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Anyone else Olympic-ed out already?


just john
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I am normally the grumpy old sod who would have let this all pass him by, in fact apart from watching the torch go through my village, which even I had to admit was pretty good and having got fit and discovered sport for the first time in my life I was not in the slightest bit interested in the olympics.

I dont think that I have ever watched any of the olympic games other than perhaps some re-runs on the news which cannot be avoided, I have certainly never wanted to watch an opening ceremony, last night was to be no different for this old grump.

I watched Thalassa on FR3, its one of the rare programs that actually makes me switch on the tv these days, I have denied myself UK (Sky) Tv for years and wont have it again untill my French is 100%% so never!Truth be known i dont think I even knew that the opening ceremony was last night.

After thalassa finished I did a quick surf of the channels before deciding to switch off (I am an eternal optimist) and found the olympic opening ceremony, I had missed all of it until the nurses.

What can I say? I was absolutely blown away and deeply regret having missed the first part, I thought it was amazing, I dont find a lot to make me proud of Great Britain these days but that certainly did, its something that we do really well.

The French coverage was really good and it was interesting to hear their perspective, the redacteur en chef was really well informed on all things Brittanique, although the cameras lingered so long on the French delegation during the defilée that the countrys beginning with G didnt get shown.

I was surprised to hear all the announcements in French and English, i thought the woman had really good pronunciation (where have I heard her voice before?).

I am really looking forward to the TF1 coverage of the closing ceremony and may even watch some of the games.

I was so carried along with the euphoria of the event, I experienced some of it during the torch relay, its so different to the mind numbing boredom and indolence that characterises my area during les vacances that I am seriously considering going right back to the UK for the duration of the games to be infused with the bonheur, yet I have only been back here a week.

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From the Guardian

Music, of course, was the other great element: the soundtrack

triumphantly smacked down one classic British track after another, from

Bowie to the Sex Pistols. Classical music

got fairly short shrift: Nimrod, from Elgar's Enigma Variations, had

its moment, and there was Parry's Jerusalem and Handel's Water Music,

and several nods to Britain's choral tradition. The fact that Sir Simon Rattle

was called upon to play a junior role to Rowan Atkinson's comic turn as

he conducted the theme for Chariots of Fire seemed an eloquent enough

remark on how marginal classical music really is in Britain today.

[:@] [:@] [:@]

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Well, I enjoyed the first part, thought it was a jolly good show and very unpolitical as these things have to be. When I referred to brown people, it includes people of the Indian sub-continent and Sri Lanka, roughly. They seem to have been ignored in the proceedings which was sad.
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[quote user="5-element"]

Hum hum.... excuse me... could point me in the direction of the opening ceremony? I was (we were) all rearing to go last night, but with the thunderstorms we had to unplug everything, so no TV, phone or computer.  I would love to see for myself rather than rely on the comments here... I feel I have really missed out!!![:'(]

I guess I should try youtube. [:(]

[/quote]

What a pity, 5element! Would Expatshield work for you?

I stayed up watching till the end - well actually I transferred to bed part way through when I realised it was on till the early hours! I didn't imagine for a minute I'd watch more than maybe a quarter of an hour. I disliked the bangy music, though I knew there would be some, enjoyed quite a lot of the event, was mystified by some and was thrilled by the coming together of the cauldron - just beautiful! Everyone was wrong about the identity of the cauldron-lighter - but I think it was an excellent idea.

Off to watch the cycling!

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It seems that a group of radical cyclists, whatever that might be, presumably wanting more comfy saddles on the NHS and a group of radical Islamists wanted to protest yesterday. One did not materialize and the other was apparently led up the garden path, so to speak!

What pray is wrong with the Olympics, Islamists? All that bare flesh - let me have surfeit of it, as Norman would no doubt say!

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/over-100-protesters-arrested-during-last-nights-opening-ceremony-7984492.html

 

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I didn't expect to enjoy it, but mostly it was great - especially the torches coming together into one flame. I thought the NHS/Great Ormond Street part very odd - couldn't see the point or relevance of it, and Paul McCartney was truly dreadful!
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I forgot to mention the flaming flower that turned into the beacon, I was really awestruck, David Beckham looked really cool as well, who was the girl holding the torch while he was(nt) piloting the boat.

Yes i did think that they could have made a more realistic guignol of Paul Mccartney [;-)]

Just heard on the French TV that les Brittaniques ont bluffé le monde entier.

I think Meester Beeen was chosen especially for them.

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Having been chosen to carry the torch  I see that Doreen Lawrance got to lead the carry on of the Olympic flag as well .  Politics ? Or have I missed some past sporting connection she once  had ?  I have every sympathy with her over the loss of her son and her fight to get justice for him . But when you read a very deserving child chosen to carry the torch had to  tearfully turn down the offer because the parents did not have the £214 plus Vat  to pay for the torch I dont think the right people  got to carry the flag .

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When the cycling is finished, they have to put all the speed bumps down that they removed for the race.

Lots of new tarmac too around Boxhill, wish they would do some of the roads that we have to use day in and day out

Cant believe they wheeled Sir Paul out again, after his dreadful performance for the Queens Jubilee.

Tom Jones was brilliant for that, should have been him
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[quote user="Frederick"]Having been chosen to carry the torch  I see that Doreen Lawrance got to lead the carry on of the Olympic flag as well .  Politics ? Or have I missed some past sporting connection she once  had ?  I have every sympathy with her over the loss of her son and her fight to get justice for him . But when you read a very deserving child chosen to carry the torch had to  tearfully turn down the offer because the parents did not have the £214 plus Vat  to pay for the torch I dont think the right people  got to carry the flag .
[/quote]

You mean people PAID to carry the torch? That is nothing short of disgusting.

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[quote user="woolybanana"]

[quote user="Frederick"]Having been chosen to carry the torch  I see that Doreen Lawrance got to lead the carry on of the Olympic flag as well .  Politics ? Or have I missed some past sporting connection she once  had ?  I have every sympathy with her over the loss of her son and her fight to get justice for him . But when you read a very deserving child chosen to carry the torch had to  tearfully turn down the offer because the parents did not have the £214 plus Vat  to pay for the torch I dont think the right people  got to carry the flag .
[/quote]

You mean people PAID to carry the torch? That is nothing short of disgusting.

[/quote]

And then re-sell them on Ebay,no wonder...disgusting
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[quote user="Russethouse"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18523773

Torch bearers were given the opportunity to buy their torches, but they didn't have to at all, so goodness knows why the little boy was disappointed, what a shame.[/quote]

   Mmmm ..........Reading your link RH the child should have carried it . No doubt some jobsworth passed on only half the storey and left the childs parents thinking they had to find money first !

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There has been quite a lot of mis information about it all through out the torch carrying. Very sad that people missed out because of it.

I watched the rowing on TV this morning, just a few miles from my home town ( and not far from YCCMB), it looked stunning, and it was nice to see two guys who both attended Reading Uni do very well in their heat. A friend has tickets for tomorrow morning and I'm jealous !
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I popped in to Sainsburys this morning, and the first thing I saw on entering was one of the torches. A local woman who had run with it had a stall with an NSPCC collecting tin on it, and was dressed in her tracksuit etc. Anyone who wanted could hold the torch and have a photo taken, with the hope that a donation to the NSPCC would be given. The woman had been a volunteer for something like 30 years, and had been nominated to carry a torch for that reason.

Reader, I held the torch - and had a photo taken on my phone. A terrible photo. But as one son, DIL and grand daughter sent us one of them with the torch, and our other son also sent a photo with a torch, dressed in his Olympic volunteer uniform, I thought they'd have a good laugh at their non-sporty Mum's photo holding a torch. And of course, the NSPCC benefited from it. Our son started his fortnight's holiday today volunteering at the Olympic stadium, showing people to their places.

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[quote user="Bugsy"]My neighbour has just been round (with some eggs) and when asked if he watched it he said "Yes, but there was too much about England and not enough about the Olympics"

.[/quote]

I've had two very complimentary emails from French friends, who both thought it was excellent.

As for me, I wished I'd started watching before the opening ceremony started as it looks as though there was a lot to see even before the officical start time ....we missed Rowan Atkinson, as the satellite signal decided to disappear during the thunderstorm, but since I'm not over keen on him it didn't matter, though I'm sorry I  missed the chariots of fire proper ... nor did I like all the loud music, or Macca (a bit pointless I thought by that time, he should have come on during the 60's Beatles stuff ) but I thought the forged rings were super and the cauldron and the lighters, well, what a perfect solution!

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Sore point, saw a few sails on the horizon, and   weymouth.Pelican was in the bay, but most of the town and harbour is cut off so a drive through as is our want is not currently possible, unless you jostle with the crowd of grockles, the Nothe park was restricted to tickets only and ''failed to reach it's anticipated capacity . . !'' neither is it possible to park at the Nothe Arms since that has also been taken over by the comiiteeee.[:@] but in all honesty we were too busy playing housey and went to the pub where we could park; jaundiced? who me? give us our town back!!
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I would think you of all people would appreciate freedom of movement Wools[:P], especially having had access all areas, it's doubly frustrating when it is curtailed. As for Weymouth, ('Georgian and glamorous'), well, any port in a storm, (and I have weathered a few storms), even the one that imported the black death to England, then provided the place for Thomas Hardy to write his first novel; you might appreciate the title 'The Poor Man and the Lady' [:D]

not to mention playing theme park to some people messing about in boats for the Oimlypcs- (am I allowed to say that?)

 

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Well, I'm enjoying the Olympics! I watched the womens synchronised springboard yesterday and it was incredible. The UK pair were great (and one of them is only 15 - just amazing) and although they didn't win a medal, they weren't last! The cycling, the rowing, the swimming - all exciting. I'm just sorry I keep missing events which look as if they were good.

I don't even like sport either! 

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