Tag Archives: Olympic

Anything to do with (intially) the London 2012 Olympics

Post London 2012 Olympics Thoughts

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My original plan when the London 2012 Olympics started was that I would blog at least every event I went to, if not every day. Unfortunately I completely failed on this – in fact managing to blog only my first few event days successfully. I also wanted to post my pictures/videos on Flickr and YouTube as quickly as possible but making sure that they were tagged and labelled appropriately. For the most part I managed to get my stuff online with tags but it’s all unlabelled and uncommented and (thanks to burst mode on the camera) probably far too many of them!  If you’re feeling brave, you can see my Flickr Sets here…

The reason for this? The fact that the Olympics were on at least 18 hours a day and travelling to and watching the Olympics was a lot more tiring than I thought it would be! I therefore find myself at the end of the two weeks very tired, and well behind in my plans though I have managed to go through the  2000-odd photos I took of the final night of athletics, the marathon and the closing ceremony today and trim them down before I posted them online!!

So what can I say about the Olympics that hasn’t already been said?! Well nothing probably! It was fantastic, compelling, heartbreaking, motivational, inspiring, tense, nerve-wracking, sensational, happy, lively, and above all else just plain FUN as London welcomed the world and their athletes as part of the ‘Greatest show on earth’. Never in our (and definitely Locog and Lord Coes) wildest dreams could we have imagined that the two weeks would go so well, with hardly any problems (bar the odd tube issue) and with pretty much everyone saying how good it was – they must be breathing a huge sigh of relief now .. and then moving on to the Paralympics of course!

Two of the biggest successes (outside of the sport) have to be a) the way the police and army were received and how friendly they all were – definitely good to have some good PR on that front – and b) the absolutely amazing people that were the volunteers. They always seemed to have a smile on their face and be willing to help (or find someone who could) no matter whether it was first thing in the morning or last thing at night, and to think they did all of this for FREE often having to get up really early and having very long days. The sport may have had the stars like Bolt, Farah and Ennis but those two groups we’re collective stars in their own right!

I suppose I really should talk about the actual sport at the Olympics! The fact that Team GB (Let’s Go GB, Let’s Go!) did so well was actually above my expectations – I thought we might just beat Beijing in terms of Golds and overall medals and maybe finish 4th in the table. To come third (we’re the best country in Europe!), and to easily outperform in every discipline (apart from maybe swimming which underperformed and athletics which did okish) was just amazing! Who can easily forget Super Saturday(s) or Magic Monday?? I feel very privileged to have been there to witness some of these events in person (though I only saw TeamGB win two Gold medals live) and the rest on TV or via the BBCs very efficient and extensive online coverage (hats off to the staff at the BBC and especially Claire Balding).

Obviously to go with the highs (what a double by Farah, Beth Tweddle getting a medal at last, and a dominant performance all round in the Velodrome), there were also some disappointments (one day we will get the 4x100m relay round reliably!) but on the whole our athletes gave their all and delivered above and beyond performances even if sometimes they felt they’d failed us by ‘only’ coming second or by not getting a medal when we could all see they had done their best and that’s all we asked. I can still picture our rowers having to be helped out of their boats as they were so exhausted for example, but then minutes later (still unable to stand up unsupported) giving a tearful apology – no need for it from any of you!

It was also good to see some of the less popular sports have so much coverage – for example Handball (hands up all those who had heard of it before the games!) which did a lot to raise their profile and hopefully get more people taking part in them.  The initial reports are that lots of clubs for every sport have reported an increase in interest which is fantastic!  I know it will tail off after the paralympics and peoples memories fade, but I hope at least some of the people who were enthused stick to it.  My health precludes me from being one of those people unfortunately but otherwise I think I would be getting into Archery which I find fascinating and I was so glad that I got to see it at Lords.

I know that a lot of established athletes performed well at the games, but what was also encouraging was the number of young athletes coming through which certainly gives hope for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and of course the 2016 Olympics in Rio and beyond.  Some are already Gold medal winners (stand up the womens team pursuit cycling team for example), whilst some show lots of promise (i.e. Katrina Johnson-Thompson in the Hepthalon – in fact there seemed to be quite a few in athletics).  Now they just need to get the backing, support and coaching they need to continue to improve and be able to keep it up and represent the country in the future.

Looking back over the two weeks, I’m hard pushed to pick my ‘best’ moment – there were so many of them!  Kath Grainger winning Gold at last, Chris Hoy winning Gold and crying on the podium, Mo Farah doing the double, the roar in the Stadium whenever TeamGB were involved, etc, etc so I think I’m just going to have to go with the whole atmosphere at the Games – everyone seemed to just have a good time, not grumble (too much) about the queues, be friendly and (I’ll say it again because its so true) just have a fantastic time!

I feel so privileged that I was able to go, and that I got to experience something which I don’t expect to happen again in my lifetime (a home games that I can get to).  Special thanks to my boss for letting me take the whole two weeks off so I could immerse myself in the experience – I think he knew that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate otherwise as I’m such a sports nut!  I still can’t really believe that its all over, and that all the athletes have headed home, but I guess all good things do have to come to an end…

Except they don’t as I can now look forward to the Paralympics – woo hoo!!  Roll on the 29th August and Lets Go GB, Lets Go!!!

Final of my Mad Three Days – a funeral and Olympic Womens Football

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Having not slept well, and still feeling rubbish due to dehydration and tiredness it was a very early start on Tuesday with an alarm at 7 and leaving by 8.  This was due to us needing to get to my mums as quickly as possible as it was my Grandads funeral today.  Unfortunately the M25 had other ideas about us getting their as fast as I wanted and by the time we got to the M3 we’d been on the road over an hour and I was feeling even worse and my other half had to take over the driving.

As it turned out, by the time we made it to my mums everything was organised by her and her sisters so we could just sit, chat and watch the Olympics until after lunch when we went to the church.  The funeral was sad, but not too much so as he was 103 and had had a good life with a good family.  After the service, we drove to the cemetery for the burial before going back to my aunts.  There it was good to catch up with my aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces & nephews as we don’t see each other very often!  There was also a good spread, and we made up for missing setting up earlier by setting out the food and handing round teas and coffees – something that my life as a ministers daughter has made me rather used to! 😉

With my other halfs encouragement, and with my mum and everyone being fine about it we made our excuses and left around 4 as I had a ticket for the TeamGB women vs Brazil match at Wembley Stadium.  My other half had worked out that going to Brockenhurst station was the best option as we were about to hit rush hour traffic so she couldn’t get me anywhere closer.  Unfortunately we got stuck through the forest behind a hay lorry, and then at the level crossing so by the time I’d got my stuff together and bought a ticket I’d missed the first train and had to wait 30 mins for the next which did at least give me time to properly get my stuff together and leave my other half with my bag and stuff I didn’t need!

I didn’t know how much of the match I was going to miss, but thought it was worth a try and in actual fact all the trains worked in my favour – the train got into Waterloo a few minutes early and I got straight only a tube train and when I changed at Finchley Road again I only had to wait 1 min for another tube train so by the time I got to Wembley Park the match had only just started and I joined a stream of people heading towards the ground.  I thought one of the policeman said as I passed that we were 1-0 up but I thought that can’t be right against Brazil!  Getting into the ground was easier than either of the two previous venues but probably because I only had a carrier bag rather than a rucksack and then it was into the ground only 15 mins late to meet up with my father-in-law and discover that yes we were 1-0 up!!!

This was my first experience of Wembley Stadium and thanks to the pricing for Womens Football we were in Club Bobby Moore seats and they were fantastic – just behind the dugouts and very padded and wide seats with armrests.  They were very similar to the directors seats we had once at Brighton last season so very comfortable!  The atmosphere in the stadium was electric and with just over 70000 there was a very good attendance for a womens football match.  The quality of the football was high, and both sides had their chances but England probably had slightly better of it and were worthy winners despite their being no more score.  It was a shame to miss the goal, but so glad I went and despite the long day and journey didn’t miss much of the match!  We stayed behind a bit after the match to take photos and clap the team as they did a well deserved lap of honour.  I hoped to pick up a programme after the match but all the retail outlets were shut – very disappointing!  The other difference to going to mens football was the queue for the ladies which was enormous at each block – not a problem usually! 😉

When we came out, despite the result there were a group of Brazilian supporters samba dancing and just generally having a good time which was good to see and the atmosphere continued despite us being held several times on the way to Wembley Park station by the police in a huge crowd.  The only problem we had was trying to jump all the horse poo! 😉  Getting to the station it was so busy I was quite worried that the tube train would be rammed which I really don’t like, but moving to the end of the tube I may not have got a seat but it was actually not that busy otherwise which I was grateful for.

Getting to Green Park, I changed to the Victoria Line and got to Victoria in time to pick up a Burger King (hadn’t really had dinner!) and pick up the 11.34 home.  The effects of the last three days were starting to really kick in and I was feeling really tired and a bit rough.  The train wasn’t too busy (unsurprisingly at that time), and I was able to doze a little bit on the way home but even so getting home at 1am meant the day was very long!

Wouldn’t have missed any of the day, or the previous days though – just looking forward to a couple of days at home!!

Note : You can see the pictures and videos that I took by clicking here.

Middle of my Mad three days – going to Olympic Badminton

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Having had an early start the day before, I had a bit of a lie in today and didn’t have to get a train until 9.34am – result!  Having seen the long walk at London Bridge and how it had been reasonably busy going into London I decided to try a different route to get to Wembley Arena for the badminton and got off at Farringdon instead.  Was a much shorter walk to go round to a different platform within the station and hardly any crowd but then it was a bit later in the day.  I could’ve got the Jubilee line the whole way, but on advice from my other half, I got off at Finchley Road and crossed over to the Metropoliton line and missed out a few stops – thanks G!

Coming out at Wembley Park I had a great view of Wembley Stadium so having a bit of time, I took a few shots of the stadium and the area before following the signs to the arena which (due to the way they are managing the flow of people) meant going up the ramp and down a long flight of steps rather than going the direct route!  Given that I have trouble going down steps wish I’d known the more direct route and could have bypassed the stairs but there we go!  Unlike Lords there was a long snake here to get into the security tent but it only took about 15 mins or so to get through so wasn’t too bad.  Everyone was very good natured as they waited too, and the volunteers were again friendly and helpful.

Meeting up with my father-in-law we made our way into the arena and found that we were sitting on the opposite side to where we were expecting as they had moved our seats due to the position of the press boxes.  They were still good seats with being level with the right hand of three courts and towards the back so we could see all courts very well.  The action was generally fast and furious in all matches, and it was at times hard to keep up with all that was happening and which match to watch!  The arena was VERY warm, which we hadn’t been expecting, so we were pleased to leave part way through the session to get some lunch which we took back into the arena – two pieces of chicken, 3 hash browns and a small pot of coleslaw which was a slightly strange but good meal!

Only a few of the matches were a walk over, and the closest match actually ended in the most unfortunate way with one of the athletes as they ruptured their achilles!  They were obviously in a lot of pain, but they still managed to wave to the crowd as they were wheeled out of the arena.

As there was a bit of time inbetween our sessions, we decided to go outside and get out of the heat for a bit so went and sat in a grassy area in the shade for half and hour or so before making our way back to the security queue again.  We got through faster this time and were soon back inside and making sure we had plenty of water with us before going back into the arena.  Our seats this time were opposite the middle court and much closer to the action and in fact our big TeamGB UK flag could be seen on the TV coverage at times (but luckily not us!) as we’d draped it over the seats in front of us.

For this evening session it did seem to be that it was even hotter in the arena, and by the end I was a bit dehydrated even though I kept on trying to drink.  There were more matches in this session, with the mens doubles being the most closely fought and the most fast and furious rallys on the whole.  Luckily we didn’t see anyone trying to lose like there were the following day.  Given the ferocity and closeness of some of the matches, the session overran and we didn’t actually leave until gone 11.20 and we needed to go to Wembley Central which was a fair walk.  Even so, there were Olympic Volunteers along the route and at the station which made us feel safe.  It was 12.40 before we made it back to my inlaws house and I wasn’t feeling very well at all as the heat, the lateness and the two full days took their toll.

Still it was all worth it to experience another day at the Olympic Games and to see the badminton!  Roll on the third of my mad days…

Note : You can see the pictures and videos that I took by clicking here.

First of my Mad three days – Olympic Archery

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Sunday 29th July was the first of three rather long and busy days.  With the alarm going off at 5.45am I was rather groggy as we made our way to the station for our 6.15am train but my Mum was awake enough to get us there on time.  I’m not sure I was much company for her as we made our way towards London!

We’d started so early for our first session at Lords, as we weren’t sure how busy/difficult the travelling would be within London especially as we were coming into London Bridge and there had been so many warnings about it being busy and avoid it if possible.  The train was busy by the time we got there, but having got on in Brighton we’d had a seat all the way.  Getting to London Bridge we found that one of the changes is that you aren’t allowed to go down to the tube from the national rail platform so you have to walk around the outside – not too much of a problem especially as most was on the level.  Once down at the tube, it wasn’t as crowded as we thought it would be and we were soon on a train and even had a seat.

Arriving at St Johns Wood there were plenty of volunteers to show us the way and help us cross roads and after a 10 min walk we were at the venue and being so early there was barely any queue for security and we were through it quite quickly.  Having left so early in the morning we hadn’t had breakfast so brought bacon baguette and tea each which was reasonable for a sports event we thought.  We were going to fill up our water bottles from the free water fountains but the queues were so long we decided to buy water instead which was a bit expensive (£1.60 for 1/2 litre).  Then we made our way to our seats in the temporary stands, and despite it being a bit hard for my mum to make it up the steps all seats had a pretty good view of the action.

We were there for the womens team event, and the atmosphere was good for all teams but when TeamGB came out it was fantastic!  They acknowledged the support, and tried their best but it just wasn’t to be and like the men they went out in the first round which was disappointing as it meant we wouldn’t see them again that day.  Still we cheered them all off loudly – got to support the team no matter what the result!

We saw four matches in the morning which determined who would make it through to the quarter finals in the afternoon as they hadn’t made it through automatically.  It was very tight, and even with the best archers anything could happen with any arrow which made it interesting and exciting.  They actually got through the matches quicker than I think they thought they would and despite our session being until 12.30 officially it finished by 10.45am so we had plenty of time to kill so despite having tickets for the afternoon session too, we decided to leave the venue for a bit.

Having taken a few pictures of Lords (I’d never been there before despite loving cricket), we made our way to St Johns Wood high street and went to Starbucks for a cuppa and a cake which turned out to be a good plan as it started to rain so we were glad to be inside!  We stayed there for awhile, and then went to Cafe Rouge for lunch before making our way back to the Venue for the rest of the Team competition.

It took a bit longer to get through security this time as we arrived with everyone else, but was still efficient and friendly.  There were (like the morning) plenty of volunteers both inside and outside the venue and all smiley, friendly and helpful and they were able to direct us to our afternoon seats which were in the opposite stand to the one we’d been in in the morning.

Again the competition was enthralling, and the atmosphere good with support for every team.  We had quite a few empty seats in the rows immediately below us but it turned out that they were corporate hospitality for some Korean company as people kept coming and going during the afternoon especially when the Koreans were shooting!  The weather had started fine, but the clouds were getting blacker and then just as the Danish were shooting the heavens opened!  I felt really sorry for the archers as they had to keep shooting despite everyone in the crowd rushing around trying to get coats/ponchos/umbrellas and the changing conditions and unfortunately their archer shot a 3 which really affected their chances and they eventually went out.

Despite their being no British interest and the inclement weather, most people stayed right until the end of the thrilling final which the Koreans won (so they did better than their male compatriots!).  We didn’t stay for the medal ceremony as we needed to get back but did really enjoy our day, and the organisation was very good.  There were big screens to keep us informed all the time, and explanations before each session about archery as well as a commentary so we all knew what was going on and it was fantastic to see.  Shame the brits didn’t do so well, but thats sport!

Getting back to St Johns Wood (via the High Street again to pick up sandwiches for dinner) we again managed to get a seat on the tube, and then at London Bridge did the long walk round to Platform 5.  It did seem like they took us further round than they needed to for the number of people that there were but I guess they have it in place for busier days.  We didn’t have too long to wait for the train home either so all the travelling worked fine.

We finally got home at 8.45 so a very long day having started at 6.15am so I was VERY tired, but this was only the start of my three mad days!!  Was a fantastic day though, and thoroughly enjoyed going to Lords and seeing the Archery.  Roll on the rest of the Olympics!

Note : You can see the pictures and videos that I took by clicking here.

The moment is finally here – London 2012 opens this evening!

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So todays the today and the London 2012 Opening Ceremony is this evening as the games get under way (shush, don’t talk about the football :P) !!!  I have so far managed to avoid most of the information (official or unofficial) that has come out about it so am a bit nervous and excited at the same time – I want it to be spectacular, go off without a hitch and show off how good Britain is at the same time.  No pressure Danny Boyle! 😀

Of course the day started with as many people as possible ringing bells at 8.12am for 3 minutes as designed by Martin Creed.  I was there in my flat with my official iPhone ringtone but even after opening the door I couldn’t hear any other bells which was a bit disappointing.  I have seen from Twitter and the news though that there were bells being rung in my town but I guess the sound didn’t travel that well!

Now we just need the weather to hold and everyone to have a good time.  Lets all celebrate the LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES!! Woo hoo!!!

Sportsworld Collection a breeze

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So after all the Cosport problems with collection, I was very nervous that today would be the same as Sportsworld collection began especially as that was the only way you could get tickets from them.

I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I’m very happy about it!

My Other Half arrived and there were 4 people being served and only her in the queue.  However she didn’t have long to wait as someone came down to serve as well and dealt with her straight away.  All tickets were in packs ready for people to collect, and after ID had been seen the agent ran through all the tickets one by one to confirm they were correct even confirming the seats were together.  All this with no fuss, and in an airconditioned office.

Within minutes she was out and ringing me to let me know that tickets were in hand – fantastic!  See Cosport its not that hard to do!!!!

TeamGB and the Olympics start today!

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After all the waiting, the sports of the 30th Olympiad start today at 4pm with TeamGB women taking on New Zealand.  Unfortunately I’ll be at work but thats not going to stop me from watching no way!!  Thanks to SlingPlayer I can connect up to my Sky Box at home and stream it to my work PC in a window and carry on with my work at the same time – yey for Technology and an understanding boss!!

There has been much written about the standard of Womens Football in the press and online by fans of the mens game who often fall into ‘the must all be lesbians’ or ‘its a terrible standard compared to mens’ camps.  First, no not all women footballs are lesbians, but so what if some are?  It doesn’t make a difference to how they play, like it wouldn’t make a difference if a mens footballer was gay and at least they don’t have to hide the fact that they are.

Second, yes Womens football is different to Mens just like Womens Tennis is and Womens Golf is etc etc.  You have to appreciate the sport for what it is and who is playing it.  Most womens teams work on a yearly budget that is about the same as some premiership footballers get paid in a day, and most women footballers have to have other jobs in order to support playing yet they still have the drive to succeed and do it which they should only be applauded for and supported (I myself have given money to the Newcastle United Womens team who recieve NO money from the mens club but who are ‘graciously’ allowed to use the name and strip though they have to buy it themselves).

Yes, sometimes womens football looks a little less skilled even at the top level but it takes time to increase skills from the grass roots up.  The teams now are leaps and bounds over what they were 10 years ago, and that is only going to improve as more and more people play and they get more support and coverage.  Of course, if you know your history at one stage (in the early 20th century) Womens football was more popular than Mens and therefore the FA banned them from playing, so you can’t blame womens football for being ‘behind’.

So lets get behind TeamGB and womens football in general and celebrate it for itself, not try and compare it with the mens game!

One week until the Opening Ceremony!

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This time next week I shall be sitting in front of my TV waiting for the Opening Ceremony to start and finally London 2012 will be ON!  Am thinking about having a ceremony party, but might end up with people talking all the way through it and we can’t have that… 😉  I’ve tried very hard not to read too many of the stories about what is going to happen so I can enjoy it fully but I just hope its FANTASTIC and a really good example of what Britain is and can do.

Roll on July 27th!!!

Chosen my camera at last – Panasonic Lumix FZ150

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As mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve been searching for some time for a new camera to take to all the Olumpic events I am going to.  Basically I didn’t want to take anything as expensive or heavy as my Nikon D40 DSLR with its telephoto lens (not that I’d be allowed to take it into some venues anyway – yes Wembley Stadium I’m looking at you!) but I wanted something better than a compact as I wanted to take zoomed in and sports mode videos and pictures.  Plus I needed something with a decent zoom as I have no idea how far I’ll be from the action!

I spent ages looking at online reviews and comparison websites, as well as going into shops like Jessops and Currys.Digital and basically just driving myself and my other half mad as I couldn’t make up my mind.  I eventually decided that I probably wanted a bridge camera, but then it was which one.  Initially I’d thought about the Nikon P510 but some reviews online (and YouTube videos) showed that it had trouble focusing when zooming in over half way of its enormous 42x zoom so despite my love of Nikon that was a no-go.

A lot of the reviews mentioned that the Lumix FZ150 was the best bridge camera, and I was tempted towards that but a) it was over a year old and b) it had the ‘least’ zoom of the cameras I was looking at, so I went on to consider the Sony HX200 and the Canon SX40.  On testing the Canon in Jessops though, it became obvious that it was a bit heavy and that it too was having trouble choosing a focusing distance so the instore rep wasn’t able to convince me to choose that one.

This is when YouTube really came into its own in helping me make a decision!  Thanks to anyone being able to create and upload a video for free there were loads of people who’d done reviews and examples of both cameras so it didn’t take too long to work out that the Panasonics zoom was good enough for what I wanted so I was definitely leaning towards that one.

My other half wanted me to be sure so we went down to our local Jessops and had a look at both cameras, and tried them out.  We also drove one of the sales people mad for over an hour whilst we asked questions and then asked about deals – it was worth it for him in the end though as I bought the Lumix FZ150, a case and two 16Gb memory cards so hopefully he got good commission!

We went out the next day and I did some tests to make sure I was happy with my choice, and other than a few issues with the default video recording mode (was HD so wouldn’t upload to Flickr or YouTube) I’m really happy with it.  Roll on the Olympics so I can bore people with all my pictures and videos!! 😀

I’m Olympic Mad – I’ve seen the Torch Relay twice!

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My friends and family knew that I’m a bit sports and therefore Olympic nuts, but now its confirmed – I’ve seen the Torch Relay twice in 2 days including getting up an hour earlier than I would normally do.  I am definitely mad! 😉

The first day I saw the relay was in Hove Park on Monday evening.  I arrived about an hour and a quarter before the torch was due and had a wander around the few stalls that were there, including trying my hand at the Tombola on the Rotary Club stall but I didn’t win anything.  As there wasn’t anything else to do (having not realised that you could go ON to the BBC bus!), I decided to pick my spot and setup my large Team GB Union flag hanging from the tape lining the route.  As the weather was a bit inclement, it kept blowing off so I finally found a use for my Team GB and Paralympics GB supporters scarves by using them to tie the flag to the tape! 😉  Picking my spot so early meant I missed all the sponsors vehicles and freebies, but oh well!

As the time got nearer to the torch arriving, more and more people started lining the route through the park, including a family next to me with some bored kids who kept standing further and further forward until I couldn’t see anything that was coming!  Very annoying, but I just about managed to stop myself from saying anything to them, as it would probably have made things worse!

It seemed like an age, but suddenly people were pointing their cameras and cheering as a torchbearer went past with two of the security team.  I thought it was a bit odd, as the torch didn’t appear to be lit, and everyone was a bit confused as there’d been no fanfare before they arrived.  The annoying family next to me (and a few others) decided that had been it and left!  Turned out it was just the next torchbearer getting into position by running along the route as it was easier (and less muddy) than attempting to go round everyone!

With the family moved, I could see much further up the path and just a few minutes later the torch came into view and before long was alongside us and then past!  Over in a flash as it were, but I’d seen it after waiting and wanting too for so long and I’d managed to get some pictures and videos! 🙂

As soon as the torch had passed, everyone started to disperse and as it didn’t look like anything was happening at the SameSky Sky Dome, I decided to leave and go home so that I could take a look at the pictures and videos to make sure I was happy with how they had come out from my new camera.  I wasn’t counting on getting stuck in gridlock around the park for over 30 mins, but I should’ve expected that!  I had originally planned on walking to the park, but given the weather I’d decided to drive which was obviously a bit of a mistake…

Having seen the torch relay go past, I went home thinking I probably wouldn’t go see it the next day as well but come going to bed I was setting the alarm for 6.45am so that I could be up in time – madness I tell you, madness!

This time I scouted out where the flame was going to be passed from one torch to another and made my way down to the nearest one which just happened to be only 5 minutes from our flat.  Again I got there rather early, and there weren’t too many people around but at least it was sunny!  This time the sponsors vehicles went past where I was standing and I got my freebies from Coke (a small Torch Relay branded bottle, and a tambourine) and Lloyds TSB (ribbons to wave).

Once the next torchbearer turned up everyone wanted a photograph with her and the torch so things got quite busy and then the torch was coming – woo hoo!  Was quite interesting to see the Torch and the ‘Torch Kiss’ close up, and gave me another opportunity to sort out taking videos on my camera (something that hadn’t worked out too well the evening before) and pictures again.  Not entirely sure it was worth getting up so early for, but then I’m an Olympics nut so what else could I do??? 😉