London 2012: I was there

We are heartbroken, for it is finally over.

A moment in time, unrepeatable, uncapturable, unforgettable.

We thought it had finished after the Olympics but the Paralympics have been more than just an after-thought but an inspirational event, a demonstration of what humans are capable of.

Its changed how people see the disabled but also how Britain see's itself, a positive image of ourselves.

The weeks seemed to flash past, and the greater the event, the faster it seemed to pass. Last night's key moments were over far too soon; the great stadium thumping songs we could have sung all over again, to hear again 80,000 voices backed by a megawatt sound system.

The fireworks explosions images and sounds crescended again and again, saturating the mind, creating a sublime moment. Nothing you see on television compares to what it was like to be in there.

It was the final moment of the evening, and almost of the entire summer of sport.

Today there was the parade when a million Londoners crowded those ancient streets that go back to the Romans, streets where walked Samuel Pepys and William Shakespeare, to watch the modern heros make their way to Buckingham Palace.

The real ending was as it began, with a flyby, the Red Arrows streaking across the skies of London, their crackling roar causing all in Trafalgar Square to look upwards.

We will never forget the summer of London 2012 or the spirit of London 2012.

And I can say "I was there"