Olym Pic

Couldn't be anything else today.

An early start (early for me) to beat the road closures and to get set up with a good vantage point to see the flame flutter by. The marshalls and police and medics had taken over the canteen by 7am and we sat in on their briefing. Or, at least, I sat listening to the briefing waiting for them all to clear out so's I could get a caffeine kick and a free breakfast doubler.

The schoolkids were bussed in and the crowds began to gather an hour before the main event and by the time Gerry Malone came smiling by there were hundreds upon hundreds lining the road to cheer him on.

The police warm up team did a great job of firing up the crowd with the majority of them high-fiving all the hands thrust out to them as they crawled by on their motorbikes. The gratuitous but most likely necessary sponsors came along next before the people this was all about faced the appreciative audience.

I've heard a lot of mumping and moaning today about not having any interest whatsoever in the Olympics or the Olympic Torch and I can understand that; I've no pressing interest in it either. I do, though, have a great admiration for all of the flame carriers and all of their various back stories to them being nominated to take part. Seeing the pride in their faces as the crowd rose to the occasion, hearing the cheers, seeing the smiles and the frantic flag waving of the hundreds of kids today and knowing that they'd remember this day for the rest of their lives was instantly infectious. And it fair knocked the skeptical stuffing out of this apprentice curmudgeon.

Five hours later, I did it all again a few miles away in Falkirk.

But, Alloa was better.

The story of the day in pictures

PS: Well done Josh on your leg of this today in Cumbernauld, you did your family and Dodge proud.