Olympics 2012 - Good Luck London

[Barbara Fan]

Looking forwards to the opening ceremony and hope 2012 is a great year for sport, Athletics in particular and lots of records will be broken.

Im an Athletics girl - so its the track and field events which will hold my interest most and would love to see Usain Bolt do his magic

and even hope for team GB to pick up a few gold medals

Looks like fun in London and wish I was there (altho friends there are fed up with transport/motorway restrictions already)

Im in Scotland but Glasgow is hosting some games at Hamden and its nice seeing London 2012 banners everywhere and also the place has been spruced up, cleaned up, new signs and lines on roads re painted.

(just hope the annoying Beckhams dont hog the limelight!)

I hope that either Steve Redgrave or Roger Bannister get to light the flame tonight

[Mrs. JR Ewing]

Thanks for starting this thread! I can't wait for opening ceremonies tonight!

[Swami]

Quite why those Beckham poultices would be there is beyond me.

Swami

[Barbara Fan]

I wonder what people who are not from UK think of the ceremony

its going on a little too long for me

[Swami]

Otherwise it has been very good.

Swami

[minx]

I wonder what people who are not from UK think of the ceremony

its going on a little too long for me

It's been very good so far. I liked the historical stuff and the tribute to children's literature. Really wonderful. Can't get into the dancing bits though.

Am watching the athletes parade in right now. I always get a little soft-hearted when the small countries with only a handful of athletes march in. Really nice to see them competing despite the lack of funds they get for training, etc.

Very sad that the Israeli athletes murdered in Munich won't get a moment of silence, especially on the 40th anniversary of their deaths. They died as Olympians after all.

[Mrs. JR Ewing]

I loved it! The Olympic opening ceremony is supposed to reflect the culture of the country that is hosting and GB did a great job of doing this! The whole James Bond/Queen part was absolutely priceless!

[i love jr ewing]

I liked the opening ceremony.

[Barbara Fan]

Well stayed up late to watch it all and I do think it was overly long, could have done with less on the NHS (i work for it!) and where was Dickens and Shakespeare - (im not a potter fan!)

and it really is time to ditch Paul McCartney for any event as he fails miserably and probably last sang in tune in 1968
he was crap at Live Aid, Queens 50th and 60th Jubilee and out of tune and weak voiced last night - but well done to Emile Sande - what a voice and talent!

But i thought it was great - and i was proud to be Brisitsh and Im glad that they didnt slip up - as Beijing was hard to beat

So glad that Steve redgrave - 5 x Olympic gold medal winner carried the torch into the stadium and thought it lovely that 7 hopes for the future got to light the flame
That whole thing was stunning, as was the finale

Im with you Minx, its great to see small countries compete and quite a few Muslim countries had women competing for the 1st time - have to confess there were 2 countires Id never heard of!!

sad to see Muhmammed Ali look so dependent and frail and being held up and Im so glad that they showed a clip of a UK soldier who was bombed in the Middle east and lost ? 3 limbs and left braindamaged - carry the torch when it was doing the rounds of UK -just to see him on his feet with his prosthetic limbs ........
That makes me cry, what a waste of a life and for what and why!

had to look twice to see that it really was the Queen with Daniel 007 Craig - that must be a first

well done Danny Boyle and co and all the volunteers - you made me proud

[Swami]

Rowan Atkinson was good with the Chariots of Fire piece.

Swami

[Barbara Fan]

Mark Cavendish has failed to win a medal in the men's cycling road race on day one of the London Olympics.

The 27-year-old world champion and winner of 23 Tour de France stages was widely expected to lift Team GB's first gold of the Games.

Buit in the event the gruelling 250-kilometre race was won by Kazakhstan's Alexandr Vinokourov, with Colombia's Rigoberto Uran, a Team Sky colleague of Cavendish's, second and Norway's Alexander Kristoff third.

[Angela Channing]

I thought the opening ceremony was absolutely brilliant: a fantastic display of some of the things that made and make Britain great. I was dreading that it might look tacky or unimpressive after Beijing set the bar so high 4 years ago, but London didn't let us down and its own way, was every bit as good as any opening ceremony I've seen before. Normally, I think of myself as a citizen of the world and I don't really do nationalism, but last night after watching the opening ceremony, I was proud to be a Londoner and proud to be British.

BarbaraFan, there was some Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh's speech at the beginning was taken from The Tempest.

[minx]

Well stayed up late to watch it all and I do think it was overly long, could have done with less on the NHS (i work for it!) and where was Dickens and Shakespeare - (im not a potter fan!)

I think Kenneth Brannaugh (sp?) quoted from Shakespeare's The Tempest at the start of the program. And I'm sure I heard the words "Please sir, may I have some more?" from Dickens' David Copperfield somewhere during the show.

I love Harry Potter. So nice to see Rowling in the program.

[Barbara Fan]

I thought the opening ceremony was absolutely brilliant: a fantastic display of some of the things that made and make Britain great. I was dreading that it might look tacky or unimpressive after Beijing set the bar so high 4 years ago, but London didn't let us down and its own way, was every bit as good as any opening ceremony I've seen before. Normally, I think of myself as a citizen of the world and I don't really do nationalism, but last night after watching the opening ceremony, I was proud to be a Londoner and proud to be British.

BarbaraFan, there was some Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh's speech at the beginning was taken from The Tempest.

oh Thanks AC, never did the Tempest at school (sorry)
I am wishing i was in London right now - and looked a great turn out of spectators for the 250k cycle race -

[minx]

BarbaraFan, there was some Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh's speech at the beginning was taken from The Tempest.

You beat me to it.

[Barbara Fan]

You beat me to it.

thanks to you too

saw the guy interviewed who had to pretend to be the Queen jumping out of the helicopter with james Bond
They didnt let him keep the dress

[Sarah]

Rooting for the Americans

[minx]

Rooting for the Americans

Why? I thought you were Irish?

[Maria - Noele Gordon Fan]

The Queen and James Bond together was a masterstroke from Danny Boyle. Such a surprise and brilliant. The highlight of the night for me.

Mr Bean and Chariots of Fire was very good too.

[Barbara Fan]

The Queen and James Bond together was a masterstroke from Danny Boyle. Such a surprise and brilliant. The highlight of the night for me.

Mr Bean and Chariots of Fire was very good too.

I rewatched my Chariots of Fire DVD today and I still cry no matter how many times Ive seen it

and i still love Nigel Havers -