Glasgow 2014
Aug. 4th, 2014 09:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rich_jackoSo, in summary, I've been up to Glasgow to see the Commonwealth Games with Clare and her friend Hilary. We stayed in Airdrie with Naomi and Michael, had four packed days watching the Games and saw some of the local sights as well.
Sorry it's taken me a while to post this. I had meant to before the Games finished, but sorting my photos has been a long job, and I've been partly distracted by watching the rest of the Games on the telly (a slightly strange experience when I've been there just a few days ago). Anyway, so much to write up, where do I start? Well, let's begin with the general theme of the week:
When I wake up, well, I know I'm gonna catch
I'm gonna catch an early train to see the Games
When I go out, yeah, I know it's gonna be
It's gonna be a hectic day there at the Games
If I get drunk, well, I know it's gonna cost
'Cos it's four quid a plastic bottle at the Games
And if I haver, well, I'm not sure what that is
But I might well be havering at the Games
Time for some karaoke (We sang this a lot...).
But I would walk five hundred miles
'Cos public transport's really poor
Just to be there in time to catch the start
And get from venue door to door!
If I'm moaning, well I don't mean to do that
Since I had a fantastic time there at the Games
And the Gamesmakers, all the work they do
Helps things run smooth and cheerful at the Games
When I came back (When I came back), oh, with all the crowds
We'd talk and wave our flags and cheer the Games
And if I grow old, waiting for the bus
Each day the buses got better at the Games
And I would take five hundred photos
And I would get carried away
Just to capture all the best moments
And be a geeky photo bore!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
When I'm busy, well, I know it's gonna be
A hectic day in Glasgow watching all the Games
There's gymnastics, then I know I'm gonna see
I'm gonna see the swimming also at the Games
When I've seen that (When I've seen that), well I know I'm gonna see
I'm gonna see lots of athletics at the Games
And when I come home (When I come home), yes, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be reminiscing the sport here at the Games
I'm gonna reminisce the sport here at the Games
And we'll sing this song five hundred times
To fill in gaps between the sport
It's great when sung by thousands strong
There in the famous Hampden Roar!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
And I would watch five hundred events
And I'd gladly watch five hundred more
'Cos the Glasgow Games were fantastic
I'd happily go back for more and more!
Friday:
Clare picked me up at 10am. With the luxury of a door-to-door car, for once I didn't need to worry about packing efficiently! We had a smooth drive up, although it was incredibly hot and we had to peel ourselves off the car seats at the other end. The roads seemed to have been invaded by Belgians for some reason. We stopped off, um, somewhere (I forget) for lunch in a cafe and were going to have a bit of a wander, but it was too hot for that so we decided to just hit the road again.
We didn't get lost until we were actually in Airdrie, so we rang Naomi who gave us excellent directions for the last few roads, a warm welcome when we arrived, and chilli for tea. We had evicted the kids from their bedrooms but they didn't seem to mind. Plus I got baby cuddles from Matilda. We sat up drinking beer and nattering until late.
Saturday:
Clare had spare tickets for the rhythmic gymnastics in the morning, so Naomi, Rose and Matilda (who didn't need a ticket) joined us. We caught the local train from Drumgelloch, and failed to pay despite our best efforts. The gymnastics were in the SSE Hydro which is a great circular venue, with a good view from any seats. There were four events - hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon - all done by some very bendy girls. The Canadians were the bendiest, winning three out of four gold medals, but the Welsh pipped them to the last one.
Afterwards, we went our separate ways. Clare and I had a few hours to kill before the next event, so we wandered down to the Riverside Museum. By pure chance (as were were being oblivious), the Games Regatta was on at the time. We got the unexpected treat of watching dozens of boats sail by. The riverside between the Hydro and the museum was a bit scruffy, as if there's a gap in the investment work that's been done elsewhere, but hopefully it will improve in years to come.
Oh yes, and we found one of the 25 Clyde mascots (designed by the daughter of one of my civil service colleagues, just so you know) dotted around the city. We'd see several more over the next few days.
The Riverside Museum is all about transport, and is full of bikes, cars, trams and trains. There's re-creations of Glasgow streets and the underground (third oldest in the world). We wasted a good couple of hours in there and I can definitely recommend it.
Deciding to wind our way back via some of the sights of Glasgow, we discovered just how big the city is. What looks a few streets away on the map is in fact three miles! Fortunately we had time, but the street signs every five minutes telling us we were still 25 minutes away from the centre were not encouraging.
We swung by the gorgeous (and famous) Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It was 15 minutes until closing time, so we only got the quickest of looks inside. Definitely one to go back to some time.
I wanted to find the Glasgow School of Art, even though I knew it's be closed. We wound our way up the hill to find it tucked away in a back street. The fire damage was sad to see but it was reassuring to see how much of the building looked still intact. It's very impressive, with design details unlike any other building I've seen.
Continuing the Mackintosh theme, we also found the Willow Tea Rooms.
...and a few other sights of the streets of Glasgow:
We found George Square, temporary home of the "Big G" and the official Games shop, which was packed. Then we made our way to Tollcross for the swimming. We got to a huge park which was beautiful, but there was no sign of an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool in sight. Reassured by the presence of large crowds and cheery volunteers with pointy foam hands, we got there and met up with Hilary. Good thing, since she had our tickets!
We then watched Australia win a lot of medals, although Team England didn't do badly either. We sand "500 miles" for the second time that day. There was a small bit of audience drama as one group broke the "no political banners" rule and waved a "Yes Scotland" flag. Having done so for most of the session, it seemed a bit daft for the stewards to ask them to stop when the session was near the end. Anyway, they refused and were eventually escorted out by the police. Heavy-handed?
We walked out into the blissfully cool night and had a slightly scary walk back to the train as the volunteers directed us through what seemed like all the dark and wooded bits of the park. But we made it!
Sunset over the deep dark wood...
Sunday:
Sunday was a more relaxed day as we only had one event to go to. We could have gone in early to watch the marathon (for free), but we opted to have a lazy morning instead. This meant we actually got to spend some time with our hosts, something we wouldn't get to do much of over the following two days.
I appear to have a tiara. And a Rose stuck to me, which was a frequent hazard :o)
We went back into town early and managed to successfully buy train tickets this time. We foolishly split the party, with Clare going off to find friends while I blitzed the Games shop, but we managed to meet up again.
This was the day of travel chaos, which apparently made the national news. It was impossible to even get near Glasgow Central station, there were that many people. Instead we caught the shuttle bus which worked remarkably well - that time... Hilary's parents weren't so lucky; problems with the park & ride meant they missed over an hour of the session.
This was the big venue - the mighty Hampden Park, converted into an athletics stadium. We may not have had the best view (We were opposite the 100m straight, and it was partly obscured to us by the field events), but the atmosphere was incredible and we got good use out of our England and (newly-purchased) Scotland flags.
That's one of the great things about the Commonwealth Games; they're like the Olympics, only with lots more "home" teams to support and none of the big countries like USA or China who usually beat us in everything :o)
If only we'd brought Bez's Wales flag as well!
Coming out, the transport was less successful. To start with, there were only four buses for 40,000 people. We ended up queued by the roadside for about an hour waiting for enough buses to arrive. Fortunately everyone was in good spirits and, as it was the end of the day, we weren't on a deadline. The buses did get noticeably better the following day, and were running like clockwork by Tuesday, so lessons were clearly learned.
We were back "home" in time for another delicious home-cooked tea. And Super Shawn...
Monday:
This was our busiest day. While it was a lot of fun, it was possibly a little too hectic. The weather was still baking hot, which didn't help matters.
Hilary joined Clare and I for all three events (and the two events on Tuesday too). First up we were back at Tollcross for more swimming:
Next we were back at the SSE Hydro for the artistic gymnastics. While transport was generally very good for getting between the city centre and the venues, it was lousy for getting between one venue and another. We had a long walk, during which we came up with the first alternative chorus above :o)
There was plenty going on at the gymnastics, with five events going on, often simultaneously. We also had a surprise appearance from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, whose cover was blown when they appeared on the big screen.
After the gymnastics, Clare and Hilary very sensibly retreated to Hilary's place for a cuppa and a chin-wag. I, rather less sensibly, decided to carry on tiring myself out by going sightseeing. It was worth it though. I had a nice walk along the Clyde (a bit that has been re-developed) and, despite taking a wrong turn and climbing more hill than I needed to, found the cathedral and the justifiably famous Necropolis.
I caught a shuttle bus in the nick of time to get back to Hampden Park for more athletics in the evening. Despite astonishing odds, I met up with Clare and Hilary in the crowd of thousands of people waiting to get in, rather than in our seats as I was expecting.
It was a lovely evening and nice to sit down! I enjoyed a "discus" from the food stall - a circular pasty stuffed with steak and haggis. Mmmm. We had a better view of the sport this time and saw, among other things, the men's and women's 100m finals. Oh, and 40,000 people singing "Flower of Scotland" (when Libby Clegg won gold in the T11/12 100m final) was amazing. I'm very grateful to Alestorm for teaching me the words! ;o)
We got talking to other fans on the way home and eventually made it back around midnight.
A sunny evening at Hampden Park.
Tuesday:
Firstly, Tuesday was Paul's third birthday, so Clare and I gave him his card and a Clyde mascot.
Birthday boy with Clyde (and a chocolatey breakfast).
Then we had another equally long day as Monday, but an easier one as we were at the athletics all day. The weather was also cooler (a "braw" 17C) which helped. We had our only rain this day - we definitely picked the best days to watch as the same can't be said for the latter days of the Games after we left!
We certainly got our money's worth out of the morning session, which went on until past 3pm. There was a good variety of sports and some famous faces. The highlight was the pole vault for the men's decathlon, which went on for ages after the other events had finished and was an increasingly tense three-way struggle between Wales, England and Australia. Ben Wallace of Wales gave the thumbs-down when the announcer told us we had to clear the stadium in 15 minutes, but we got to see him win the event.
We were pondering going to see the Burrell Collection in Pollok Park in the gap between athletics sessions, but we had learnt not to try to cram too much in. Instead we had a bit of an explore of nearby Queen's Park, which had a viewing platform with a flagpole and some impressive glasshouses. We also stopped for coffee and cake, because :o)
Back for one final athletics session in the evening. Just a quick word about photographs here - According to my camera, I took over 1,500 photos at the Games, but I don't want you to think I watched them permanently through a camera screen. I tended to get a shot lined up, and then continuously shoot while not actually looking at the camera. This worked reasonably well and I got some good shots out of it (obviously along with a load of rubbish). I also found that focusing my camera helped me to focus more on what I was watching too.
The tensest race of the evening had to be the women's 10,000m final. Not for the podium, which was a Kenyan clean sweep, but for the battle for fourth place. Kate Avery for England and Beth Potter for Scotland were neck-and-neck nearly all the way around, with Avery just clinching it by 1/100th of a second at the very end. Incredible stuff.
As people started to leave, we took advantage and wandered down to the trackside for a better view for the last of the medal ceremonies. And some posed photos with our flags :o)
Enjoying myself down at the trackside.
Wednesday:
Sadly, on Wednesday we had to return home, but not before joining Naomi and the kids on a detour to Falkirk to see the new Kelpie sculptures. They are part of a bigger development which is still in progress, but even the Kelpies by themselves are very impressive. We had fun running around with the kids, a spot of food, and then back in the car.
We got back to Sheffield around seven in the evening. It had been a good trip :o)
 The "Big G" marking the Glasgow Games in George Square. |
 Clare and I waving the flags at Hampden Park. |
 Crowds pouring out of the stadium. |
Sorry it's taken me a while to post this. I had meant to before the Games finished, but sorting my photos has been a long job, and I've been partly distracted by watching the rest of the Games on the telly (a slightly strange experience when I've been there just a few days ago). Anyway, so much to write up, where do I start? Well, let's begin with the general theme of the week:
I'm gonna catch an early train to see the Games
When I go out, yeah, I know it's gonna be
It's gonna be a hectic day there at the Games
If I get drunk, well, I know it's gonna cost
'Cos it's four quid a plastic bottle at the Games
And if I haver, well, I'm not sure what that is
But I might well be havering at the Games
Time for some karaoke (We sang this a lot...).
But I would walk five hundred miles
'Cos public transport's really poor
Just to be there in time to catch the start
And get from venue door to door!
If I'm moaning, well I don't mean to do that
Since I had a fantastic time there at the Games
And the Gamesmakers, all the work they do
Helps things run smooth and cheerful at the Games
When I came back (When I came back), oh, with all the crowds
We'd talk and wave our flags and cheer the Games
And if I grow old, waiting for the bus
Each day the buses got better at the Games
And I would take five hundred photos
And I would get carried away
Just to capture all the best moments
And be a geeky photo bore!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
When I'm busy, well, I know it's gonna be
A hectic day in Glasgow watching all the Games
There's gymnastics, then I know I'm gonna see
I'm gonna see the swimming also at the Games
When I've seen that (When I've seen that), well I know I'm gonna see
I'm gonna see lots of athletics at the Games
And when I come home (When I come home), yes, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be reminiscing the sport here at the Games
I'm gonna reminisce the sport here at the Games
And we'll sing this song five hundred times
To fill in gaps between the sport
It's great when sung by thousands strong
There in the famous Hampden Roar!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!), Da-da dada! (Da-da dada!)
Da-da dada la-da dada la-da-da!
And I would watch five hundred events
And I'd gladly watch five hundred more
'Cos the Glasgow Games were fantastic
I'd happily go back for more and more!
Friday:
Clare picked me up at 10am. With the luxury of a door-to-door car, for once I didn't need to worry about packing efficiently! We had a smooth drive up, although it was incredibly hot and we had to peel ourselves off the car seats at the other end. The roads seemed to have been invaded by Belgians for some reason. We stopped off, um, somewhere (I forget) for lunch in a cafe and were going to have a bit of a wander, but it was too hot for that so we decided to just hit the road again.
We didn't get lost until we were actually in Airdrie, so we rang Naomi who gave us excellent directions for the last few roads, a warm welcome when we arrived, and chilli for tea. We had evicted the kids from their bedrooms but they didn't seem to mind. Plus I got baby cuddles from Matilda. We sat up drinking beer and nattering until late.
Saturday:
Clare had spare tickets for the rhythmic gymnastics in the morning, so Naomi, Rose and Matilda (who didn't need a ticket) joined us. We caught the local train from Drumgelloch, and failed to pay despite our best efforts. The gymnastics were in the SSE Hydro which is a great circular venue, with a good view from any seats. There were four events - hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon - all done by some very bendy girls. The Canadians were the bendiest, winning three out of four gold medals, but the Welsh pipped them to the last one.
 Rhythmic gymnastics - hoop. |
 We were invited to do this quite a lot over the next four days... |
 Rhythmic gymnastics - ball. |
 (Bad) selfie as Rose and I get into the swing of things. |
 Rhythmic gymnastics - ribbon. |
 The piper means there's about to be a medal ceremony. |
 Gold for Wales! (Canada make do with silver for once.) |
 Group shot of me with the girls at the SSE Hydro. |
 A Gnome, a Rose and an Armadillo! |
Afterwards, we went our separate ways. Clare and I had a few hours to kill before the next event, so we wandered down to the Riverside Museum. By pure chance (as were were being oblivious), the Games Regatta was on at the time. We got the unexpected treat of watching dozens of boats sail by. The riverside between the Hydro and the museum was a bit scruffy, as if there's a gap in the investment work that's been done elsewhere, but hopefully it will improve in years to come.
Oh yes, and we found one of the 25 Clyde mascots (designed by the daughter of one of my civil service colleagues, just so you know) dotted around the city. We'd see several more over the next few days.
 The Regatta sails past The Tall Ship. |
 ...and off towards the SECC in the distance. |
 Well decked with flags. |
 Clare finds a new friend outside the Riverside Museum. |
The Riverside Museum is all about transport, and is full of bikes, cars, trams and trains. There's re-creations of Glasgow streets and the underground (third oldest in the world). We wasted a good couple of hours in there and I can definitely recommend it.
 What it says on the tin, maybe... |
 Ewan McGregor's bike from Long Way Down. |
 Yes, it is a Stormtrooper with a bike. Why not? :o) |
 Wall of cars. |
Deciding to wind our way back via some of the sights of Glasgow, we discovered just how big the city is. What looks a few streets away on the map is in fact three miles! Fortunately we had time, but the street signs every five minutes telling us we were still 25 minutes away from the centre were not encouraging.
We swung by the gorgeous (and famous) Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It was 15 minutes until closing time, so we only got the quickest of looks inside. Definitely one to go back to some time.
 Giant Clyde outside Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. |
 Impressive inside Kelvingrove - shame we had no time! |
 Ingenious dog sculpture made from boots. |
I wanted to find the Glasgow School of Art, even though I knew it's be closed. We wound our way up the hill to find it tucked away in a back street. The fire damage was sad to see but it was reassuring to see how much of the building looked still intact. It's very impressive, with design details unlike any other building I've seen.
Continuing the Mackintosh theme, we also found the Willow Tea Rooms.
 Glasgow School of Art, looking slightly the worse for wear. :o( |
 Glasgow School of Art (detail). |
 Willow Tea Rooms by Mackintosh. |
...and a few other sights of the streets of Glasgow:
 TARDIS on red alert? |
 Wellington (complete with cone) at Royal Exchange Square. |
We found George Square, temporary home of the "Big G" and the official Games shop, which was packed. Then we made our way to Tollcross for the swimming. We got to a huge park which was beautiful, but there was no sign of an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool in sight. Reassured by the presence of large crowds and cheery volunteers with pointy foam hands, we got there and met up with Hilary. Good thing, since she had our tickets!
We then watched Australia win a lot of medals, although Team England didn't do badly either. We sand "500 miles" for the second time that day. There was a small bit of audience drama as one group broke the "no political banners" rule and waved a "Yes Scotland" flag. Having done so for most of the session, it seemed a bit daft for the stewards to ask them to stop when the session was near the end. Anyway, they refused and were eventually escorted out by the police. Heavy-handed?
 Butterfly action in the swimming at Tollcross. |
 Crowds at Tolcross (note the "Yes Scotland" flag). |
 Diving on in! |
 Another Games record smashed. |
 More medal glory for England. |
 Medal ceremony for the women's 4x200m relay. |
We walked out into the blissfully cool night and had a slightly scary walk back to the train as the volunteers directed us through what seemed like all the dark and wooded bits of the park. But we made it!
Sunset over the deep dark wood...
Sunday:
Sunday was a more relaxed day as we only had one event to go to. We could have gone in early to watch the marathon (for free), but we opted to have a lazy morning instead. This meant we actually got to spend some time with our hosts, something we wouldn't get to do much of over the following two days.
I appear to have a tiara. And a Rose stuck to me, which was a frequent hazard :o)
We went back into town early and managed to successfully buy train tickets this time. We foolishly split the party, with Clare going off to find friends while I blitzed the Games shop, but we managed to meet up again.
This was the day of travel chaos, which apparently made the national news. It was impossible to even get near Glasgow Central station, there were that many people. Instead we caught the shuttle bus which worked remarkably well - that time... Hilary's parents weren't so lucky; problems with the park & ride meant they missed over an hour of the session.
This was the big venue - the mighty Hampden Park, converted into an athletics stadium. We may not have had the best view (We were opposite the 100m straight, and it was partly obscured to us by the field events), but the atmosphere was incredible and we got good use out of our England and (newly-purchased) Scotland flags.
That's one of the great things about the Commonwealth Games; they're like the Olympics, only with lots more "home" teams to support and none of the big countries like USA or China who usually beat us in everything :o)
If only we'd brought Bez's Wales flag as well!
 Australia doing all too well in the women's T37/38 long jump finals. |
 England swing in the women's hammer throw. |
 Women's 400m heats. |
 Men's 5,000m final - sadly no Mo. |
 Kenya victorious. |
 Silver for England. |
Coming out, the transport was less successful. To start with, there were only four buses for 40,000 people. We ended up queued by the roadside for about an hour waiting for enough buses to arrive. Fortunately everyone was in good spirits and, as it was the end of the day, we weren't on a deadline. The buses did get noticeably better the following day, and were running like clockwork by Tuesday, so lessons were clearly learned.
We were back "home" in time for another delicious home-cooked tea. And Super Shawn...
Monday:
This was our busiest day. While it was a lot of fun, it was possibly a little too hectic. The weather was still baking hot, which didn't help matters.
Hilary joined Clare and I for all three events (and the two events on Tuesday too). First up we were back at Tollcross for more swimming:
 Back at Tollcross for the men's 50m freestyle. |
 Scotland push off in the women's 50m backstroke. |
 Victory for England! |
 Powering on in the women's 200m butterfly. |
Next we were back at the SSE Hydro for the artistic gymnastics. While transport was generally very good for getting between the city centre and the venues, it was lousy for getting between one venue and another. We had a long walk, during which we came up with the first alternative chorus above :o)
There was plenty going on at the gymnastics, with five events going on, often simultaneously. We also had a surprise appearance from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, whose cover was blown when they appeared on the big screen.
 Slo-mo Weegie Wave! |
 Team Wales take to the floor. |
 Mid-leap on the vault. |
 Team Isle of Man on the uneven bars. |
 Harry, Kate and Wills enjoy the Games with us. |
 Team Scotland on the rings. |
 Team England on the pommel horse. |
 Look, they put my initials on the SSE Hydro! |
After the gymnastics, Clare and Hilary very sensibly retreated to Hilary's place for a cuppa and a chin-wag. I, rather less sensibly, decided to carry on tiring myself out by going sightseeing. It was worth it though. I had a nice walk along the Clyde (a bit that has been re-developed) and, despite taking a wrong turn and climbing more hill than I needed to, found the cathedral and the justifiably famous Necropolis.
 With Clare outside the Hydro (in our matching 2012 t-shirts). |
 A Swiss cheese car park to go with Sheffield's cheese grater? |
 The Clyde Arc aka "the Squinty Bridge". |
 Bridge over the Clyde. |
 Peacock building in the city centre. |
 Glasgow Cathedral decked with Commonwealth flags. |
 The famous Glasgow Necropolis. |
 Atmospheric cathedral grounds. |
I caught a shuttle bus in the nick of time to get back to Hampden Park for more athletics in the evening. Despite astonishing odds, I met up with Clare and Hilary in the crowd of thousands of people waiting to get in, rather than in our seats as I was expecting.
It was a lovely evening and nice to sit down! I enjoyed a "discus" from the food stall - a circular pasty stuffed with steak and haggis. Mmmm. We had a better view of the sport this time and saw, among other things, the men's and women's 100m finals. Oh, and 40,000 people singing "Flower of Scotland" (when Libby Clegg won gold in the T11/12 100m final) was amazing. I'm very grateful to Alestorm for teaching me the words! ;o)
We got talking to other fans on the way home and eventually made it back around midnight.
A sunny evening at Hampden Park.
 Women's 400m semi-finals. |
 England in the shot-put. |
 ...and England in the high jump. |
 Gold for Scotland! - Libby Clegg and guide runner Mikail Huggins win the T11/12 100m final. |
 Kelly Massey greets the crowd. |
 On their marks for the women's 400m semi-finals. |
 And they're off! |
 Victory for Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria. |
 Hilary and Clare at Hampden Park. |
Tuesday:
Firstly, Tuesday was Paul's third birthday, so Clare and I gave him his card and a Clyde mascot.
Birthday boy with Clyde (and a chocolatey breakfast).
Then we had another equally long day as Monday, but an easier one as we were at the athletics all day. The weather was also cooler (a "braw" 17C) which helped. We had our only rain this day - we definitely picked the best days to watch as the same can't be said for the latter days of the Games after we left!
We certainly got our money's worth out of the morning session, which went on until past 3pm. There was a good variety of sports and some famous faces. The highlight was the pole vault for the men's decathlon, which went on for ages after the other events had finished and was an increasingly tense three-way struggle between Wales, England and Australia. Ben Wallace of Wales gave the thumbs-down when the announcer told us we had to clear the stadium in 15 minutes, but we got to see him win the event.
 Mark Rutherford, pleased with his long jump performance. |
 Men's decathlon discus. |
 Women's T54 1,500m. |
 Wheel-to-wheel action from David Weir in the men's T54 1,500m. |
 Weir Wolf triumphant. |
 It's those royals again! (along with Seb Coe) |
 Women's 400m hurdles. |
 John Lane leaps for England in the men's decathlon pole vault. |
 "TAPS OAN!" - The heavens briefly open. |
 Ben Gregory for Wales ups the stakes in the pole vault. |
We were pondering going to see the Burrell Collection in Pollok Park in the gap between athletics sessions, but we had learnt not to try to cram too much in. Instead we had a bit of an explore of nearby Queen's Park, which had a viewing platform with a flagpole and some impressive glasshouses. We also stopped for coffee and cake, because :o)
 View from the top of Queen's Park. |
 Glasshouses in Queen's Park. |
 Aieee! Cactus Phtagn! |
Back for one final athletics session in the evening. Just a quick word about photographs here - According to my camera, I took over 1,500 photos at the Games, but I don't want you to think I watched them permanently through a camera screen. I tended to get a shot lined up, and then continuously shoot while not actually looking at the camera. This worked reasonably well and I got some good shots out of it (obviously along with a load of rubbish). I also found that focusing my camera helped me to focus more on what I was watching too.
The tensest race of the evening had to be the women's 10,000m final. Not for the podium, which was a Kenyan clean sweep, but for the battle for fourth place. Kate Avery for England and Beth Potter for Scotland were neck-and-neck nearly all the way around, with Avery just clinching it by 1/100th of a second at the very end. Incredible stuff.
As people started to leave, we took advantage and wandered down to the trackside for a better view for the last of the medal ceremonies. And some posed photos with our flags :o)
 Wales to throw in the men's decathlon javelin. |
 Clyde calls for some noise - GIE IT LALDY! |
 Home nation runners in the women's 10,000m final. |
 The women's 10,000m final nears the end. |
 Javelin retrieval vans! |
 Never mind the first three, look at four and five! |
 Silver for Adam Gemili of England in the men's 100m. |
 Lap of honour from the women's triple jump medallists. |
 Silver again for England - Laura Samuel in the women's triple jump. |
 Synchronised hurdle preparation. |
 Lawrence Clarke ready for the 110m hurdles. |
 Start of the men's 110m hurdles final. |
 Leaping into action! |
 TV presenters. |
 Ashley Bryant celebrates winning another silver medal for England in the men's decathlon. |
 Last race of the evening - the women's 1,500m final. |
 Flags raised for the men's decathlon medal ceremony. |
 Ashley Bryant takes to the podium. |
Enjoying myself down at the trackside.
Wednesday:
Sadly, on Wednesday we had to return home, but not before joining Naomi and the kids on a detour to Falkirk to see the new Kelpie sculptures. They are part of a bigger development which is still in progress, but even the Kelpies by themselves are very impressive. We had fun running around with the kids, a spot of food, and then back in the car.
 "It's ENORMOUS!" - Rose with Kelpie.  Kelpie from across the pond.  Paul at the Kelpies. |
 The Kelpies at Falkirk.  Paul and Aunty Clare at the Kelpies.  Made in Scotland, from girders! (Actually made in Sheffield - Yay, Sheffield!)  Staring at the sun. |
 Paul and Rose pose for the camera.  Are you looking at me?  Inside the "head down" Kelpie. |
We got back to Sheffield around seven in the evening. It had been a good trip :o)
