Olympic closing ceremony

Hello lovelies.

Did you see the Olympic closing ceremony last night? I did and thought it was absolutely wonderful.

My highlights were:

The Who, who I've loved since I was a kid

Eric Idle, who gets props from me for singing 'shit' during the closing ceremony

The bhangra dancers. I love bhangra music.
Muse, epecially Matt Bellamy's epic sequinned suit.

Queen, but not so much the Jessie J parts, as I'm at about saturation point with her.

Emeli Sandé, who is just bloody amazing. Thankfully she's stepped into the breach to fill the void Adele has left in going off to be a mummy. Love her voice!

Kaiser Chiefs. Who knew Ricky Wilson sounded so much like Roger Daltrey?! Not me, obviously! They did a grand job of Pinball Wizard.

Lord Coe's speech, which brought a tear of pride to my eye.

Timothy Spall as Churchill.

The mini London backdrop.

Russell Brand's turn at Willy Wonka and The Beatles.

And of course, the cauldron.

I missed out on tickets to the games and didn't go to London to take in the atmosphere, so I have less to say about the 2012 London Olympics than many who did get to see events live and did go to London and the other Olympic venues across Britain to soak up the joy of the events. When we were in Manchester last weekend there was a giant screen in the city centre and people sat and watched the events whilst sitting on rows upon rows of deckchairs. Could you get any more British than that?! I know there were screens up in public places all over Britain so everyone could feel a part of the Games.

What I can say is I think the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics this year have been the perfect antidote to last year's riots. A way of saying 'Yes, we are sometimes troubled, and yes we are facing economic difficulty, but together we can do great things.' I've never been as proud to be British. I know there was a lot of negativity in the press before the Games started about the armed forces having to stand in as security for the event, but who better to look after the nation's capital than our wonderfully dedicated servicemen and women? (As long as they get a good rest before they're thrown back into armed combat abroad.)

As soon as the Games began all 'Woe is for for I am British' negativity disappeared from the newspapers to concentrate on happier things, and I'm sure this in turn had a knock on effect on the mood of the British Isles. I've read reports of people on the Tube smiling at each other and saying hello, for God's sake! This is monumental :) All jokes aside, wouldn't it be wonderful if this wonderful feeling of unity could only last? Although the Games were held in GB, of course it was a worldwide Games, shaped and flavoured by every single participating country. I hope there was a feeling of hope and pride to be sensed all over the world. I had a tear in my eye as the cauldron went out, I must say. Life goes on, but hopefully this good feeling will linger a while yet.


If you live outside of Britain, did you get a sense of the warmth and unity of the Games? 
Did you enjoy the opening and closing ceremonies?  

I preferred the closing ceremony.

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