Opening Ceremony

I actually thought it was fab, as far as I am concerned Danny Boyle got it just right. I have heard people say it was too British, while one Tory MP called it multicultural crap.

Personally, I don't see how our Olympic ceremony can be called too British, there were lots of dancers from all different races, religions, cultures and backgrounds. The immigration of people from the Caribbean was positively celebrated, our NHS and industrial age were well represented and as Brits, we 'got' the humour.

I especially loved the Bond/Liz scenario, and it was quite funny to look out of my daughters window and see the helicopter hovering over the stadium and watch the parachutists jump out. Good on the queen for being a good sport, shame she never smiled much and picked her finger nails, but she is 86 and has just finished a grueling jubilee tour. I especially found the Emili Sande rendition of Abide me me very emotional.

Yes Mr Boyle, you got it right. It made me proud to be British, and of course, playing Bubbles made me proud to be an East London Girl

Bits I loved
Bond/Liz
Emili Sande
The cauldron
Using the waterways to deliver the torch
Lighting of the cauldron by our future athletes

Bits that drove me mad
The procession took too long
The BBC cut out a lot of the fireworks
My Dad having to leave my daughters early because he was tired (Bless him, this is why I had to rely on the BBC to see the fireworks although I heard them alright!!!)

A visit to the Olympic Park

Today I visited the Olympic park. I went in April to see a water polo test event but the park wasn't quite finished and the flowers were yet to bloom.

It is a different story now, the gardeners have worked miracles considering the awful weather we have had and along the banks of the Waterworks river and the River Lea it is a riot of colour.

I will leave you with some photo's

My Grandchildren. Kai and Sian

And the Gloriana was moored there too!!!

I can't wait for the park to open to the public in July 2013. This will be my local park and  I think we are very lucky to have it

Less than 24 hours.

Well here we are, less than 24 hours away from the greatest show on earth. Now I have all my systems in place to work from home I am looking forward to it, because if this week is anything to go by Stratford is going to be very very busy.

The Olympic lanes came into force on Wednesday so a bus was out of the question. The cars through Maryland point were nose to tail and queued up all along Forest Lane, a sight we only ever see during school  term time, and recently hardly at all. My local train station has been opened, but will now be closed from tomorrow. They had dress rehearsals on Monday and Wednesday so Stratford station was rammed with people with lots of staff shooing us all this way and that. People telling us which side to cross the road, police, soldiers and Olympic volunteers everywhere. To be honest it has been getting on my nerves, but now I am getting into the spirit of the games.

Tomorrow evening, Dad and I will be going over to my daughters flat, where we will watch the opening ceremony on the T.V then the fireworks from her balcony. I am about to raise a union flag in our front window to cheer on team GB and Sunday, I have Olympic park tickets so I will be taking the grandchildren over in their team GB t-shirts to soak up some of the atmosphere. If I ever find my camera (I think it has been de-materialised by a poltergeist) I will post plenty of photo's, if not, it will be inferior phone pics.

Oh and 2 weeks of bliss. The bliss? Not having to wear make up as I have relocated my desk to the back living room............Happy Olympics everyone.