Sunday 22 July 2012

Thomas did us proud!

 My son Thomas carrying the Olympic Torch and smiling all the way along 'his' section of Chatham High Street, Kent.

This was taken on the coach that was transporting Thomas to his allocated run.

The moment his torch was lit.

Karen was given permission to chaperone Thomas to help if his hand jolted off his wheelchair controller and getting him on and off the coach and here, helping him with the famous 'Torch kiss'). She had to wear all white and looked as though she was about to play a game of cricket - no her hair didn't catch fire! I like the caption Thomas' Grandma put to this picture on a Facebook page "Determination and Success".

I have lots more images to put up but Blogger tells me I have reached my 1GB free allocation for images so that will have to do for now and until I sort it out. The vicar of our church has another picture on his blog here.

35 comments:

  1. how absolutely awesome! a once-in-a-lifetime moment most of us will never experience.

    (you can either delete a bunch of photos from your blog which some folks do or buy more space from google)

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    1. TWG As you say, definitely "once-in-a-lifetime" but he so deserved it. Thanks for the advice' I'll look into it.

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  2. What a great responsibility and honor to carry the Olympic torch. I love all the photos of Thomas, his smile during his run, the crowd looking on, the confetti flying all over during the lighting and intensity during the passing of the flame...they all show the excitement of the event and all are priceless. Kudos to Thomas!

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    1. Thank you Jude. It's hard to find the right words to express how we feel about it all but you come very close with "priceless"! Glad you enjoyed looking at the pictures.

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  3. Hello Jerry.La evening of 20 I thought of the passage of Olympic Flame... and now,by these photos, is like being there.CHE EMOZIONE!
    I see in these images the love of a family and an entire town that gives wonderful fruits! A big hug for your special son, for you, and your whole family! Rita

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    1. Rita, thanks for you kind wishes; it is lovely to know you were thinking of us and that the photographs helped you to see it. Thomas was cheered, whooped and clapped every inch of the way - I can still hear it now!

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    2. Dear Jerry, I simultaneously published post "improvisations summer" with a link to your blog! In celebration, understandably, you missed!A big hug!!!

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  4. What an honour and what a wonderful event! You must all be so proud! The photos are great!

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    1. Thank you Judy, glad you liked seeing the pictures.

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  5. Wonderful!...Thomas must be so pleased he did this and he didn't look a bit shy or nervous with all those people...(don't think I could have been that brave). What a great event to have been part of. As for your blogger allocation limit, I had that a little while ago and upgraded, it's only about £3 for lots of extra storage and is worth it...Oh, and I've checked out the Vicar's blog (didn't know Vicar's did blogging) you learn something new every day.

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    1. Ann, you are very perceptive! Thomas isn't someone who naturally feels comforable in the lime-light so we did think he might feel a little shy with all the attention. But he was so taken with the joy of it all, that he was able to relax completely and delight in the whole experience. Thanks for the advice, as you say £3 isn't much so I'll try to get it sorted soon.

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  6. Many congratulations to Thomas! I'm so glad all went well and that it looks like the weather was kind which must have been a relief all round! I am sure it was an experience none of you will ever forget. Well done for getting the lovely photos too.

    As you have only been blogging since 2011, I am guessing you don't use a re-sizer for your photos? When I started in 2009 I soon noticed I was using my allocation very quickly and after doing some googling found I should be re-sizing. Since then I have barely used any space at all. That doesn't help with your present dilemma of course and as others have said you will need to delete old photos (making sure they are also deleted from Picassa) or pay for more space which personally would be my choice as it seems such a shame to destroy your previous work. If you need any info regarding re-sizing let me know.

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    1. Jan, we were a bit worried about the weather, if Thomas' hand gets wet and cold he loses the ability to drive himself and he wouldn't have wanted Karen to have to drive his chair for him. It was such a relief that it all went so well.

      Thanks for all the advice; you are right, I haven't been very careful to reduce the size of the pictures I've used. I expect I will do a combination of upgrade and using smaller images in the future. I do have some photo editing software on my computer - is that what you do or is there another way to reduce the file size?

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  7. Glorious!! LOVE the photos you have shared of this wonderful event. I know you are so proud. blessings ~ tanna

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    1. Tanna, I'm so glad you enjoyed seeing these images and sharing in our fun!

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  8. !Nuestras felicitaciones a Thomas y a vuestra familia! Es una experiencia formidable e inolvidable para todos vosotros. Ciertamente nada es imposible, Jerry. Un abrazo muy fuerte para todos.

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    1. Francesc, "Ciertamente nada es imposible" is so true. When we had Thomas' diagnosis (when he was 6 years old) it was hard to imagine being happy ever again but in fact, Thomas and Anna have taken us on an amazing and wonderful journey, our children can teach us so many things! I wonder what music could have accompanied Thomas' Olympic Torch run? "Un abrazo" to you and Sonia!

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  9. ¡Qué día más feliz para toda la familia! Un fuerte abrazo. Sonia.

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    1. Thanks Sonia, yes we are all so very happy!!

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  10. HOW EXCITING, Jerry!!! A very proud moment for you and your family. These photos are priceless and thank you for sharing them with us!!!

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    1. Thank you Hilda, yes it was so amazing and unforgettable. So glad you enjoyed looking at them.

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  11. Congratulations to Thomas! What an honour to carry the Olympic Torch! He looks so happy and proud too. It looks like you all had an amazing day!
    Wasn't the opening ceremony AMAZING? I love that the Queen did a little acting too, lol!
    Jerry, I also want to thank you SO much for taking the time and trouble to vote for my painting. I do really appreciate it, you are so kind! Thank you!! :0)

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    1. Sandra, oh yes, happy and proud is exactly how we all felt; Thomas did so well. We loved the humour is the opening ceremony - usually my concentration drifts during opening ceremonies, but not this time, so it must have been good! No problem about the vote - you deserved It.

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  12. Hola Jerry, pásate cuando puedas por mi blog, espero que te guste y lo aceptes :) Si lo deseas puedes añadirlo a tu blog cuando te venga bien. Un abrazo. Sonia.

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    1. Wow thank you Sonia - I'll now have to get thinking how to do my bit.

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  13. Wow! Jerry that's so lovely to see... I was lucky enough to see the torch pass through Keswick during a weekend break.
    I bet you were so proud.
    Many thanks for your recent comments re Mum they really do help.
    Kind regards Drew.

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  14. Congratulations,this is wonderful xx

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  15. What an amazing experience for Thomas!!! What wonderful memories.
    I have been watching the Olympics and memories of my trip to the UK in 2010 are flooding back... and I'm wishing I could go back.
    I had the same problem regarding images... I opened a Google+ account and I was able to post more images again. Give it a try.

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    1. Hi, thanks Liz - also for the advice I'll try to sort it soon.

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  16. Congratulations! We were thinking of Thomas on that special day.
    A proud experience for all of you.
    All the best to you.

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  17. What an honor! How exciting for all of you. Blessings.

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    1. Thanks Connie. Yes it was so very special!

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