The Olympic Flame for the London games was round our way yesterday, so I decided to down tools, so to speak, and go out and meet it. I would never have the opportunity to do this again in my lifetime and so I convinced myself that it was worth the effort. Certainly the hot sunny weather left me with no excuse not to do it, unless of course I were to make a case for it being too hot and therefore too exhausting! Well I didn't.
I headed out of the house, using Shank's pony, just after 3pm, at a leisurely pace, crossing the park nearby and making for the high street. Half way there I regretted not having taken any water with me, as the walk and the exposure to the sun was already making me thirsty. But never mind, it was all in a good cause. What cause, do I hear you whisper? Why, my cause of course! The cause of my seeing the Olympic Flame, as I've said at the start of this piece.
On reaching the high street I merged into the flow of people that were making their way to the road through which the Flame was expected to pass. Within minutes I was there and milling about in the crowd already lining the road on both sides. As was to be expected, there was an overwhelming preponderance of mothers and their darling little sprogs and after spending a little time on one side of the road, I decided to cross over to the other side where, I judged, I would be in a better position to follow the Flame.
Big mistake! I came out of the shade on one side of the road and entered the other shadeless side where the sun shone on us relentlessly. However, I was now there and couldn't be bothered to go back. Soon the advertising lorries were parading past, and our eyes were regaled with the sight of Coca-Cola, Samsung and Lloyd's TSB, among others, a truly unforgettable sight! Aboard them were young people smiling and waving to us. So I waved back. As one does.
The next moment someone on a loud-haler informed us that the Olympic Torch would be arriving in five minutes, at which point a loud cry went up from the crowd in anticipation, though my mouth remained resolutely shut, which helped to conserve body moisture, or so the theory goes. We all waited expectantly as the sun beat down on us. Because of the bend in the road, it was not possible to see far ahead, so we could only go by what our ears reported to us.
Then, as I was beginning to wonder where the flippin' flame was, I heard loud cheers and clapping from the crowds just ahead and I realised that the the Olympic Torch was about to make its appearance. I whipped my camera out in readiness and took a few pics of the assembled throng and then waited for the 'apparition' I had come to witness. The next moment I espied police outriders gliding along and then, yes, there it was, held aloft in the hand of a runner who was coming towards us. Click, click, click, went the countless cameras, while other cameras, cellphones and camcorders recorded it all silently.
No sooner had the Torch appeared than it was passing us by and in one body we surged forward after it, still snapping and filming. I held the camera aloft as I went, trying to avoid heads that rose above me, and take pics of the flame instead. Tall people have a definite advantage here. On reaching the road junction, the runner stopped and another runner took over with his own torch, and then they were off again. And so were we!
Round the corner we went and along the next road, where all traffic had been halted to let the runner go by. I followed part of the way but owing to the crowding and the distancing of the runner (whom it was difficult to follow at the same pace through the throng of people) I gave up further pursuit and turned back. After all, I had done what I came to do, namely to see the Olympic Flame and take a few pics of it. I was now tired and thirsty and a bit sweaty and it was time to go back home.
On the way, feeling in a bit of a celebratory mood, I availed myself of the local patisserie to get myself some honey-balls. And that was that, folks! I could at least say in years to come that I had been to see the Olympic Flame 'in the flesh'. Sounds much more exciting than it was but that's not my fault. I made sure I was there. The rest was not in my hands.
I headed out of the house, using Shank's pony, just after 3pm, at a leisurely pace, crossing the park nearby and making for the high street. Half way there I regretted not having taken any water with me, as the walk and the exposure to the sun was already making me thirsty. But never mind, it was all in a good cause. What cause, do I hear you whisper? Why, my cause of course! The cause of my seeing the Olympic Flame, as I've said at the start of this piece.
On reaching the high street I merged into the flow of people that were making their way to the road through which the Flame was expected to pass. Within minutes I was there and milling about in the crowd already lining the road on both sides. As was to be expected, there was an overwhelming preponderance of mothers and their darling little sprogs and after spending a little time on one side of the road, I decided to cross over to the other side where, I judged, I would be in a better position to follow the Flame.
Big mistake! I came out of the shade on one side of the road and entered the other shadeless side where the sun shone on us relentlessly. However, I was now there and couldn't be bothered to go back. Soon the advertising lorries were parading past, and our eyes were regaled with the sight of Coca-Cola, Samsung and Lloyd's TSB, among others, a truly unforgettable sight! Aboard them were young people smiling and waving to us. So I waved back. As one does.
The next moment someone on a loud-haler informed us that the Olympic Torch would be arriving in five minutes, at which point a loud cry went up from the crowd in anticipation, though my mouth remained resolutely shut, which helped to conserve body moisture, or so the theory goes. We all waited expectantly as the sun beat down on us. Because of the bend in the road, it was not possible to see far ahead, so we could only go by what our ears reported to us.
No sooner had the Torch appeared than it was passing us by and in one body we surged forward after it, still snapping and filming. I held the camera aloft as I went, trying to avoid heads that rose above me, and take pics of the flame instead. Tall people have a definite advantage here. On reaching the road junction, the runner stopped and another runner took over with his own torch, and then they were off again. And so were we!
Round the corner we went and along the next road, where all traffic had been halted to let the runner go by. I followed part of the way but owing to the crowding and the distancing of the runner (whom it was difficult to follow at the same pace through the throng of people) I gave up further pursuit and turned back. After all, I had done what I came to do, namely to see the Olympic Flame and take a few pics of it. I was now tired and thirsty and a bit sweaty and it was time to go back home.
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