Brian. Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 What was the FU to the government? Dedicating a large part to the NHS, a service which the government is cutting massively. The inclusion of the CND movement, womens movement and the early trade unions was also a nice touch of showing what ordinary people can achieve in opposion to things they think are unjust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Good health services should be celebrated, I guess. I suppose I thought it was a bit strange because I've never exactly heard glowing reports of the NHS and because, as our commentator said, we couldn't imagine celebrating Medicare (our NHS equivalent) over here. Most of the performers were NHS staff. Our doctors and nurses do a fab job (nurses particularly are underpaid for the work they do, imho). We're pretty proud of our NHS, even though it isn't perfect. I watched until 11.30am but I had to be up at 5am for work. I saw the cauldron (wow!) on iPlayer this morning and am now catching up on the bits I missed. I loved it - I was worried it might be embarrassing but it wasn't at all. Well done Danny Boyle. A knighthood must be on the cards now, surely?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Watching the cycling in Box Hill. I'm looking for June but it's like trying to spot a needle in a moving haystack. I was the one in a white t shirt with red butterflies. Coran was in a grey and pink striped t shirt. We have both though had an absolutely amazing day. We are just so happy to have had the opportunity to see this and get this close to the action in what couldn't be a more beautiful space. Coran and I were up by 6am and out of the house by 7.30 to walk up the Smith and Western near the Donkey Green where BBC Surrey had set up. We had a chat with them and wandered among the crowds taking stacks of pictiues and chatting to the stewards and Police, and of course the Army officers were on duty. We managed to get right up to the ticket entrance point where Coran did some filming, and one of the Army men lent us his seat right by the side of the road, just inside the ticketed zone for the first few laps of the Hill. The riders were so close, you could feel the breeze on your face as they went by - incredible with such support from the crowd. As the race progressed we made our way slowly back through the village filming as we went, so that by the 6th lap we were almost back home. One of our friends from across the road had some scaffolding in his front garden which he allowed us to film from slightly above the road, which is where we got the best views, and then for the final lap we went to the end of the village by the two shops before slowly making our way back home to watch the final scenes on BBC1. It's a real shame we didn't get the gold, after such an intense effort, but team GB still did really well. We still have the womens race to look forward to tomorrow, so maybe we will have more luck then. I will there with my flag and my camera again. I estimate though that I must have taken at least 400 or 500 pictures today - as the riders approached I just kept it in burst mode and kept shooting ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I'm glad you had a great time, June. Box Hill is really a beautiful place. It's exactly my type of place, with lots of tree-lined streets where the branches meet over the road (if you know what I mean). It's great for the spectators that they rode around and around Box Hill so you could see them multiple times, unlike the Tour de France, where they pass once and if you blink, you'll miss them! It was pretty bad luck for the Colombian that he looked over the wrong shoulder heading down the final straight. I must confess, though, I didn't know where Box Hill was in relation to London. Given that you've always described it as a quiet village, I assumed (you know what they say about assuming!) that it was a long, long way from London. Imagine my surprise when I suddenly saw the riders heading down the road towards Buckingham Palace! I felt quite silly. (Our coverage of the cycling was interrupted numerous times by other sporting events.) So you must live quite close to the London CBD then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) It might seem that way from watching the race today, but actually as the crow flies it is not that close - the nearest train station is Dorking mainline 4 or 5 miles away and from there it is a good hour to get to Waterloo. I am not sure of the exact distance, but there is quite a lot of information on the National Trust areas at least here. The Wikapaedia page does not mention the village, like a lot of people failing to understand the difference between what most think of as Box Hill, and Box Hill Village which lies about a mile and a half from the viewpoint and Salamons Memorial. We have a population of probably around 1200, at least two thirds of whom are aged 50 plus and most of which live on the various park (mobile) home sites (many of whom have rules that state that only over 50's can live there) set back from Box Hill Road, which as a continuation of the famous ZigZag is the only means of access to the village. For a small village we are remarkably well catered for, with 2 shops (one of which doubles as a Post Office), a bike shop, our own Doctors surgery, Church and Village Hall, a pub and several other businesses (dog grooming parlour, garage etc). We also of course have our own village newsletter, Box Hill News, of which yours truly was until recently, the Editor. It is a brilliant location, 10 minutes from the M25, half an hour from Gatwick, and 20 minutes from Dorking, Epsom or Reigate. Being high up though it can seem remote, and sometimes gets cut off in the winter when it snows, but it is a fantastic place to live. We have lived here for 5 1/2 years now and moving here was the best thing we ever did ! Edited July 28, 2012 by Talisman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Cool. Thanks for the info. I find it interesting that the village has a bike shop, especially as 2/3 of the residents are over 50! Is it a popular destination for bike riders on weekends, or for tourists in general? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Very much so for cyclists, especially at the weekends when I wouldn't even consider driving down the ZigZag now. While most cyclists are considerate and have as much right to use the road as car drivers, there are a small minority who are irresponsible in the extreme, often riding two or even three abreast on very narrow and windy country roads, which makes it impossible to overtake. Sadly it has caused quite a lot of antagonism between the two groups, and the problem is set to become a lot worse. This is one of the main reasons why a lot of villagers were so against the games. As for the walkers - loads of them too. There is a big adventure centre around the Hill which caters for school groups and those doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award and we often see them out and about too at the weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 NBC is doing a great job of covering the Olympics. Of course though they have Bob Costas who is unsurpassed as an announcer. The daughter of my dental hygienist won a gold medal in the last Olympics but is not competing this time due to injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Coran and I are gearing up for another day of racing here on Box Hill - the roads closed (according to twitter) half an hour ago, and the cycling clubs are beginning to make their way through. It is a later start for the women today, leaving from The Mall at 12 noon, and with just the 2 laps of the Hill, it should be a much quieter day for us. I am not sure how many miles both of us walked yesterday (at least 5 I would have thought - those who don't live here did a lot more), but my calf muscles were certainly feeling it last night. It felt like I just kept going on adrenaline, rushing between the crowds along Box Hill road to get to the next good viewing point for each of the 9 laps. It was worth it, as, my pictures are superb (although some of them are a bit blurred). I got some great shots of team GB, which when played about with a bit and cropped are going to look brilliant. I must remember to write to the Dorking Advertiser with my thoughts and send copies of the best ones. With ticket holders expected at 10am, Coran and I aim to leave around 9.15am. BBC Surrey are broadcasting from the Smith and Western until 5pm, so we will go up there to thank them for all their help yesterday, and interview a few people in the crowd before making our way back to the village hall to see Daphne and her team of helpers and of course Gary in the Post Office. The riders are expected around 2pm, but then I will be so knackered I will just plonk myself by the side of the road in a heap ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Highlight of day one for me was the men's gymnastics. So good to see Team GB third place in qualification, with both the Japanese and the Chinese looking far from top form. But especially proud to see Kristian Thomas qualifying in fifth for the individual all-round event. Loved the swimming too, and caught the gold medal event of the men's archery as well, plus quite a bit of the nerve wracking cycling road race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Beach Volleyball - sure wish the temperatures would warm up. It just isn't right watching contestants all covered up. Krissi Walsh and Misty May, of course are my favorites. It was a good match against the Australians. Krissi and Misty are the best to ever play the sport and are unbeaten so far in 3 Olympics, however, they aren't unbeatable this year. I will be cheering for them to win their 3rd Olympic Gold medal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 The women are on Box Hill - I'm looking for June! ETA: Lots of people - you should have held a BCF banner, June! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 (edited) lady Andrade of Colombia should be thrown out of the Olympics. This is not what the Olympics are all about. A flagrant punch in the face should be grounds for a ban from the games. I am freaking furious!!!! Fans everywhere should call for action from the officials, unless this is the type of sportsmanship that you favor. The U.S. women's soccer team walked away from its second match of the London Olympics with three more points (and six total) in the group stage and one black eye. That's because in the 39th minute, Colombia's Lady Andrade socked U.S. star Abby Wambach in the face. The two were jostling for position as they ran down the ball. Andrade dropped Wambach, who began writhing in pain once she hit the turf in Glasgow. As play continued, no call came from the officials. Edited July 29, 2012 by muggle not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Silver medal in the Women's Road Race! Go, Team GB! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 What a fantastic race! Congrats to Lizzie Armitstead, edge of the seat stuff in the final 500m though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Full of awe for Beth Tweddle's uneven bars routine in the gymnastics - seemed extremely difficult routine to an amateur like me! Fantastic result for the GB women in the team qualification as well, although still some big countries to come this afternoon and evening, but second so far so hoping they can qualify for the team finals too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 The women are on Box Hill - I'm looking for June! ETA: Lots of people - you should have held a BCF banner, June! Now there's a thought - too late now though sadly ! It has though been another amazing day. Once again Coran and I made our way up to the Smith and Western to film the ticket holders going in. The plan was to walk back to the village and then stay in one place for the 2 laps, but as I was standing there filming, a gentleman walked over to me and asked if I wanted a free ticket ! Well I wasn't going to turn that down. The only thing was there were 2 of us, but then one of the stewards offered us another one, so we rapidly emptied out water bottles and scrambled down an extremely muddly slope in the pouring rain to the Donkey Green. Coran hid in the bushes down the ZigZag filming (you are not supposed to do this, so hope this won't be googled), while I walked down to Straw Belle Slope, about a third of the way down the ZigZag. I managed to find a perfect spot right by the ropes and sat and listened to the commentary, looking for the riders as they raced up the lower slopes. The views here were even better than yesterday (as I knew they would be from the Test Race), and the crowd let up a huge cheer as they went past. After it was all complete I crossed the road to take some pictures of Butterfly Bend, the other ticketed area and then made my way back up to Coran at the Donkey Green for a cup of tea and the finish line. A huge cheer went up from the crowd who were viewing it on the big screen, and to get th silver really was the icing on the cake at the end of a fabulous weekend. Coran's video which was supposed to be 15 minutes long is rapidly expanding as she now has almost 6 hours of footage to edit ! During the weekend I took aorund 800 pictures as well, so between the two of us we did really well. Those villagers who went away for the weekend will be kicking themselves when they see what we have done ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Most of the performers were NHS staff. Our doctors and nurses do a fab job (nurses particularly are underpaid for the work they do, imho). We're pretty proud of our NHS, even though it isn't perfect. I watched until 11.30am but I had to be up at 5am for work. I saw the cauldron (wow!) on iPlayer this morning and am now catching up on the bits I missed. I loved it - I was worried it might be embarrassing but it wasn't at all. Well done Danny Boyle. A knighthood must be on the cards now, surely?! I thought it was weird and wonderful (and I was worried too that I'd be cringing). And yes, the NHS doesn't often get the credit it deserves. We are as lucky as anything to have it imho. Well done to Lizzie Armitstead .. that was an amazing race to watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I'm glad you had a good time, June. Lizzie's race was good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Watching a tense match in the badminton at the mo, 1 game each at the mo! Come on Ouseph!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I watched the womens GB hockey match against Japan, nice 4 - 0 win. Bring it on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Ive had the tv on the olympics since it started! just watched the diving and now about to watch mens gymnastics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 What the hell just happened in the men's team gymnastics? When I left the room we'd just won the silver medal, when I came back in we had bronze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Kerri Walsh and Misty May of yhe U.S. were losing in the second set 18 to 15 and pulled it out to win 21 to 19 beating the Czech Republic. They won the first set 21 to 14. What a great team in what is fast becoming a crowd favorite sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I wonder why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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