping bags in complete denial of my age and moaning about our capital’s crap transport system, while you all get patriotic, witness some star athletes and are too busy to ‘celebrate’ my birthday with me.



Update:
Okay, so I originally wrote this post last night but couldn’t get online to upload it. Today by pure coincidence I actually did go to Westfield Stratford. To go one from one extreme to the other, on maid of honour duty myself and the bride-to-be ended up on a journey which switched from Camden to said shopping centre.

We were shopping for shoes – anyone who knows me and indeed the bride-to-be will know shoe shopping is not often a fun experience for me anyway – I have big feet for a girl and I am super tall so I can either not get shoes that fit or heels that are a good match for me.

Thankfully the focus was not on my footwear today, but alas we were still unsuccessful in our ventures. Anyway, back to Westfield. Hm, well okay perhaps it was slightly misguided to go to visit this mammoth mall on the first weekend of opening, but it was madness. The amount of people that had been allowed to enter that place was ridiculous – it was so busy. I hate to say it but as I mentioned above, the area Westfield is based isn’t the nicest of places and I haven’t always had the best of experiences sharing a train platform with its inhabitants. Unfortunately the shopping centre was pretty similar. Obviously I don’t know who for a fact who there was local and who wasn’t but a lot of people that were there were so rude!

Maybe it’s me and we were a bit tired by the point we reached there anyway but it almost seemed too big there. There is a lovely little market area downstairs where you can enjoy a variety of authentic cuisines – Italian café, Japanese sushi, traditional Lebanese, coffee shop, French macaroons, Indian delicacies and lots more. Lovely. Yes it is, apart from the fact these places have like two tables at them for people to sit at and not a lot more, so if you want to rest your weary feet in an authentic environment good luck.

There were lots of areas in the middle of the floors too but due to the crowds of people you couldn’t really see what they were/enjoy what I assume are opening events/displays because there were just too many people around. Myself and others I know have already concluded weekend visits are a no go – for the timebeing at least – and as for Christmas, I don’t think I’ll be braving the queues, crowds and barging shoppers.

That said don’t get me wrong it looks good and there is a nice selection of shops there and I’m sure it’ll be very popular. Next time I walk Westfields fancy floors it will definitely be a weekday and when the initial excitement has calmed somewhat. The cappuccino and Italian biscuits were pretty scrummy though!