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!
A Gluten-Free Guide to the London Olympics
For those like me, who must remain gluten-free, the Olympics in London shouldn’t be too difficult, although I do worry about the Olympic Park and some of the venues. The reason for this, is that I’ve been to Wembley a couple of times and the food is your usual burger and chips rubbish. The organisers say they will make it better at the venues, but I have my doubts. It’s sad really, as East London, where the Games are being staged, has a large variety of ethnic cooking, like Bangladeshi, that is very much gluten-free. Incidentally, if you like curries, all good curry houses, such as in the famous Brick Lane, use gram or chick-pea flour and are never offended if you ask. A lot of these restaurants, though don’t serve alcohol, but don’t mind if you bring it in and they will then give you glasses and a cork-screw, if one is needed. The best ones always have proper linen tablecloths and napkins.
The big Olympic Park at Stratford is at present very much an unknown as to gluten-free food, as it hasn’t opened yet. But the Westfield Shopping Centre (Eastfield to many) next door is bad, if you want a gluten-free restaurant. However, it does have two big food stores, that are always a good stand-by, if you want to buy a picnic; Waitrose and Marks and Spencer. Both have a wide selection of picnic food and gluten-free bread and rolls.
In fact, for some picnics will always be a safe way out, when on the move. The main Olympic Park, is next to one of London’s largest parks; Victoria Park and they are going to put a lot of fast-food stalls here with big screens. But even if nothing is gluten-free, there will be plenty of space to sit on the grass. In fact, there are large green spaces near to most of the venues.
If you want to eat out, there are quite a few mid-range chains with gluten-free offerings. I eat regularly in Carluccio’s and Cote, but others also have a gluten-free menu.
A lot of pubs, like my local, the Northgate Arms in de Beauvoir Town can do reliable gluten-free food. With the Northgate, the chef is coeliac from Sierra Leone, so you can be absolutely sure.
I shall add more to this as I travel round the Games.
Ian Fleming Would Have Been Amused
It is being reported in the Evening Standard tonight, that James Bond will be knighted by the Queen and then will help to launch the Olympic Games. No doubt, Danny Boyle’s short film that shows this, will of course be narrated by Henry Blofield, who is the son of Ian’s friend, Tom Blofield, who is often said to have lent his surname to Bond’s arch-enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
C used to appear in front of Henry Blofield’s brother, John, who used to be a judge in Norwich. He was one of her favourite judges.
We also bought a house from Daniel Craig’s stepfather, Maxwell Blond.
But all this is just a typical Fleming plot!
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 View From the North Bank of the Thames
After an excellent gluten-free sandwich and a coffee in the Starbucks by the Cutty Sark, I got onto the DLR again and travelled back to Island Gardens, where I walked along the North Bank of the Thames taking pictures.
Note you can just see the three masts of Cutty Sark in some of these pictures in front of HMS Ocean.
HMS Ocean Arrives At Greenwich
With a great deal of professionalism, the Navy’s largest ship, HMS Ocean, was positioned at Greenwich this morning.
She will act as a base for helicopters and Royal Marines during the Olympic Games.
There Are Now Guard Whippets On London Buses
Because of the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, specially trained whippets like this one, are now being carried on London’s buses.
A Guard Whippet on a London Bus
I spotted this rather smart grey one on a 141 bus this afternoon.
I had a brief chat with the handler and they said, they were a bit short of whippets, so they’re going to have to use beagles and coney dogs as well!
Which Stuart Pearce will Pick Kyle Walker?
Assuming Stuart Pearce is in charge of both Team GB at the Olympics and England at Euro 2012, after today he has a real selection problem after Kyle Walker‘s superb goal today against Blackburn.
Let’s hope he gets some more problems like this!
Whatever happens, Kyle Walker should certainly be playing competitive football in the close season!
The Anonymous Widower 