Olympic Madness

I am a rubbish blogger. Yet again I have been absent from my blog writing, but I think it’s been with good reason!

I've now finished the Olympic Opening Ceremony and am now dancing in the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. It’s been the most exciting few months. The Olympic opening was the most surreal and incredible moments of my life, so much so that I keep wondering if it really happened?! The atmosphere on the day was just incredible, everyone was so excited. We all sang and danced our way through the park as we walked to get into costume! Trying to sum up the experience in words just doesn’t do it justice.  It was amazing, brilliant, everything you could imagine it to be and more.

I met some wonderful people on my journey which I can hardly believe started all the way back in rainy April. After all those long rehearsals, train journeys and late nights, I think we all felt a massive sense of pride and achievement to represent Britain in such a fantastic show of Danny Boyle’s creation. 

So I finished the Opening on the 27^th and on the 29^th I had my first Paralympic rehearsal. This was exciting and strange at the same time. Strange I suppose because it was like going back in time. Rehearsals were back at 3 Mills where I first started months ago for the Olympics. It felt very surreal to be back there. Since then we have been to Dagenham and we are now at the stadium again - all in the space of a few weeks for me!  It feels like these sets of rehearsals are on fast forward.

Tomorrow we have another late evening rehearsal and then on Sunday is our first Paralympic Dress Rehearsal. Very exciting! Watch out for me on Wednesday, my section opens the show but that's about all I can tell you for now.

Here are a few pictures of the Opening...

Enjoy! 

Exciting, exciting

Massive Olympic excitement. We are in the Stadium which is such a buzz. Rehearsals are tiring and they are only going to get longer. My latest schedule tells me we have rehearsals every night until midnight in the week leading up to the opening ceremony - crazy! We seem to have been dancing in the rain during every stadium rehearsal so far. I am hoping it doesn't rain on the night however we live in England and who knows what the weather might do?! The stadium isn't covered with a roof so it's safe to say that if it does decided to rain...we will get wet!


I have also been getting the last train out of London so I can be back for work the next day. However this has often meant that I haven't been getting home until around 3:30 am. It's safe to say I am shattered but happy. This has been such an amazing experience so far and I feel privileged to be a part of it. 

38 days, 23 hours, 3 minutes and 33 seconds...

Olympic rehearsals are stepping up a gear this week.  We have now finished rehearsals at the Dagenham site which means this Thursday we move to the Olympic stadium.  Yes the Olympic Stadium! I can't wait. 


To add to the excitement, our Olympic tickets to see the Dressage arrived in the post. 


Just 38 days to go until the greatest show on earth!  

Baby Benjamin

Here are a couple of photos of my new baby nephew.  


We went over to Sheffield last Tuesday and spent a lovely few hours sitting outside in my half sisters garden, drinking tea and chatting.

Lovely lovely.

Counting sheep

I’m so tired. I try to go to sleep and then can’t. I really do not understand this ridiculous pattern I have once again managed to get myself in to.

I don’t really know why my body decides to do this to me? I got home today, started shaking and managed to sleep for a couple of hours. I’m now walking round the house in a sort of daze. I have dance in less than an hour and I am trying to summon the energy to go to the three classes.

Now I’m not even sure I want to post this entry. I hate how self pitying it sounds.

Urg. 

Goodbye April, Hello May.

Are we really in May already? When I was little, time seemed to go ever so slowly. Christmas Eve seemed like the longest day, if anything time seemed to go extra slowly. The 6 week summer holidays we used to get in school seemed to last forever.  Now 6 weeks goes by in a second and quite honestly I hardly have time to stop and think about it.

I had a panic this week because I somehow lost my diary.  Now when I told some of my friends that I had lost it, the response was “Well it’s only a diary, just buy a new one” The thing is, it may only just be a diary, but that diary has everything in it. I write all that I need to do for each day, week and month in it. I was completely lost without it. My weeks seem to have become quite busy and the only way I can keep track of what I’m doing is to write it all down. Anyway...thankfully (after a week of stress) it was found, returned to me and I can breathe a sigh of relief.

During April I got the opportunity to work on a fantastic new show called ‘Fat Brenda: My Flamin’ Story’ which was premiered at Harrogate Theatre. Written by the lovely Joe Parkinson and played by the wonderful Steve Huison. It was a pleasure to be just a small part of such an amazing show.  Watch out for it!

I can hardly believe I am now in my fourth week of dance rehearsals for the Olympic Opening Ceremony.  It has been so exciting to be a part of so far. I tried on my costume yesterday which I must admit is pretty epic.

The days are getting longer and lighter which makes me happy. I always feel much better when the weather is nice. I hope it gets warm and sunny soon. 

:)

"Happiness isn’t a person, place or thing. Relatively speaking, it’s not found in anything other than yourself. But we forget that and we bury it within others to hold, store and keep thinking they’ll always have it when we want it back. And when we’re sad, we blame them for our loss. But it’s always there, you just have to choose to be happy."