Monday, August 26, 2013
Athletics in today's sunshine and Irish festivities in yesterday's sunshine.
To think that I had felt down for a couple of days!
Fortunately that feeling rarely stays with me for long.
Today the sun shone and it was warm and I was busy and happy.
We were at the track before 10 o'clock. I assembled my gallant team of timekeepers and we began the day in very relaxed style; but it soon got hectic.
People come from all over south east England to this meeting.
There were good competitions - good races and I saw some fine long jumping and pole vaulting.
The men's 100 metres was interesting. It was obvious that we were expecting a close finish.
Then about 3 metres from the line the one in the lead collapsed with a pulled hamstring, leaving the next 5 runners to cross the line almost simultaneously (just 12 hundredths of a second between the 5 of them! Hard to concentrate with a guy rolling on the floor in front of your eyes in agony. Proud to say my time on the winner ....and they could all be separated by the computer.....was just one hundredth of a second out.
Good fun! Good company and a feeling of being appreciated for our efforts.
I continued the good feeling by joining folks afterwards for a drink at the Pease Pottage pub. Some of us had something to eat there too.
I enjoy being a part of the athletics "family".
I took no pictures today - too busy.
But I have a few that will give a flavour of the Irish festival yesterday.
Bill's cousin, Sue and husband, Chris. Chris's parents emigrated from Ireland just after the war.
There had to be Guinness, of course!
Chris returns with another Guinness.
There were 2 stages. This is the bigger stage with noisier music.
We parked our chairs at the other stage to hear more traditional Irish folk music.
Whilst I was there a Crawley girl was presented to the audience. She had won the London Rose competition which took her to Tralee in Ireland for The Rose of Tralee competition.
Then came a performance of a song written specially for her about beauty, Ireland, love and tragedy.
The girl's father had died at some time round The Rose of Tralee (or something like that).
Fortunately that feeling rarely stays with me for long.
Today the sun shone and it was warm and I was busy and happy.
We were at the track before 10 o'clock. I assembled my gallant team of timekeepers and we began the day in very relaxed style; but it soon got hectic.
People come from all over south east England to this meeting.
There were good competitions - good races and I saw some fine long jumping and pole vaulting.
The men's 100 metres was interesting. It was obvious that we were expecting a close finish.
Then about 3 metres from the line the one in the lead collapsed with a pulled hamstring, leaving the next 5 runners to cross the line almost simultaneously (just 12 hundredths of a second between the 5 of them! Hard to concentrate with a guy rolling on the floor in front of your eyes in agony. Proud to say my time on the winner ....and they could all be separated by the computer.....was just one hundredth of a second out.
Good fun! Good company and a feeling of being appreciated for our efforts.
I continued the good feeling by joining folks afterwards for a drink at the Pease Pottage pub. Some of us had something to eat there too.
I enjoy being a part of the athletics "family".
I took no pictures today - too busy.
But I have a few that will give a flavour of the Irish festival yesterday.
Bill's cousin, Sue and husband, Chris. Chris's parents emigrated from Ireland just after the war.
There had to be Guinness, of course!
Chris returns with another Guinness.
We parked our chairs at the other stage to hear more traditional Irish folk music.
Whilst I was there a Crawley girl was presented to the audience. She had won the London Rose competition which took her to Tralee in Ireland for The Rose of Tralee competition.
Then came a performance of a song written specially for her about beauty, Ireland, love and tragedy.
The girl's father had died at some time round The Rose of Tralee (or something like that).
