Quietly at Stratford

Not another visit to an English country garden.

It's the Olympic Park.

 For the Paralympic 7-a-side football

played under a sky as blue as the pitch.

And amazing goal ball, played in complete silence 

so that the blind and blindfolded players

 can hear the bells ringing in the ball.

After the ball went out of play

they played just the first few bars of this

to quieten the spectators.

No walk in the park

In August, two years ago, while walking in Greenwich Park,

I noticed tiny white tufts growing at regular intervals in the grass.

I bent down to examine them and found that they were plastic.

How strange.

Only later did I discover that they were markers 

for the Olympic cross country event.

 Yesterday, we attended the first equestrian event

of the Paralympics at Greenwich Park.

Great Britain's Natasha Baker posted the highest dressage score, 

riding Cabral in driving rain, 

which started just as she entered the arena.

The penultimate rider, Barbara Minneci rode Barilla,

an Irish Sport Horse, sidesaddle.

It was easy to forget why this was not just a walk in the park

for any of the competitors, 

who performed with poise and precision

on their light-footed horses.

 The commentator repeatedly asked for no applause

until the horses were reunited with their handlers,

so I'm clapping loudly now.