The Paralympics

I went to the Paralympics last night to watch some swimming events. I have never been to an international swim meet before, so was unsure what to expect. The one thing that will live long in my memory is the screaming and shouting that came from the audience especially when Ellie Simmonds won Gold - it was ear-piercing and you just don't get to hear that level on the television - the atmosphere was electric...

Arrival at the Olympic Park - lots of people dressed for the
occasion in Union flags and logos

The Aquatics Centre



 

Inside the Aquatics Centre

 

View from my seat, high up in the auditorum - 165 steps up to be
exact - I was surprised I could still speak when I got to my seat!!



Team GB

Winner of the Mens 200 metre individual medley and the start of
11 world records set during last nights meet

Sascha Kindred of GB wins a silver medal

Ellie Simmonds - the Team GB Paralympic poster girl arrives for her race

Getting ready for the race - 200 metre women's individual medley

They're off and Ellie's in the water first.
I don't have any photographs of the end of the race. Half way
through the race everyone was on their feet, shouting and screaming
waving their Union flags and taking a photograph was the last
thing on my mind... but suffice to say she won and set a new
world record!

Medal ceremony

Ellie Simmonds being handed her gold medal by the
Prime Minister- David Cameron

Flag ceremony

The Orbit at night

The Olympic Stadium at night

Just a few more days now until the end of the Paralympics. The Paralympic track and road cycle races start tomorrow and run for the next three days and my home town will be at the centre of it all with the races taking place just over the hill from where I live - approximately 2 miles as the crow flies... but I have to go to work :-( The flags and bunting are fluttering and the railway station is ready for the 7,500 people each day expected to pass through, whilst I will be fighting may way through the station concourse... in the opposite direction LOL.

I am so pleased I made the effort to go and the long, long queue for the trains home was well worth it.

I arrived home exhausted, but oh, my aching joints... :-)



Festival of Quilts 2012 - Part 3

An assortment of Quilts that took my eye and some more winners including the Best in Show!

Quilters' Guild Challenge
Theme - Britain what it means to me

My Home, My Heart, My Country
Hilary Beattie, Lincoln
I particularly liked her choice of fabrics

Winner of the European Award Quilters' Guild Challenge

Inspired by the Order of the Garter
Laura di Cera, Bologna, Italy

Winner of the Quilters' Guild Challenge

Cherry Vernon-Harcourt, Saffron Walden
Inspired by the Norfolk hedgerows in Spring



Group Quilts

Scandinavian Journey
Cowslip Workshops, Launceston, Cornwall

Close-up of Scandinavian Journey

Winner of Group Quilts and Best in Show

The Quilters' Games
The "No-Name" Quilters, Chester

Close-up of The Quilters Bolt panel

Close-up of Synchronised Swimming panel

Close-up of Balance Bars panel

Close-up of Team Pursuit panel

Close-up of Tossing the Iron panel

Close-up of Quilt Show Jumping panel

Close-up of Rotary Relay panel

Close-up of Tacking Around the Needles panel
A very clever panel full of puns. The Needles are chalk stacks off the
Isle of Wight off the south coast of England and of course
tacking is a sailing term.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed looking at all the pictures of the quilts that took my eye.

Thanks for stopping by.

Festival of Quilts 2012 - part 2

Traditional Quilts
There were a surprising number of quilts using the hexagon shape this year. Some of the quilts looked quite old (I recognised quite a few fabrics that I still have in my stash from the late 1980's, early 1990's which was fun to see).

Later, by happy happenstance, I discovered that I also had photographed the winners of the Amateur Quilt of the Year, so I obviously had agreed with the judges on this occasion!

Crop Circle, Woolstone Hill, 13 August 2005
Joanne Shapp, North Pomfret, USA
Somehow I cannot help thinking that this should really have been in the
Contemporary Quilts class

Close-up of Crop Circle

Flower of 13115 Pieces and Peace
Hiromi Yokota, Yokohama, Japan

Close-up of Flower of 13115 Pieces and Peace

Song of the Earth
Liz Jones, Leominster

Close-up of Song of the Earth

Birds in the Forest
Jennifer Bacon, Victoria, Australia

Close-up of Birds in the Forest

Is it a sampler?
Sue Cook, Moreton in Marsh

Pilani
Pippa Moss, Woodbridge

Komorebi
Shizuyo Morishita, Tokyo, Japan
2nd in the category and my favourite!
1st prize for Amateur Quilt of the Year

Close-up of Komorebi

'Four years of my life' Dear Jane
Christine George, Colchester

Galing Galing
Elizabeth Powderham, Wallington

Close-up of Galing Galing



Baltimore
Carol Donnison, Brent Eleigh

Grandma's Centenary Garden
Yukiko Ayres, Uxbridge

Winner of the Traditional Quilt class

Eurphoria
Deborah Kemball, Quebec, Canada

Close-up of Euphoria

Two Person Quilts

Amsterdam Canals
Lesley Williamson and The Bramble Patch, Nottingham

Close-up of Amsterdam Canals

Cosmic: Rising with the Sun
Barbara keen and Ferret, Kilcot

Close-up of Cosmic: Rising with the Sun

Roses of Sharon
Sandie Lush and Rosemary Archer, Bristol

Glacier Star
Janet Stone and Janet Lee Santeusanio, Salem, USA
2nd in category

The Sparkle of Jewels
Bernhild Schroeder and Christiane Havlet, Uelzen, Germany

Winner of Two Person Quilt Category

Nostalgia
Elke Voelker-Kobusch and Sabina Schroeder, Meerbusch, Germany

Close-up of Nostalgia

Pictorial Quilts

Camelot Country
Liz Jones, Leominster

Close-up of Camelot Country

Hawthorn Sky
Roberta Le Poidevin, St Peters
2nd prize for Amateur Quilt of the Year

Close-up of Hawthorn Sky

Winner of the Pictorial Quilt category

Graceful Dance
Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga, Kollumerzwaag, Netherlands

Miniature Quilts

Green and Pleasant Land
Alice Merrett, Wells

Lord Inchinquin
Mary Palmer, innishannon, Ireland

Decorative Fans
Sheena Norquay, Inverness

A Miniature Cotswold Garden
Sue Dalrymple, Swindon

Bouquet with Tudor Rose
Kumiko Frydl, Texas, USA



M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy
Dorian Walton, Stevenage

Winner of the Miniature Class

Autumn
Hilary Drake, Basingstoke
3rd prize for Amateur Quilt of the Year

Some more to come including Best in Show...