In Which The Old Man Fails To Buy A Stamp

So it be that we live quite close to the proud town of Penzance what do have a Gold Olympian quite early on. Putting aside groans about Olympic Hoo-Ha, The Old Man looks forward to his special issue stamp with picture of  Helen Glover. He do ask for several days running at the Post Office he do use (4 miles from Penzance) who do wait expectantly then ring up Royal Mail and so on. But no stamps arrive. Eventually Royal Mail tells our sub-Post Office that they ain't going to be sent any Helen Glover stamps.

The Old Man stomps off in high dudgeon.
If they can't supply our Post Office when all around are receiving theirs... so be it. No stamps bought then.

This Summer....Oops Shouldn't Have said That...

But tell me... are you looking forward to... you know what? That "event"... up country... Soon... new buildings... lotsa people running around and jumping up and down and some others watching it all? If they got tickets? If they can get past the army to get in? If the missile launchers don't suffer an error of launchment? If the trains/coaches/buses/taxis can get them there? If their picnic lunch is not confiscated on the way in and/or they do not die of thirst if they do not wish to drink soda/coke?

You think I am being extreme, don't you. But I must be careful which words I use at the moment. Leastways, I suppose if I be in business I have to be careful. You can see the list of words and visuals that businesses around the country cannot use at the moment by way of promotion... in this article from The Independent a couple a days ago. Oh Deary Me. Who would be a Beauty Salon trying to advertise their special offer on "Summer Bronzing Sessions"... or a travel firm flogging "Summer 2012 trips to London"... or a computer shop offering "Golden Deals on PC Games"?

So just in case you be thinking that the Olympics be a symbol of all things sporty and fair-minded and international....
Silly Billy! They's not a symbol. They's a trademark.

"...A Childhood Memory Crying Out..."

Mmmm. I do indeed go to St Ives yesterday. And glad to catch that exhibition and the exhibitions accompanying it at Millennium Gallery in Street-an-Pol. Even more delightful to silly old me... is to brave it into Dragon's Hoard in the same street, a tiny shop crammed with tiny things... not least lead soldiers, figures, vehicles and so on. I just can't resist acquiring these... two Land Girls and a Nurse.
Whaddya think?

And of course it must be in the air... cos today the Danny Boyle Olympic Opening Ceremony plans have been unveiled. A vision of rural Britain "...the green and pleasant land. It is something that still exists, and something that cries out to all of us like a childhood memory...." How lovely.

Oh! By the Way. God Rest Manor Garden Allotments. And those other bits of the green and pleasant land that got built over.

See? I's still grouchy.

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!

A Little Light On The Subject

As you can imagine, things are heating up round here. Cos West Cornwall sees the start of the Olympic Torch Bearing thingy which sets out from Lands End this Saturday. As it happens... the Torch will go through this village, as through many others around the land. So... the verges are cut (watch out you untidy bluebells and cow parsley). And yellow and black bunting is strung along the route wherever the Bearers get out of the car to start running.
Quite sometime ago, the Village Newsletter did ask that villagers who come and support this event bring flags to wave and be dressed in something "sporty". Some do say that some website or other has specified that these sporty clothes should also be yellow, but maybe that be just rumour. Whoever knew that the colour for Olympic celebration be yellow?
The Old Folks Home down the way is bedecked with general jolly coloured bunting... I wonder if they realise how unofficial that be. I read that some shops who have decorated their windows with Olympic logos etc have been chastised for infringement of copyright and told to remove the display. The University of  Derby had to take down specially printed banners too. Heavens we all have to be careful in our Olympic Spirit.
Our main road will be closed of course so we can't be going anywhere. I hear that the road around Culdrose Naval Air Base is due to be closed for the Friday night on to Saturday also. That means nobody from the Lizard peninsula will be going anywhere either on account you can't easily avoid that road to get out of The Lizard.

What a lark, eh?