If I do not Blog much over the next 48 hours it will be because I am shaking a wee bit

Second session at the keyboard today....but perhaps events have justified that. I am not referring to just what has happened in London but also what has been going on in Europe. In Slovakia, Rebecca Norval and Andrew McLachlan won Gold in the Pas de Deux at the Junior European Vaulting Championships; Andrew followed this up with a Bronze in the Individual Male...GBR’s first Vaulting male medal! All of this under the guidance of John Eccles who of course with his daughter Joanne are the current World and European Champions at senior level....go go British Vaulting.

Meanwhile, in Verden, Michael Eilberg and Woodlander Farouche won the Final of the 6 year old FEI World Dressage Championships for Young Horses....this is a very significant victory for a British rider and bodes well for the future of Dressage in GBR.

So back to London..... (and outlying Venues).....Team GB has gone medal mad; some of us watched the goings on in the athletics Stadium last night .....wow, wow, wow.... Historically, host Nations get a lift during the Games and their medal haul increases but nobody could have predicted what has been happening over the last few days. I just pray pray pray that some of that host Nation confidence and luck lands and resides in Greenwich for the next few days....

I’ve said it 4373 times....I will say it again.....the margins between defeat / desperation and victory / elation are paper thin in the equestrian competitions. At the ½ way stage of the Team competition the leading team is on 1 fault and the two teams in 7th= are on 8.... GBR sits 2nd = on 4 faults with NED / SWE / SUI There will be an absence of finger nails in Greenwich tomorrow. Whatever happens, the performance of the GBR riders so far has been excellent; we have a team of young horses (and a couple of younger and a couple of not so young riders) and to have two horses with two clears in the bank is a great achievement. The more I think about the more I am thinking....finger nails and toe nails. It would be rather pleasant if the weather tomorrow could stay.........pleasant.

I wonder if being in the “first” group of Teams that jumped today rather than the “top 8” did not play to our advantage. Was there a tad more pressure on the top 8.....

Although I am not part of LOCOG and thus not part of the organisation that has delivered this superb venue, I still feel a sense of pride when athletes and staff from other Nations say how fantastic the venue has been and how helpful and welcoming all at the venue have been. Well done Tim and his team.

Part of the Park is about to reopen to the public......critics should take note of just how healthy and green the Park looks. Note how it looked in June 2010. I read on one website that is not pros the Games being in Greenwich....that the Park has been “privatised” – if privatised means being beamed on to TV sets all around the world, enjoyed by many who had never heard of Greenwich and been recognised as one of the most successful venues at what (shall I dare to say it...) may be the “best ever” Games.....well, not what I call privatised...but maybe they do.

How Greenwich Park looked in June 2010

If I do not Blog much over the next 48 hours it will be because I am shaking a wee bit and can’t hit the right keys on the keypad.....