Posts Tagged ‘Olympics 2012’
Olympic Mixtape
So this weeks mixtape has been compiled by friends, family and tweeters that were willing to humour me with the following question:
“What would be your Olympic sport and what song would accompany your montage of best of moments?”
Some people were remarkably quick at replying, making me think that people have been daydreaming of Olympic glory during London 2012. Some people sent me hysterical replies (I’m looking at you Jo). Out of all the sports it seems cycling is the most popular, surprised no one picked Kenny Loggins Danger Zone and asked for it to be changed to Highway to the Velodrome (groan, sorry, a hundred times sorry!). You can play this Olympic Mixtape on Spotify or YouTube, track list and contributors below. Out of all of them I am grinning the most over Thom’s choice but huge thanks to everyone that played along as I’ve not stopped smiling at all the suggestions. More photo’s from my Olympic experiences can be found on my Flickr. Oh, and to my friend Lizzie, “six packing” is not a recognised Olympic event….yet. ♥
- 13th Floor Elevators – You’re Gonna Miss Me (Monkeypicks for the 400m)
- Hawkwind – Silver Machine (Lucy Track Cycling)
- Nina Simone – Feeling Good (Rehanon, first of a few for the Triathlon)
- Goldfrapp – Rocket (Burning_Lies, another for Cycling)
- Queen – Princes of the Universe (Thom Vincent picking fencing for a gloriously camp, extravagant event being held in Britain)
- Tori Amos – Professional Widow (Claire Loy, never worn a leotard but opts for Gymnastics Floor)
- Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run (My Dad running the Marathon)
- Spandau Ballet – Gold (thepubdiaries for the Kierin because it’s slightly mental)
- Elvis Presley – If I can Dream (Gareth choosing 1500m, on the song “you can fight a bear after hearing it, its that inspiring”)
- Hot Chip – Over and Over (Priyam for Table Tennis)
- F*ck Buttons – Olympians (Marc for the Triathlon, also dreams of winning gold in the 10k swim)
- Beyonce – Run The World (Natasha blasting the 100m)
- Anthrax – In My World (Phil also for the Keirin, the lyric “nothing touches me, I’m a walking razor blade” hits it for him)
- The Cinematic Orchestra – To Build A Home (Helen goes for Rowing)
- Gonna Fly Now (Rocky Balboa) – Bill Conti (Matt goes for Decathlon after his hero Daley Thompson)
- Radiohead – No Surprises (Jo opted for Synchronised Swimming, “Although I would like to imagine that the water would add an element of grace I lack on land, I think the actual effect would be more like Thom York’s slow drown in the video. You get to wear coordinating costumes and listen to music in that event”)
- Moloko – The Time Is Now (for me when I smash it at the Triathlon)
The Ready Brek Glow
Friends, Londoners, Countrymen…
It has been a week since Danny Boyle sparked a Ready Brek glow in the pits of our stomachs.
Everyone, and I truly mean every single soul, that I have come into contact with over the past week seems to be holding onto this rare, unheard of level of loveliness. I haven’t once tutted, wagged my finger or rolled my eyes. Instead, I have laughed in the face of the well taught stranger danger and chatted away to people (especially those beloved purple and red volunteers that have popped up like very human wombles, laminated labels swung round their necks). I even had fun in the Post Office yesterday, that usual pit of hell we suffer. Staff and the usually mardy customers all chatting excitedly about Bradley Wiggins. And I can’t even ride a bike.
I know it’s exhausting, it’s not our natural state of being, especially as London dwellers. But my days, we are doing enthusiasm really bloody well. It’s almost like the Olympics have unlocked something dormant in us. At some point we all started grumbling and found it hard to snap out of it. We lost faith in this little Island of Cheddar Cheese, Real Ales, Mods, Rockers, Cockles soaked in vinegar, rain and Shakespeare.
Danny Boyle gave us an utterly bat shit and bonkers reminder of all that is Great about Britain. Our beloved NHS, Branagh as Brunel, our rich and diverse music history, the suffragettes, this green and pleasant land we have all been so cynical of. Then the games started, and these super human, brilliant sportsmen and women have fuelled that glow further than I ever anticipated. I am watching ALL the sports. I don’t know the rules and regulations, sometimes I am confused, but I am always proud and hugely excited to be part of this.
As I type this we have won fourteen medals in Cycling, Canoe Slalom, Shooting, Equestrian, Gymnastics, Rowing, Swimming and Judo. These superb new role models who are surely inspiring the young generation watching them. I have high hopes that children will put down the games consuls and want to swim like they have gills, row like there’s a pot of gold at the end, swing up onto bars like they were born a creature of the trees and cycle like they’re powering the national grid.
As for all of us. Keep it up, this loveliness. At the end of the Olympics, when your cheeks are aching from being pushed up to your eyes from the smiling, no one will begrudge you for slipping back to your old ways. I will probably revert back to taking down the number plates of people who run zebra crossings (and do absolutely nothing with the information). Or maybe we won’t.
Maybe.
Maybe things will just remain better than they were before. ♥
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Lido Love No.2 Park Road
This evening I trekked up to Crouch End to visit the second Lido on my list. The eerily deserted Park Road, a world away from my crowded splash at Brixton Beach last week.
From the moment I emerged blinking in to the light from Turnpike Lane (one of our more imaginative sounding tube stations) I discovered that residents are remarkably proud of their local Lido. As I asked for directions, and told people I was working my way around London Lido’s folk couldn’t wait to tell me theirs was the very best. “In my humble opinion” added one girl with multi-colour dreadlocks. I couldn’t help but think the mass of rainbow tangles on her head must get very heavy when wet. I was eventually escorted by a scruffy raggedy bunch of kids who asked to borrow a £1 for the lockers. Turns out the lockers are 20p and I think they ran off to the sweet shop. They saw me coming.
Park Road Lido
I had only two other companions in the pool with me so was a bit braver with my strokes. Inspired by the Olympics I decided to go for a tumble turn around a metre from the wall. Any experienced swimmer will be wagging their finger at me right now as this is far too close to execute and I ended up swallowing a ton of water and exposing a boob to an indifferent Magpie. Lesson learnt.
Price is usually £5.50 but as I arrived near closing time the lovely people only charged me £3. Although the upkeep wasn’t as slick as Brockwell Lido (remnants of sand or grit at the bottom of the pool, but I honestly don’t care about little things like this, all that matters is water being present at the end of the day) surroundings are more comfortable to flop out on to benches or grass when you’re done swimming. Lockers are 20p and more plentiful in numbers, outside changing cubicles are also available. Basically, it’s a lovely pool to swim in, quiet and the staff were chirpy.
| Temperature: | Nippy around the nipples |
| People doing serious swimming: | 1 |
| Men grabbing their danglebobbins a lot: | 0 |
| Women swimming in sunglasses: | 0 |
| Kids doing classic “bombing”: | 0 |
| People dipping their toes with iPhones in hand: | 0 |
| Cost: | £3 |
☆☆☆☆☆
Felt poignant today. Well done Tom Daley & Peter Waterfield. You did us proud
Sunday Swoon. July 29th
Searching for Sugar Man, swimming pools and our new hero….
1. Before Friday I was mainly ambivalent about the London Olympics, and like a lot of Londoner’s was more concerned with transport failing and being stopped every five yards to be asked for directions to [insert any old landmark here]. Danny Boyle has not only dashed my sport cynicism to the train tracks but made me feel so very proud to be British. Frankly, not something I have felt for a long time. The opening ceremony was utterly bonkers, quirky and bat shit wonderful. I, along with a ton of people, shed a few tears during this historic moment. To him and all involved I am truly indebted, thank you!
“This will be about us, and if some people don’t get it that’s fine. That’s what we’re like”
– Danny Boyle
Fact: Emeli Sande sang the hymn Abide With Me which was wrote by the Reverent Lyte, penned in the little town of my birth Brixham.
2. The almost eerily beautiful Bat For Lashes returned with this heart cracking sad song this week. Such a woeful song with an equally saddening video for Laura. Stunning and has me almost holding my breath when I listen to it, and I’m never sure whether to cry or feel lifted by it. Strange but joyful quality.
3. Earlier this week I took my first literal plunge into a self-imposed challenge to swim all of London Lido’s over the next few weeks. Blog post here if you missed it. In love with swimming again.
4. This week I fell in love, new music to my ears from a very old musician in Searching For Sugar Man. Such a moving documentary, made me cry, laugh, smile and shake my head in baffled disbelief. A musical fairytale. Any music lover, regardless of taste in tunes, will connect with this film immediately. Seek it out.
5. Another skill, brill and ace video from Hot Chip demonstrating their playful randomness to end this post on, released this week for their single How Do You Do? ♥
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From Desk Till Dawn 