by Alex Hoad at the Olympic Stadium

10.55pm - ... and then it was gone.

Thanks very much for joining me tonight, and throughout the summer for the Olympic Games and the Paralympics.

It really has been the best time of my life, and I hope you could tell that from my stories and updates.

The Games might be over, but that doesn't mean it's the end, let's make it the start of something shall we?

Inspire a Generation, create a Legacy... build on the platform the last six weeks has given us all. Make it count.

Good night. I'm off to book a flight to Rio. :)

10.38pm - That’s not quite it though.... Coldplay haven’t played yet. Oh no, sorry, you’re right, they have. Well there’s always time for more Coldplay isn’t there? Isn’t there?

Anyway they’re doing The Scientist while Games highlights are shown on the screens before every one of the 2,000 cast members and the audience all sing along to Every Teardrop is a Waterfall (which I’m not even sure I know the words to, so how can I sing along?)

The Winter, Summer and Sundial stages all release fountains of water to symbolise the extinguishing of the flame, some of what you see may be my own tears mindyou, before what sounds like THE. MOST. SPECTACULAR, FIREWORK. DISPLAY. EVER.

Seriously, it sounds bigger and better than the last three, which were immense.

10.15pm - After the speeches from the big-wigs, Seb Coe, Philip Craven etc, the bit which is making me well up just reading it is ‘The Final Flame’ – the bit where the flame goes out.

Two British people who are very young, and a lot more famous today than they were two weeks ago, are going to do the honours.

But rest assured the flame doesn’t exactly fizzle out... a Paralympian with a new torch goes and nicks a bit before it goes out and then shares it around so THE FLAME NEVER REALLY GOES OUT, IT LIVES ON WITHIN ALL OF US.

While the flame is shared out across the Stadium floor some chap called Jay-Z turns up to perform ‘Run this Town’ with Ri-Ri. And there might be a bit of a special performance with a popular music group who you don’t hear much about these days.... Cal... Cel... Coldplay! :/

10.00pm - Right, this bit is going to be hard to watch.

This is us lowering the flag and handing it over to Rio. Bo-Jo will be present so who knows what might happen.

Then there’s a bit called ‘Joy’ which is basically Brazil celebrating the fact that they’ve got the Games with some traditional dance battles without any feeling for the emotionally ravaged people in he Stadium who don't want to accept that it's gone.

9.47pm - What better to do in Summer than listen to Coldplay?

They play Strawberry Swing with the British Paraorchestra, 17 inspirational people in themselves, and then Rihanna and Coldplay perform ‘We Found Love’ as the place turns into a festival.

Viva La Vida is next and then the fireworks really start, by which I mean that fireworks start. In the height of summer maypoles and carousel creatures take to the air, how very British, eh?

9.35pm - What happens in Spring? The CLOCKS change..... guess which Coldplay song is coming? Yep.

There’s a massive spring-like grasshopper truck which I saw parked outside the back entrance yesterday looking highly suspicious.

Now 120 kids from local London Boroughs hosting the Games are going to be running about trying to make a fish out of a load of hubcaps (600 of them, all graffitied) and a truck in the shape of a fish skeleton.

Spring is finally here, and ahhhh, so is Rihanna, on a steamship truck. She’ll perform Princess of China with Coldplay.

9.25pm - Winter is almost upon us, and, sadly, winter is almost upon us here too.

Listening to Coldplay is the official start of winter, you heard it here first, and it is going to snow, which should be interesting.

There will be your staple winter characters, Ice Queen, Ice Warriors, Crows on Stilts, you know, the usual...

God Put a Smile Upon my Face is pretty much February, the end of winter, and will start off a spectacular-sounding scene with motorbikes, acrobats and a special way of the sun re-emerging to end winter. I shall let you see it for yourself though.

9.07pm - Ok, so here we go with the seasons... this is Autumn, and any second now you’ll be seeing and hearing the popular chart music of popular chart music artists Coldplay.

There will be dancers dancing while they’re singing. There will be a Sun King during Yellow, I know that much, and some pretty impressive circus acrobatics during Up in Flames.

During Para-Para-Paradise we’ll see not 18 but 19 fireflies descend from the roof, but they’re not real, they’re people. They are there to signify the end of autumn, apparently.

8.59pm - The Spirit of the Games section is a bit of back-slapping for a couple of brilliant athletes, Ireland’s Michael McKillop, the fastest Paralympian, and Mary Zakayo of Kenya.

There’s also some new electees to the IPC council and a thoroughly deserved recognition for the 70,000 volunteers who have made this Summer go so well. It just would not have worked without them.

They made the Games, for me.

8.49pm - This next bit is called Truck Invasion and sounds very confusing. I think they’re going to be trying to create a crop-circle compass of the seasons using flame throwers on massive vehicles. Should be worth watching.

8.42pm - A chap named Rory Mackenzie is about to give a speech, he’s another soldier injured by a bomb, it’s the cue for 164 flagbearers to enter the stadium and form a heart-shape around the Sundial Stage.

Our flag is carried by David Weir, who must be knackered, and Sarah Storey, who must not, our four-gold heroes of the past 12 days.

The heart shape will then be burned into the ground so that we are all fully aware that this Games has left a mark.

8.37pm - Help for Heroes is honoured in the Raising of the Flag section, we’ll see the Human Endeavour machine and also see HRH Prince Edward driven into the Stadium in a very swanky, custom-built vehicle.

Captain Luke Sinnott will hang the Union Jack at the top of the flag pole. He lost both legs and an arm in Afghanistan in 2010 but hopes to compete for GB in sailing in Rio with the support of H4H.

As if you need more reason to well-up, today is also his birthday.

Blind and autistic singer Lissa Hermans will sing the National Anthem while 13 MoD staff raise the flag.

8.30pm - Ok, as I mentioned, tonight is entitled the Festival of the Flame and pays homage to the very British culture of festivals... music, comedy, harvest, you name it, we love to gather and binge on stuff, we have done since Stone Henge was shiny and new.

Coldplay will play a huge part in proceedings tonight, they will play a lot of their best-known songs, chosen to reflect the change in seasons which will be portrayed on the Stadium floor infront of us. Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer, that order, ok.

This first section is entitled Windstorm.... it will see ‘Dreamers’ snoozing away until they are rudely awoken by ‘Wind Gremlins’ (big fans on motorbikes in my language) who try to blow the Paralympic symbol, the Agitos, away, while the Dreamers try to protect it.

There are three stages on the Stadium floor, Summer is away to the left as you look on TV, under the symbol with ‘car-henge’ under the stage, while winter stage is the other end of the Stadium by the Flame. In the middle is the sundial stage where most of the music will take place.

8.20pm - Not part of the show, well, not quite. We now have a Paralympic symbol suspended above one end of the stadium and I can tell you that it will be part of the first act of the Ceremony proper.

Tonight's title is Festival of the Flame by the way. Have a mull on what that might mean for nine minutes then I'll put you out of your misery.

8.10pm - Just been handed a warm piece of paper telling me how the flame will be extinguished, or rather, who's doing it.

I'm going to go find some earplugs. It's going to be popular.

The athletes are all in their seats here, the lights have dropped and there's a very weird, err, sketch, I am not sure what, going on. Don't think we've started early, think it's just an odd-warm-up but strangely transfixing.

7.30pm - This is a nice change, the athletes are filing into the Stadium to take their seats as a warm-up to the show.

Means crowd have something to clap and cheer, athletes get their welcome, and get to enjoy the show like the rest of us! Win/Win.

An hour until we're underway here.

6.30pm - For the last time, Good evening from the Olympic Stadium.

It's another quirky, weird, random, whatever you want to call it, scene infront of me here.

I've read through the media guide and let me tell you, it's going to be another memorable occasion.

There is plenty of Coldplay, that's the first thing to tell you, I'm not spoiling the surprise by saying that, they've told the world.

They will have a couple of 'friends' performing with them later in the evening too.

Let's remember, these Closing Ceremonies are supposed to be parties, celebrations of what we've done, blowing off of steam. It's not going to be like the Opening, which is more of a showcase of what we can do. This is celebrating what we've done.

The last action of London 2012 is behind us, I saw Australia win gold against Canada in the wheelchair rugby this afternoon and then the final sport, seven-a-side football, was won by Russia against Ukraine.

It's all over, but I can't wait for the DVD to come out.

2pm - GOLD FOR DAVID WEIR IN THE T54 MARATHON AND SILVER FOR GB'S SHELLY WOODS IN THE WOMEN'S RACE.

What a climax to the Games for GB with Weir collecting a fourth gold of the Games and Woods also on the podium in the final athletics event of the Games.

Both were among the leaders for the entire 26.2 miles but needed to pull out all the stops in sprint finishes to secure their medals.

The final event of London 2012 - bar tonight's closing ceremony is the gold medal match in the wheelchair rugby competition.

Canada face Australia in a keenly-anticipated contest, so that's exactly where I am. Updates on twitter if you fancy.

12pm - Weir is nine miles into his quest for a fourth gold of the Games and is well-placed, lying second and in a breakaway group of five.

I'll be without internet for a while so I'll post updates on twitter of how he's doing.

10.45am - Great story coming out of Tunbridge Wells today.

Seems like some friends of Will Bayley's have decorated a post box near his home silver.

Had he won gold the Royal Mail would have painted it gold, but as he lost in the final his mates have done the job with tin foil.

Another great moment the 24-year-old has provided us with at London 2012.

10.18am - It's finished 3-1 to GB meaning we finish 7th.

George Fletcher found the top corner just a couple of minutes after the restart with a mis-hit cross which sailed over Keith Johnson to spark of a mood of celebration in the Bank.

The teams are doing laps of honour and the vibe here in the sunshine is really good. Last GB involvement in the Olympic Park in 2012 is over.

10am - Why does it always have to be this way with teams I watch.

1-1 at full-time and into two 10-minute halves of extra time.

GB hit the post and bar four times in the second half and had further penalty shouts waves away, but a minute before half-time in extra time Diallo has put GB ahead.

He picked the ball up on halfway, turned and drove at the defence before unleashing a fine shot into the top-corner to send the nearly full Riverbank into rapture.

9am - GB won the group game between these two sides 7-0, and had pummelled the US defence for the opening 20 minutes until completely against the run of play a howler from keeper Billy Thompson allowed Rene Renteria to register the US's first goal of the tournament. However the impressive Ibz Diallo teed-up Michael Barker to lash home the leveller a minute before half-time.

The race for 7th will be decided in the second half!

8.30am - Good morning from the Bank.

I've had this date in my diary for a very, very long time, but I can't believe it's here... today is the final day of London 2012 and I can tell you now, the vibe in the Park already this morning is an incredible mix of celebration and sadness.

It's been a while since I've been in this great stadium. The last time it was to see Ashley Jackson play hockey, however today I will be unashamedly supporting GB's seven-a-side football team against the USA in their final game of London 2012 - the race for 7th.

There's no Kent interest here, our competitors are all tucked up in bed half a mile away from me, or like Claire Harvey from Ashford, skipper of the GB women's sitting volleyball team, here in the Stadium too to soak up some sport.

I just want to make the most of every moment I can spend in the Olympic Park because we're just hours away from the close of London 2012.

Just as I was on July 27th for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, I am fortunate enough to be in the Stadium this evening for the Closing Ceremony and I'll try to bring you all the facts, colour and emotion of the evening right here, and on twitter via @kentonline2012

I'll update you with any news from the Games, the David Weir marathon quest, the football and anything else during the day for that matter!