Sunday 20 May 2012

That Torch Moment

So OK. I do in fact stagger down the road to the village main street yesterday in order to see what is going on wiv that Torch Running stuff.

Quite a lot of people be assembled along the road. Mucho children with flags to wave. People in jolly mood amidst the bunting and union jacks, waving and cheering every vehicle that goes past. Cycles, vans, cars, the No. 2 bus... at one point an articulated lorry goes past and gets considerable cheers. Rumour has it that the driver be holding up his cigarette lighter with flame in the spirit of the moment.

After some time the numerous police motorbike outriders start goin past... then the police vehicles... then the Met Police vehicles... Then Boom! Bang! The Official Torch Relay Bus bearing its Gold "Moment to Shine" mission statement.... and containing the next-in-line torch bearer already clutchin a torch....The Sponsors vehicles... a Red Coca Cola thing like a carnival truck, dishing out plastic frisbee type "lids" to the kids.... Blue Samsung truck with cheerleader dancers dishing out inflated plastic rod things to the kids. Dunno what they be for but said "Samsung" in large letters. Both vehicles be booming out microphoned exhortations for us all to wave and patronising us wiv "Jolly good show there" type comments... (This did prompt a rude gesture from The Old Man.. but I don't think he made it to the telly.) ... Then off they all Boomed down the street. And I do stand around there and begin to think... "Where's the Torch then? Is they not running this bit?"
But after a while more outriders and police vehicles do come along, Met Police Bodyguard type people..... and finally... a woman carrying a Torch, bless her. We do clap as she do wend her comparatively lonely way at the end of this palavering shindig.

What a lark!

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