Mary's Blog

It’s not quite over yet – the Paralympics are still to come – but I just need to say how proud it feels to be British after such a wonderful Olympic Games. I felt so uplifted, especially after the breathtaking closing ceremony – yet another fine celebration of Britain’s cultural influence on the World.

Triumphant Ennis after Heptathlon Gold

I never, ever thought I would become a “couch potato”, but my curiosity, then desire to watch ‘Mo’ and Jessica, mushroomed into a compulsive binge to consume as much BBC Olympic coverage of our athletes as possible. What excitement! What a feast! I don’t normally follow sporting events.

What a joy to witness the skill and sportsmanship of these and other athletes. From mountain biking, road racing, sailing, athletics, equestrian events; I was rooting for them all of the way! By the way, where did all those cheering and flag waving millions lining the roads come from?

The impact from the drama, excitement and pure pleasure on the British psyche has been phenomenal. What a powerful unifying force for our nation! Athletes of all creeds and colour striving for a common goal: to give their best for Great Britain, pumping patriotism to an all time high with it. Let’s hope we can harness all these positive vibes through these difficult economic times.

Hull’s Olympic boxing champion – Luke Campbell

Kingston-upon-Hull’s own Luke Campbell – gold medal bantam weight boxing Olympian – will receive further accolades when he returns home. What a hero!

Psychedelic Olympic Stadium

Hats off to Danny Boyle’s Olympic ceremonies. What proud moments so skillfully executed. I loved the psychedelic and special effect lighting in the closing ceremony. And did anyone spot the sudden appearance of a tightrope walker? Imagine the stress of performing that feat in time with the rest of the show. Timed to perfection.

John Lennon’s Imagine, as you have never seen it before

John Lennon’s Imagine was a touching nostalgic note too along with the Who and other pop bands… one of our strongest cultural exports. Britain’s lasting impression on the World. And where did the octopus spring from? Magic! The athletes seemed to be enjoying the free concert in the centre.

I was amazed that over seventy thousand volunteers participated in the Games and was glad to see their recognition heartily applauded. Their good nature and humour said it all.

Now it’s over to the Paralympics and then off to Rio. We wish them all the very best. Looking forward to it.

That’s the only description I can muster for the magnificent presentation of the Opening Ceremony of the British 2012 London Olympics – a superb portrayal of our very own sense of Britishness.

Britain’s pastoral heritage portrayed at the London 2012 Olympics

I wonder whether the thousands of excited international visitors in the audience fully understood the sheep reference and its relationship to the British and its laws! As an island nation, the extensive permanent grassland, moorland, and woodland pastures enabled relatively large numbers of animals to be kept, encouraging the development of pastoral farming in the 13th century. Just one century later, sheep farming had emerged as a cornerstone of foreign trade and national policy through wool exports to Europe. Common law, a pillar of the British legal system, stems from the rights of tenants and others to graze their livestock on the Lord of the Manor’s or public land known as a “commons“, which gave rise to the term “commoner“. The House of Commons was traditionally composed of commoners. So although it may seem frivolous to portray Great Britain through its pastoral heritage, sheep truly did play an instrumental role in shaping British society from the 13th century through to the Industrial Revolution.

We are truly a melting pot of nations and influences when you consider the progressive integration of cultures over the last two millennia – the Romans (Italians), the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes (Germans), the Vikings (Danes), the Normans (French, descendents from the Vikings!) and more recently the post-war colonial integration of Pakistanis and Indians. It’s this mix that gives us our sense of humour and self-derision. After all that history of invasion, we tend not to get too excited about things and just get on with life, come rain or shine.

Mary Poppins at the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony

And as if it needed proving, Mary Poppins preceded the Queen and James Bond in their respective heavenly descents into the magnificent stadium. What a good “sport” the Queen was to agree to such an “escapade” and what a joy to receive her welcoming tribute to the Opening of the Games.

The Queen parachutes in style to open the London 2012 Olympics

The 2012 Olympic celebration is vastly different from the one I experienced with my family in Munich in 1972. My memories of that event are just as fond, even though we witnessed at first hand the horror of the terrorism that was to develop over the following decades.