Woohoo. Back in London to an Olympic frenzy. Watched all that I missed yesterday and cried. So emotional watching Jessica Ennis and Mo win gold medals AND MY FRIENDS WERE THERE. She sent me a photo of Mo from her seat. HOW EXCITING!:-
So, what a party we’ve come back to. Britain in obsessed love with the games and after much practice thanks to The Royal Wedding and The Jubilee we have found a very enthusiastic and loud collective voice. Not only that but it feels as if the riots of last summer have faded into the dim and distant past as all our impressive athletes give encouragement and hope to the next generation. Even I considered donning some lycra, buying a bike, finding my running shoes and getting out there – and if that was the effect they’ve had on me then there is all manner of possibility for those a little more motivated (and younger) than myself. I am easily put off – once I realised that I was going to have to give up alcohol for four years and miss every family event, I drifted into the garden and sat in above mentioned lycra and trainers and thought better of it. BUT, how inspiring for us all and what fabulous messages of pressure and stress and adversity – everyone trying their hardest to be the best that they can.
I do have a teeny weeny problem with the fact that our television coverage seems to think that we are the only country participating – as Matthew Engel says “what is the point of one nation inviting 203 others to a party and then completely ignoring them?”
But any complaints apart from that? Transport problems? Not many it seems. Organisational issues? Ditto. London grinding to a standstill? Hasn’t happened. Shops, restaurants and theatres in Central London have been struggling. Boris has been blamed. Another possibility is that in the run up to the Olympics I heard that many London hotels not only hiked up their prices massively in anticipation of the crowds but also refused to allow bookings of less than 7-10 days. If that is the case, then I’m not surprised the tourists stayed away.
Is it fair to blame Boris for creating the ghost town by issuing to strong a warning about congestion? Did he seriously ACTUALLY refer to his tube warnings as his “Hiroshima Tube Announcement” – surely no one could be that insensitive?
