London Olympics 2012

 

I have never been the biggest fan of the Olympics, and actually London people in general are not that interested in them either, however this year, because the games are being held in my home town, it is a little different.

On Saturday morning I woke up a little late and switched on the TV to catch the end of the opening ceremony and I was pleasantly surprised.
When I heard that the opening ceremony was being directed by Danny Boyle (a movie director most famous for directing 'Trainspotting' and 'Slum Dog Millionaire') I immediately thought "Oh no! This will be another attempt by Britain to try to look 'cool' in the eyes of the world, which will undoubtedly fall flat on it's face", but this time I was wrong.

It had history, heritage, respect, multi-culturalism and was, on whole, a fantastic representation of everything that is still 'great' about Britain.

However the jewel on the crown for me was the torch lighting ceremony.

The 'Olympic Cauldron' which consisted of 204 copper 'petals' (one to represent each nation taking part in the games) was designed by Thomas Heatherwick, a British designer also recently made famous fro his redesigning of the iconic London bus for the 21st century.

 

It was absolutely stunning.



It was one of those moments of design beauty that makes the problems of everyday life melt away and leaves you feeling totally fulfilled. And for once it was British. I felt British pride for the first time in many years.

Freedom...almost!

I went to the doctor today to have my cast taken off!! Finally I am free!

 

 

I have spent the last 4 weeks in itchy hell...I cannot tell you how good it feels to have it off.
However I still have a couple of weeks of physiotherapy ahead of me until I get the movement back into my hand.

I love my hand...happy happy day :)

Real Ale

There aren't many things I miss about England. Since the arrival of the internet I have been able to catch up on all my UK telly, buy import goods which are delivered directly to my door, read all of the London news and stay in touch with my family and friends via e-mail and Skype.
However one of the things I have missed, and one of my favourite things about going back to London, is British real ale.
Brewed in small quantities in local breweries around the UK, these ales are made from centuries old recipes and are made using the finest natural ingredients, including the best UK hops, which give ale it's deep, distinctive, often fruity, taste.
When I went back to London in March this year and stayed with my parents, me and my dad went shopping together every day and bought a different ale to drink each night. It was heaven!

I have never seen British ale in my 9 years in Japan, until last week when I was out shopping in Hiroshima.

I was in Tokyu Hands!! looking for some art materials, leaving the shop empty handed, when, as I was coming down the escalator, a display of 'Belgian Beer' caught my eye.
As I walked towards it I suddenly saw, at the edge of the display, 2 bottles of British ale!
I had to check that I wasn't dreaming...then took them to the till and bought them.

For the last 2 nights I have had a bottle a night and, if I close my eyes, I could be back in London, sitting in my local pub, drinking.

I have to go back to get some more...I have my fingers tightly crossed that they haven't sold out!

Sorry

Hello everyone.
I am so sorry it has been so long since I wrote my last blog post.
A few weeks ago I fell off a ladder and broke my wrist!

So now I am in a cast, can't use my right hand and am having trouble doing anything...
Hopefully my cast will be off soon and I can get back to writing more posts
Take care and be careful on ladders!
Osca