Volley Ball England Beach Tour Finals on Margate Main Sands.

Volley Ball England held it's annual Beach Tour finals at Margate on the 16th and !7th of August. website here

I liked the main sands set up with practice volley ball nets among the visitors enjoying their day at the beach and swimming in the sea.

Men and woman were using the nets and the public was also encouraged to have a go.

On the main court children were also enjoying a coaching session that at one point had them hitting balls over the nets on to the bodies of their competitors lying on the sands.

The weather stayed fine which was good for everyone, though there were not as many spectators as I would have thought.

Beach Cross racing on Margate main sands.

There are two Beach Cross racing competitions held in Margate each year which draw crowds to watch the quad and motorbikes. The second competition was last weekend and you could hear the roar of the bikes from our house.

I enjoy watching the races, the bikes churning up the sand, (this time because of the wind, quite a lot of sand was blowing across to the spectators) and the jumps they make from the sandunes. As the bikes go round the course you get views of bikes at various stages of the race.

Bikes can get stuck in the sand and you can see how much work it must take to physically race on the beach.  It is an international event and riders do come from Europe to take part.
I couldn't find a programme at this event so can't identify the riders unfortunately.

At the pit stop bikes and bikers make a colourful scene and around the beach there are various stands and stalls.
 The website for the Beach Cross event is here

The Paralympic games

 Ruth and I went to the Paralympics last week, we managed to get tickets to the Stadium to see some of the Athletics.

 I was impressed by the stadium, we were near the top this time, but the views were still good and the acoustics worked very well. I was fascinated by some details like the little radio controlled cars that took the discus back from the field. Apparently one of the coveted jobs for the Games Maker volunteers.

The long jump was the opposite side of the arena to us, but I was trying for the action shots.

The radio controlled cars take the discus back.

I spent some time trying to get a photograph of the shot putters actually throwing the put.

 We were also above the podium for the medal ceremonies and it was great to share in some of the joy and pride the athletes felt with their medals.

Outside the stadium the crowds were enjoying the good weather and the English garden was full of visitors.
I enjoyed looking out for all the variations of flags being worn or held by people as we walked around. The atmosphere was very positive and friendly again. It has been one of the hallmarks of the games that everyone has remarked on and has given London a new image I think abroad.

I liked having lots of people around all the tube stations and in town offering help even if I didn't need it.

Crowds walk around the English Garden near the Stadium.

At the Olympics

The Olympic games has ended and I'm only just catching up with my own visit to the games.I was up very early on the 30th July for the handball session that I'd managed to get tickets for, after many days and hours on the internet.  Ruth and I walked to the Eaton Manor gate, which unlike Stratford had nobody waiting to go in and only us in the queue at the security gate!

I think there had been some serious over estimate at how many people would use this entrance to the Olympic Park, though for us it was great, we just sailed in. Some of the iconic structures like the velodrome stood out with out the crowds in front of them.

It was good to come into the park from the opposite end to Stratford as we had a very different view of the site. We spent some time exploring the natural areas around the river, all planted with trees, wild flowers and grasses.

The large screen was set in the marsh in front of the river looking a bit surreal with a few ducks and a moorhen  swimming on the water. Just across the way we sat and watched housemartins skimming over the water for insects.

By the time we got to the Copper Box, the venue for the handball, the park was filled with crowds of people. I'd never watched handball before and enjoyed the fast paced matches where goals were scored every minute or so.

We walked to the Stratford gate to go back home, around the Orbit Tower, which is not my favourite structure, and I think looks out of place in the park.

 The atmosphere inside the park as most people have remarked on, was very good natured and friendly, lots of people decorated with flags and excited children everywhere.

We have tickets for the Paralympics and I'm hoping to explore the park a bit more and find some more of the art works on the site as well as enjoying the games.