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Better than expected
Monday, July 23rd, 2012 02:11 pmWe dragged our sorry carcasses out of bed much earlier yesterday (Sunday) than would normally be the case so that we could get down the High Road in good time to see the Olympic Torch come by. Yes, I know, I have been amongst the greatest of the grumbleweeds in this connection, but in my defence, I would remind people that most, if not all of my gripes have been directed at the madness of the organisation and the petty rules it has all engendered, rather than the actual sporting event it self.
As with every Olympics that comes around, most of the fare on offer will be met with indifference by Yours Truly, but some of the events, such as basketball, the swimming and some of the races will be interesting.
Anyway, as it happens, a whole troupe of neighbours made our way up to the High Road, taking the scenic route on the way. There were a fair number of people around and we plumped for a place outside the town hall near the spot where the handover was scheduled to happen. As it happens, I got a good view of the torch going by, but even with my iPhone held over my head, the view of the handover was disappointing. As I am typing this, I am trying to upload a video I took of the torch going past, but it seems to be a bit too much for the office wi-fi; I have a low quality copy on my Facebook page, which I’ll link to at the end.
I must say that brief as it was, I quite enjoyed it. The streets were crowded, but not unmanageably so and everyone was in a buoyant mood. Some people were handing out pairs of inflatable sticks which made a satisfying crack when banged together and on the steps outside the town hall there was a group of drummers, who managed to make Furtle jump by starting drumming at the precise moment she tried out her inflatable sticks. A series of people went past, including a woman with a Union Flag on a pole, some other runners and then the torch itself. Directly behind was a bloke wearing a red cape and carrying a home made torch with something religious written on it; he was politely corralled by the police and diverted off for a cup of tea and a nice sit down.
And then it was all over. The crowds dispersed and the High Road slowly transformed back into its normal Sunday self. The 61/2 of us (Me, Furtle, Alix, John, Helen, Richard and Mr Henry) made our way up to Costa opposite the station for a coffee before striking out in our separate directions.
You do get rather more weekend when you get up about 8.30 in the morning, but I did miss my lie in.
Of course, with Voldesport getting ever closer, Furtle is now working her horrible shifts full time for the next few weeks and later this week switches to nights for a five night stint. I shall be working from home tomorrow, to try out the link and ensure all is well for remote working. The rest of the week I shall be in the office as usual until Friday, thereafter I doubt that I shall visit the office again until the end of the games. The position over the Paralympics remains fluid. I expect the crowds will be smaller, but you never quite know. It’s unexplored territory.
As with every Olympics that comes around, most of the fare on offer will be met with indifference by Yours Truly, but some of the events, such as basketball, the swimming and some of the races will be interesting.
Anyway, as it happens, a whole troupe of neighbours made our way up to the High Road, taking the scenic route on the way. There were a fair number of people around and we plumped for a place outside the town hall near the spot where the handover was scheduled to happen. As it happens, I got a good view of the torch going by, but even with my iPhone held over my head, the view of the handover was disappointing. As I am typing this, I am trying to upload a video I took of the torch going past, but it seems to be a bit too much for the office wi-fi; I have a low quality copy on my Facebook page, which I’ll link to at the end.
I must say that brief as it was, I quite enjoyed it. The streets were crowded, but not unmanageably so and everyone was in a buoyant mood. Some people were handing out pairs of inflatable sticks which made a satisfying crack when banged together and on the steps outside the town hall there was a group of drummers, who managed to make Furtle jump by starting drumming at the precise moment she tried out her inflatable sticks. A series of people went past, including a woman with a Union Flag on a pole, some other runners and then the torch itself. Directly behind was a bloke wearing a red cape and carrying a home made torch with something religious written on it; he was politely corralled by the police and diverted off for a cup of tea and a nice sit down.
And then it was all over. The crowds dispersed and the High Road slowly transformed back into its normal Sunday self. The 61/2 of us (Me, Furtle, Alix, John, Helen, Richard and Mr Henry) made our way up to Costa opposite the station for a coffee before striking out in our separate directions.
You do get rather more weekend when you get up about 8.30 in the morning, but I did miss my lie in.
Of course, with Voldesport getting ever closer, Furtle is now working her horrible shifts full time for the next few weeks and later this week switches to nights for a five night stint. I shall be working from home tomorrow, to try out the link and ensure all is well for remote working. The rest of the week I shall be in the office as usual until Friday, thereafter I doubt that I shall visit the office again until the end of the games. The position over the Paralympics remains fluid. I expect the crowds will be smaller, but you never quite know. It’s unexplored territory.