Well, like a lot of the rest of London, if not the UK, or perhaps even the world, I’m suffering a little from an Olympic Hangover! I really did not expect to feel this way, having managed to avoid getting over-excited at the prospect of hosting the Olympics. That’s not to say that I didn’t feel proud that London had the honour of doing this, but I’m not a huge sporting fan, so I have to admit that in early July I felt less excitement than I might have done had this been a bead or ballet festival!
The last two weeks though have been just amazing. Living a little outside London, I’ve been enjoying most of the action from a distance on TV, but the more I watched, the more I felt dragged into the Olympic spirit and the more I began to think it was a shame I hadn’t had the foresight to apply for tickets for something. So, last week I jumped at an invitation from a friend to join him on a trip to Hyde Park to enjoy some action on the big screens. I’m so glad I went – the atmosphere was amazing and the organisation just brilliant. It seemed hard to recognise Hyde Park until one looked around at the familiar landscape and London landmarks like Marble Arch just outside. I think this summed up the Olympic effort in general – friendliness, fun and great organisation all set against the backdrop of a truly amazing city. So I’m feeling very sad that the party had to come to an end – although we do still have the Paralympics to come – and very proud that my home city hosted such a great event.
However, that still leaves me with the hangover…I think there’s only one cure for that – the same cure to which I keep returning when life gets tough: a little beading! I’ve translated these thoughts into an idea for a necklace. I have a deadline for my entry to the British Bead Awards looming at the end of this week, but after that I shall return to this idea and will let you see the results when I’ve finished…hopefully in time for the Paralympics!
One last thought for today: the Olympic spirit of people coming together, forming a community, enjoying a shared love and admiring endeavour, determination and achievement doesn’t have to end though. We can all find those things in different parts of our ordinary lives. I regularly find it through beadwork – how about you?
