The London Olympics…and the Bits We Got Wrong

Aug 2012

Aah, August: Home to summer and the finals of most events in the London 2012 Olympics – perfect time for a catch up & a chit-chat! So, lets…

The Olympics

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I loved the opening ceremony, I got all squealy and patriotic watching it at home with the family, I’ll admit it’s the only one I can ever remember watching so I have no real form of reference, but it was good fun. That said, I went online the next day (even during) and saw people do nothing but poo-poo it!

Nothing pleases us, ever. So the weather didn’t hold up and there were some obvious “in-crowd” bits, you know like the Eastenders map going up, and references to British literature that only someone living under a rock might not have heard of (cause if you don’t know Mary Poppins, well, shame on you) – but so what?

I think Danny Boyle did a fantastic job and sitting by the fireplace in the warmth and comfort of my home, even when I could see those angry looking raindrops falling on screen, I wished I was in the stands. That’s saying something.

Bits we’ve gotten wrong (so far)

Gosh, where do I start?

1) Having people stand in the airport for hours and hours trying to get into London.

2) Having rows upon rows of empty seats and available tickets, but requiring people solve the Da Vinci Code online before they get one

3) The Olympic lanes clogging up the streets and upsetting the City’s beloved taxi drivers

4) Using so many scare tactics about how busy, crowded, expensive and noisy London would be, that it truly seems empty – because everyone’s flown away to greener pastures

5) Having politicians publicize a “stay-cation” (where we stay here instead of going on holiday) and then having those same politicians go on holiday mid-Olympics

6) Selling Fish & Chips in the Olympic park for £8.50 – No. Just no.

7) Not paying the Olympic volunteers. I know they’re volunteers, but if TFL and the police get extra cash for doing their actual jobs, the least we could do was give the campers something more than floor space for their tents.

8) Spending millions of pounds cleaning up the city…only because we have the Olympics this year.

9) There not being some way the general public can get involved with the Olympics that doesn’t involve being squeezed out of position for watching the torch fly by for a millisecond (oops, now I’m complaining).

Other than that, it’s been smashing so far…I even went along & watched Team GB play basketball & that was awesome! I hope you’re enjoying it too, wherever you are…