Monday 6 August 2012

London 2012 Olympic Games


I have been ridiculously busy recently and have not posted anything here on my blog for weeks.  I can see light at the end of the tunnel and so will try to catch up with some posts and what I have been doing.

The first of these is the London 2012 Olympic Games.  We were very lucky and managed to get some tickets which were much in demand.

Here is Jackie, with a few soldiers.  She can make friends with most people....


Entering the London Olympic Park....


The Olympic Stadium, just ahead of the Opening Ceremony....


A few pictures from the Opening Ceremony.  This was an amazing show about Great Britain’s past and looking ahead to what would follow in the next two weeks....




With my sons Jeremy, Charles and Richard, on our way to the men’s Basketball.  We watched France beat Argentina and the USA beat Tunisia....



The Olympic Stadium, from within the Park....


Inside the stadium, for an incredible night of Athletics.....






My cousins partner, Helen, enjoying the spirit of National pride....


Bottom right is my cousin Dean.  He doesn’t normally look that unhappy!....


Sanya Richards-Ross of the USA, who won the women’s 400metres....


Christine Ohuruogu, who was second in the women’s 400m....


Then we saw the main event, the Men’s 100m Final.  The excitement level was astounding as Usain Bolt retained his 100m Olympic title.  He is an amazing guy and most of the world wanted him to win again....


Overall, the London 2012 Olympic Games has been amazing.  I am looking forward to what remains this week.

21 comments:

BeemerGirl said...

Very neat to see if from field level! Thanks for the shots.

I hope that the excitement is contagious and everyone is having a great time. I do have a question that I would love to ask after the games are over abut safety. ;). No jinxing allowed.

Have fun the rest of the games!!

Gary France said...

BeemerGirl - I will wait for your question with eager anticipation!

cpa3485 said...

Most of the world may have wanted Usain to win again, but a lot of people thought that he might not. But then he turned on those afterburners or whatever it is he has and made everyone else look like rookies.

I wondered if they had pressed you back into service for the Olympics. Glad to see that you have had some time to see some events. Insanely jealous I am.

Take Care,
Jimbo

redlegsrides said...

Great photos Gary, especially of the athletes!

Dom

mq01 said...

oh my, gary, what fantastically great times you seem to be having!!!!! thanks for sharing! gorgeous pics and great looking family!

Bluekat said...

Awesome photos! I love seeing it from a spectator's point of view rather than the televised version. Seems more real, like actually being there.

I always find the Olympics inspiring!

RichardM said...

Thank you for posting the photos and the commentary. I enjoy watching the games but getting non-media coverage is very much appreciated.

SonjaM said...

Way more interesting to get impressions from the live audience. Thanks Gary, for posting those awesome pics.

But one question I need to ask... what's with the hair (your's I mean)? Did you lose a bet or is there a shortage of hairdressers during the Olympics? ;-)

Canajun said...

Not sure I'd want to endure the madness to attend the games, but I'm glad others do and share their experiences. Some great shots there too Gary. Thanks.

Gary France said...

Jim – I agree and I was one of them. I so wanted to see him win it again though. He certainly is an impressive runner and a great role model for many kids. Luckily I was back at the Olympics as a spectator, not to work!

Dom – Thanks. I was lucky to be close enough to the track to get those shots.

mq01 – I seem to have been very busy with all sorts of things, quite a few of them having been a lot of fun. A lot has been hard work as well though, helping my son open a bicycle shop – more on that later.

bluekat – Thanks. I agree, the Olympics are inspiring and watching them on TV or live seems to have been the motivation years previously behind many of today’s athletes go out and get involved in sport.

Gary France said...

Richard – Watching sport is a pastime I enjoy as well, especially the Olympics.

Sonja – Okay, point taken. I need to get it cut! I have just been so busy recently I haven’t given it much thought. LOL.

Canajun – There truly hasn’t been much madness. Getting hold of tickets was a challenge, but getting to the Games on public transport was easy. Despite the predictions about bad traffic and long queues at stations, it was really good, simple and quick!

Unknown said...

Gary:

must have felt nice NOT to be working and just enjoying your time as a spectator. You must have got drawn into the excitement too, being where the action was.

don't worry about getting a haircut. some of us wished we had enough hair left without having it cut away, at least you aren't Gray

bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube

Gary France said...

Bob – You are right, it was great to be there and not be working! I am pleased to still have a good head of hair, but alas, it is getting quite gray.

Trobairitz said...

Great pictures Gary. From across the pond it is hard to imagine all of the people but you've captured that in your pics.

Oz said...

I am so jealous, I love the Olympics. Great photos (as usual).

WooleyBugger said...

That is a once in a lifetime deal. So cool all the pictures you put up.
My son and I have been watching topgear and we both agree the country is so pretty and we'd love to go some day.

P.S
We all forgot about the centerline pictures this year, or was it just me who missed it.

Gary France said...

Trobairitz – There certainly are a lot of people here. London is buzzing with people from many different nations at the moment.

Oz – We are soooo lucky to have the Olympics here. The Games are going really well. You can watch every sport live on TV, with no commercial breaks at all. Fantastic!

WooleyB – Topgear is a blast. My favourite episode was the Vietnam Special when all three presenters rode motorbikes. No, it wasn’t you that missed it. It was me, in that I have been so busy I didn’t get a chance to organise it. Maybe next year!

cheap car hire in Khon Kaen said...

This event has been great so far. I enjoy to watch it very much. This is the biggest evet for london. Thanks for sharing this nice post here with us.

David Masse said...

Thank you for the spectator's perspective and for those remarkable photos. Everything I see and read about the London Olympics confirms what I learned from my three UK vacations: in my opinion, England is the most civilized place on Earth. That's not to say that it's in some way perfect or idyllic. But overall, the veneer of civilization just seems thinner everywhere else I've been.

Jack Riepe said...

Dear Gary:

Where the hell did you park the bike when all this was going on? Some of these pictures were amazing? Why did your cousin look so unhappy? The line at the loo?

Fondest regards,
Jack/reep
Twisted Roads

Unknown said...

The olympic games were great this year. I wish I could have attended! Unfortunately, I could only watch on the television. I am always looking for new events to attend. Here's a cool place to check out upcoming events: http://tinyurl.com/9mepz6n