Hymn by Damian Hirst

Damian Hirst’s ‘Hymn’ displayed outside Tate Modern. Hymn is a 20ft bronze replica of a “Young Scientist Anatomy Set” and is owned by Charles Saatchi. The toy manufacturer Humbrol sued Damien Hirst for creating an exact copy of their 14” model. There's nothing more to add.

London 2012 Paralympics

Finally made it to the Olympic site for the 2012 Paralympics. The day started with blind 5-a-side football between Iran and Turkey at the Riverbank Arena. It was fantastic on so many levels. Not only is it good to watch as a sporting event but the players disability becomes an integral part of the game. An amazing set of skills are displayed by blindfolded players who dribble, pass and shoot at goal with astonishing accuracy. The bone crunching tackles can be felt and heard in the stands. It made me realise how pathetic, lily-livered, overpaid Premiership footballers are. To think they dive and cheat, theatrically faining injury to gain an unfair advantage. They wouldn’t last five minutes with the courageous (and I do mean courageous) blind five-a-side teams.

The next game was The People’s Republic of China against Team GB. Despite the crowd getting behind the home team the game finished, as all of our national football matches do, with Team GB loosing on penalties.

From the football I went to Eton Manor for the wheelchair tennis. I have no idea how the players achieve such skills but to watch wheelchair tennis is to be astonished and inspired.

On to the Copper Box and the women’s Goalball. This is a strange game played with three blind goalkeepers trying to throw a large, heavy ball, which contains a bell, into a goal protected by three opposing blind goalkeepers. It takes some time to get into especially as the crowd must remain silent during the game to enable the players to hear the ball. Sweden drew with Japan 1-1 and yet another game went to penalties, which Japan won. There was a great party atmosphere inside the Copper box with the "Macarena" being particularly popular when the crowd were let loose during stoppages in play. The use of music and an MC was very impressive and certainly added to the whole experience.

From the Copper Box to the Basketball Arena and to a game I would gladly pay to watch outside of the Olympics. Wheelchair Rugby or ‘murderball’ has it has become known. Canada beat Belgium in a game that has more in common with American Football than rugby. The players smash into each other, openly trying to tip wheelchairs over and block players off by trapping them on the court, unable to move and take part in play. It’s fast moving, lots of points are scored and the organisers had a soundtrack playing, along with a live commentary, throughout the game, which enhanced the overall experience.

What a fantastic day. What a fantastic event.

Ark-ive

Ark-ive is an interactive installation at the National Theatre. The public are encouraged to bringing objects, drawings, photographs and stories of animals and create a collection of man’s relationship with the animal world. Visitors will only be allowed in two by two.

Max Bygraves R.I.P. - 'Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be

"Once our beer was frothy but know it's frothy coffee, 'fings ain't what they used to be".

Max Bygraves obituary  - Guardian, Saturday 1 September 2012

aMAZEme

250,000 books have been used to create aMAZEme in the ballroom of the Festival Hall on the Southbank. It is part of the Southbank Centre's Festival of the World and the London 2012 festival. Created by Marcos Saboya and Gualter Pupo the labyrinth is built in the shape of a finger print and visitors are able to pick up a read books as thet stroll through the maze.

Cleaning the Shard

The small, black dots on the surface of the Shard are actually window cleaners. These men are abseiling down the building.

Cutty Sark, Greenwich

The Cutty Sark has finally been restored to its former glory. Having survived pounding seas, thunderous storms, a fire and a drubbing by thousands of school children the former tea clipper, the Concorde of its day, now sits on the crest of a skirt of glass as if still riding the waves.

The ship was badly damaged, almost destroyed, by fire in May 2007. There was an outpouring of public sympathy for the old girl and £50m was raised to complete the restoration. Every cloud has a silver lining.

The Cutty Sark was one of the last, and fastest, tea clippers to sail between Britain and the Far East. Her name is taken from the Robert Burn’s poem Tam O’Shanter, which refers to a shapely witch wearing only a cutty sark. Built in 1869 in Dumbarton, Scotland, for John Willis, a London ship owner the construction bankrupted the builders Scott and Linton. The ship was given a complete refit in 1922 and served as a training ship during the Second World War. The ship has remained in dry dock, in Greenwich since 1954

The tall masts once again tower over Greenwich. The ship seems to be straining at the leash to once again be on the high seas rather than trapped, land locked as a permanent museum piece, it's 921 tons eerily floating three metres above visitors drinking their coffee in the space created underneath the great ship.