A theme emerges for trip-Um, sport you think ?🤔 Manchester is famous for its sports and so by chance the national Athletic champs and Olympic trails were on and day one was the day we arrived.
On a dizzly day we ventured out to the Etihad stadium (Manchester City Soccer Base) and on that campus is the Manchester Athletic facility .
Well with LEJOG completed, on to other sports. Nick took my picture at the finish, seems ages ago now.
Home is never far from our thoughts.
Below is a photo from home from Facebook and our local beaches are yet again covered in slash as yet another clean up starts. Sadly a lot more of this still exists on the river banks up stream and are still to come down, Harvesting practices will change but the results of last years cyclones will be felt for many years to come until the slash rots.
The home papers have covered the stories of three men who died. Family men who went fishing for their fun and the weather was far worse than predicted and forecasted. Very sad. My heart is so sad for them and for their families.
Wairoa has major house flooding issues that started with last years cyclone.
If we need evidence of climate change it is all around us, accepting that plains are formed over centuries by erosion in the hills coming down to form our flat land, such is the passage of nature.
Up River on the Waimata River shows the problems by river banks with trees falling over and the extension of the silt the river carries from this young and erodible land
Back in Manchester- Lyall is playing the spectator.
These guys are called the Manchester United trinity.
Old Trafford ground and stadium was built in 1910. Numerous changes and it's still going on. These are amongst the 3 most famous players.
I have been a Manchester United fan for 50 years, so an opportunity to visit and have a ground tour was something I had to do.
Thank you Lee -Anne for indulging me. This wasn't a spur of the moment thing like the athletics, it was always on the todo list.
Inside the ground by the pitch
Inside the players dressing room. These are relic kits that we allowed to display. Johnny Evans's top. This was on 30 June and that is the day that contracts end for departing players. two French players contracted ended today.
This is Manchester City ground that we visited the day before to watch the Athletics.
It's a wonderful fact, very modern. and building still going on.
If you have Netflix, there is a series about their hugely memorable 2023 season that features a lot about these facilities.
Etihad in Arabic means "Union" or United.
This was proudly pointed out to us by the tour guide at Manchester United.
One of the best events of the afternoon/evening at the Athletics was one of the last events, the women's 5000 m. A really good race in the drizzle.
Taly told us afterwards that she follows one of the athletes on you-tube, its a small world eh.
Down by the managers tunnel, the players now come out of a different tunnel after the Taylor report that followed the terrible football stadium disasters in the 1980's , one we remember well whilst we lived in London. Note two things. 1.My mouth. So many photos have me jaw dropped, taking in the sights. Fly catching I am !, but importantly 2. The pitch-if you look carefully you will note how raised it is. Pitch and turf culture has come along way from what it was 60 plus years ago. I remember the muddy pitches and heavy balls. Not so today. They are raised , have special turf culture and have so much technology applied to them. This pitch is I am guessing at least ¾ of meter higher than the surrounding stadium floor and it has a heating system in it and fibre added to the grass that fibre lasts about 10 years ? that mixes with the natural grasses and means that they are less likely to be be cut up by sliding players . The turf is removed every year and resown but the fibre remains in the soil longer.
Under the stadium are huge water tanks that capture the rain that fails on the stadium roofing and are used for stadium toilets for which their must be a lot and pitch watering, when it dry in summer. This year it has rained a lot in the Uk and everyone is waiting for summer to start and it's now July !. this is the second largest football stadium in Uk behind I presume Wembley. It capacity has been decreased by fixed seating as people used to stand in the "old days".
This photo shows that elevated and slightly convex pitch much clearer
Manchester central is a city in transition. Building projects everywhere and now a central city tram system as well. Don't know where the dosh is coming from but there is certainly huge investment in building left right and central. A lot of housing as well and office blocks and other infrastructure.
We Arrived back at our hotel from the Athletics late. Nine pm ish, We dropped off our gear and recommendation of staff at hotel went to that red building about 150m away. A great recommendation for dinner.
A little Italian restaurant.
Top food, nice atmosphere and lovely family feel.
Top staff.
So good that we ate the following night as well, way earlier, when we came back from the Manchester United tour.
I presume a building of historical importance -the corn exchange. Manchester is known more today for its mechanical and industrial age but like so many centres it roots were as all as market towns for the passage of goods to the people and trade. We saw that in so many places in the provinces. The Canal systems were also famous in Manchester and Liverpool for the carriage of goods and all man made .
Us grabbing an early morning Pret Manger healthy breakfast before catching yet another train as we come down from Scotland. I have nearly done the whole country by train as well as by Bike 🚲🚲smile 😊
We Arrived back at our hotel from the Athletics late. Nine pm ish, We dropped off our gear and recommendation of staff at hotel went to that red building about 150m away. 
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