I behaved like a 16 year old!

What came over me? I am a grown up woman but I’m embarrassed to say that last week I found myself repeatedly calling out to an 18 year old boy, to try and get him to turn around and smile!

Maybe it was a mass hysteria, joining in with the enthusiasm of the packed streets around me, I hope so.  It would be rather worrying if this is a new habit I am about to develop.  Tom didn’t turn round in time to get a photo, just got the back of his head whilst he did an impression of Mo!

The Victory Parade through London was an  emotionally shattering day as a member of the crowd, so I can only imagine the impact it had for the Olympic and Paralympic athletes.  Some of them did look as though they could hardly believe their eyes, others wanted to make firm eye contact to make sure the moment was real and others just looked deliriously happy.

I bagged a great spot at the front of barriers in the Strand and soon made some very amusing friends alongside me, and we waited 2 hours for the Parade to begin.  Time slipped by fairly quickly with a great deal of people watching, banter with the police and passing TV crews and chat with my ‘transitory friends’. 

The motorcycle and mounted police can never resist a high five with the crowds these days, so nice to see them enjoying a happy occasion.

I have never seen the streets of London so packed and happy.   With a good knowledge of the side streets in Covent Garden, I managed to avoid the crowds and dash over to Trafalgar Square at the end of the parade.  

My National Lottery foam hand was extremely useful as a cushion when I finally reached the steps of St. Martin’s in the Fields church, where I watched the fly past and then observed the sight of so many people mingling and enjoying themselves. 

I didn’t want it to end, but knew that this really was the end of a summer of Olympic and Paralympic fever which will never be forgotten.

It was good to meet up with my nephew to 'unwind' and enjoy a glass of wine on the Festival Hall balcony, whilst we looked out across our beautiful city and chatted about how we had enjoyed this memorable day.

I think we need to be reminded how good it feels to celebrate, at least once a month.

Walking the Streets!

The training walks for the London SHINE Marathon are now serious, we only have 4 weeks to go.

The Darlings and I set off on Sunday to walk through the park and over to see Mo Farah's gold post box outside the Fara charity shop!

I love the way the shop have already changed their branding!

Having taken inspiration from our great athlete we returned to the park for a couple of laps, manoeuvring our way through large groups of families enjoying the last few days of the school summer holidays.

Then we had that feeling that someone was watching us, but there wasn't a soul in sight.

But look closely, there is a family of deer enjoying a quiet Sunday get-together!  Aren't they clever!

Back home after a good stretch out and freshen up, we were rewarded for our effort with a tasty BBQ in the garden from our logistics lead - The Chief and a well deserved glass of wine.

http://www.justgiving.com/LOLmum

Just imagine, a freshly picked cucumber

As I drove home this morning, I remembered the piece of smoked salmon left over from the weekend.  My taste buds began to excite as I visualised a perfect yummy sandwich with the salmon, cream cheese with black pepper and fine slices of cucumber. Yum!

Imagine my disappointment to find that someone had a left a stump of cucumber in the bottom of the vegetable drawer, time to rethink my lunch.  But no, my garden was to come to the rescue!

The two cucumber plants I have grown this year have not cropped as well as they have in previous years, but this was the moment to pick the prickly cucumber which was just about the perfect size.

Yes, that is the drainpipe the plant is clinging to!  It is the perfect sunny spot on a warm white wall and no need to fiddle with sticks to support.

One of the great joys of growing plants you can eat, is the smell of freshness and knowledge that no grubby hands or chemicals have touched the skin, maybe just the odd snail on it's way to have a chomp on some leaves.

He is a fine Lad!

Tense morning today with a vet appointment in the diary.  The cat basket is well hidden, but they immediately sense something is going on when the kitchen door is closed while they eat their breakfast.  Once the food is finished, they set about trying to catch my attention with cute head tipping in the direction of the closed door.  When that doesn't work, trying to trip me up tactics are employed, so I sit down!

We have an hour to wait until the appointment and the rest of the time is spent in 'wet play' mode, which means chasing each other up and down the stairs like a couple of kittens!  That is better than scratching the carpet or desperately mewing, I now have to decide which one to take as I can only carry one basket from the car to the vet.  

I decide upon Oliver who is usually the most difficult and distract him with a couple of 'Dreamies' treats before swiftly transporting him into the basket and closing the door before he could think. A loud hiss let me know I was not popular, but no time to hang about.   I got him strapped into the front seat and covered the top of the basket with a towel, hoping that not being able to see the scenery flash past would make him feel better than usual.

Lots of kind words as we set off, smooth driving and listening to me babble on about my views on what Boris Johnson was talking about, managed to calm him down and he did not fret as much as usual.

The waiting room in the vet is always a place for a giggle as the Great Dane dog called 'Fetch' catches the eye of a fluffy little cat, who in turn has his eyes fixed on the pretty coloured fish.  Oliver didn't have time to enjoy much of the wildlife as we were called in immediately.  The animals seem to relax as soon as the vet touches them, they must sense the caring touch.  A thorough check over and a shot of the annual booster jab, the ordeal was over and he was passed as a very fine young Lad.

I think he actually enjoyed the car journey home, comfortable in his pile of blankets. Maybe it was the engaging tone of Vanessa Feltz chatting on the radio that made him look utterly relaxed and no howls at all, he was in no hurry to get out.

Fred was happy to see his brother home and off they went for a morning of adventure, unaware it will be his turn next week.

Plant of the Week

This has to be the plant of the week, no, more like plant of the season.

Gaura lindheimeri is a genius of a plant, a native of Texas and Mexico.  It is fragile, pretty and light, flows in the breeze and just keeps on flowering with no need to deadhead.

Growing well over 3-4 feet tall and about 3 feet wide in sunny and well drained soil, this stunning plant starts to flower prolifically in late June and keeps on providing delightful pinky-white clusters of flowers on tall thin stems.

Here it is enjoying sharing space with verbena bonariensis, another tall and flowing plant which also looks better when allowed to free-flow.

If you give it space and don't allow larger plants to crowd this little beauty, it will give you months of garden colour and it is also very easy to take cuttings.  Just pull out a stem, very close to the root ball, and soak in water for 24 hours before potting up and keeping moist until it has formed a good root system.

The King of the Road

Photo:  John Giles PA

Last week the roads of South West London closed to welcome the Olympic cycling time trials and the King of the Road delighted the public at Hampton Court Palace.

Starting and ending at Hampton Court Palace, this is a race against the clock over a distance of 44km for the men and 29km for the women. The competitors set off at 90 second intervals, with a police motorbike leading and support car following, to race their way through Esher, Hersham, Cobham and Kingston upon Thames, with the men taking in additional loops through Molesey and Twickenham.

Lizzie Armitstead had to cope with a camera crew, almost riding on her bike

Bradley Wiggins was in no doubt about who we wanted to win

Crowds packed the route, sometimes three or four deep with their Union flags and raucous cheers. The ladies were off first in the morning, unfortunately it was rather dull and damp but the sun eventually warmed us up by the time the men set off.  

Parties were on the go all day along the route, filling the suburban village greens, the BBQs were sizzling and families picnicked on every available green space. Every nationality was given equal cheers and encouragement, but the Team GB must have been deafened by the enthusiasm.

The crowds on Hampton Court Bridge were ecstatic as word went around that Chris Froome was home in a possible medal time.  This then turned to an amazing roar as we heard the news that Bradley Wiggins had secured GOLD!

Many of the cyclists took a lap of honour over the bridge and back to enjoy the happiness of the crowd, the police took great applause and yet more high fiving.  Then we all gathered to try and catch a glimpse of the medal ceremony, Gold for Bradley and Bronze for Chris Froome.  As gold was placed around his neck in the front drive of this beautiful palace, cheers echoed across Surrey and along the River Thames.  As the National Anthem played the packed streets of Hampton Court joined in, making this a very moving and an unforgettable moment.

People turned out in a wide variety of colourful outfits to give all the cyclists the warmest of welcomes.  

And the BBC found a lovely place to base their broadcast, on the veranda of and exceptionally quaint antique shop.

As the day's activities drew to a close and the TV crews wrapped up their coverage of this day of carnival and happiness, the locals of this charming London village made sure their High Street was going to stay closed to allow the party to continue into the night.  

Bridge Road, a unique road full of independent cafes, bars, creative shops and antique stalls, was full of happy smiling people enjoying the sunshine and sharing the historical moment of happiness.

The Olympics is not just about sport, it is about human kindness and understanding.  Sport is the catalyst to bring the world together, to understand each others and broaden our minds.