The Torch Will Need Its Passport Today
It’s off into Wales today and the weather appears to be holding. If it’s going to rain, it’ll surely be in Wales or Manchester.
Crowds in Worcester look to be good, even at eight in the morning. How many cafes and tea-shops have have record takings?
Perhaps, it shows that the best way to get through a recession, is to have a party?
I know that people have subscribed to this blog from all over the world. So who is the furthest away, who’s watch the Olympic Torch Relay. Click here to watch.
It’s getting addictive, as this tweet posted on the BBC web site shows.
Sorry the BBC can’t take the blame for everything, although Andrew Cowie may disagree as he tweets: “I think the #bbctorchcam will over take Facebook as the reason i failed my exams!”
Could Auntie have come up with the ultimate Internet time-waster?
Elephants Salute The Torch
Surely there’s never been anything like this. As the BBC says, “Flag-waving Elephants Join Olympic Torch Relay”
For those who want to know these things, the train is being hauled by a Great Western Railway, Manor Class engine, number 7812 and named Erlestoke Manor. The Severn Valley Railway has three working Manor Class engines.
BBC Creates Addictive Viewing
According to the BBC, the amount of viewers of the Olympic Torch Relay has exceeded all expectations. You could argue, that they would say that wouldn’t they. In fact Roger Mosey says it all here.
The coverage is not by satellite, but by mobile phone 3G technology, which gives the odd break in transmission.
Some are saying it’s addictive on Twitter and Facebook. He’s one from Scotland.
Frances Chisholm on Facebook says: ”Kind of addictive” is an understatement. I am enjoying it all so much. Almost late for work this morning! I’m an ordinary working British Citizen, but “torchcam” makes me feel I can be part of it (the olympics) keep up the wonderful work! Will be cheering the flame when it passes through SELKIRK, Scottish Borders.
And I thought the Scots weren’t in favour of the Games.
BBC Ignores the Science and the History
Perhaps it’s symtomatic of our age, where people forget or ignore the science and history behind everything.
I watched the start of the torch relay at Land’s End on the BBC.
They didn’t mention that the miner’s lamp used to transport and safeguard the flame is a development of the Davy lamp. The original lamp was designed by Humpry Davy from Penzance. That was close to Land’s End, last time I looked.
Is Beckham Going to the Olympics?
He may be past his sell-by date at 37, but I’m coming round to the view, that Stuart Pearce may pick David Beckham for Team GB at the Olympics.
But he could motivate a young team and all the hype could be a feint to install him as a coach. Let’s face it both Beckham and Pearce are bright enough to fool most of the people most of the time.
Everything so far in the way we’ve organised the Games has been very much conventional, so a surprise of the positive sort would be welcome and would unsettle other teams.
In the meantime, everybody should wait.
Greeks Knight David Beckham
Well not really, but the announcer at the flame handover ceremony in Athens yesterday, added Sir to David Beckham’s name at every opportunity. Perhaps with all their troubles, the Greeks may be following the Albanians, who famously offered CB Fry the throne, by knighting him and hoping he’ll give them a bit of publicity. The whole episode is reported in the Independent.
Made In Eccles and Protecting The Olympic Flame
The problem is how do you transport an Olympic flame from Greece to the UK.
The answer is you use a version of the Davy lamp, developed by Sir Humphry Davy and others in the first two decades of the nineteenth century.
A Miners Safety Lamp Made in Eccles
All proper Davy lamps are made in Eccles and my version in the picture is an earlier version of that used for the Olympics. They use a modified version of the 6S lamp. Mine is a version 6 and it was bought in a junk shop in Liverpool.
If you want to find out more about the lamp used, there’s a lot of information here on the maker’s web site.
Sir Humphry must be laughing his socks off in his grave. Especially, as this year’s Olympic Torch Relay will start in Cornwall, the county of his birth.
Greece Runs Out of Umbrellas
Poor Greece! They thought they’d stage a spectacular ceremony for the handover of the flame. And guess what? It rains!
They’re now giving a demonstration of what a tenor sounds like in the rain!
The Olympic Torch Relay Will Pass the End of My Road
The Olympic Torch Relay has a rather good interactive map, which you can find by clicking here.
Just type in your postcode or town and set to full screen and then go round the map.
It actually passes the end of my road, by Dalston Junction station, probably just after 16:00 on Saturday, July 21st.
I have checked other places, which have significance for me, to see how near the torch goes.
It actually goes past Southgate Tube station, next to where I went to school at Minchenden. In fact it goes past the pub, where we used to drink, The Woolpack (July 25th)
It goes past Wood Green station, which I used to use regularly to get to my father’s printing works. (July 25th)
It goes all around Ipswich town centre and past where the Golden Panda used to be. (July 5th)
The Olympic Torch is Going to Dublin
I didn’t realise this, until I read this article in the Irish Times.
But then the Irish always like a good party.
And I’ve always found, that the English often get on better with the Southern Irish, than they do with the Scots and the Northern Irish.
The Anonymous Widower 