Thespian THOUGHTS

by Ralph Oswick

Olympics

Much excitement this week! We were given a VIP tour of the Olympic Park in Stratford. And very impressive it is too. Even our least sporty chum, who has been known to stand with his back to the telly during a cup final, was seen taking snaps of the amazing buildings that are springing up on what was an industrial wasteland not many months ago.

We got to view the main stadium and learnt that its intricate tubular construction is actually made of left over gas pipes. We saw the aluminium roof of the aquatic centre being moulded into elegant curves on site and heard about the thousands of newts that have had to be re-homed. We saw the so-called soil hospital where the cyanide and other hazardous chemicals are sieved out in the big clean-up and were told that every air-con unit on site has had to be inspected for detonators prior to being fitted, just in case some forward-looking terrorist has got there first.

We saw thousands of flats being built for the athletes, trees being planted by the forest-load and specially selected wild flowers already blooming on the banks of the previously dead River Lea. We were told that many of the buildings will be re-used, recycled or even moved to other sites after the games. Whole arenas will apparently be unplugged, folded up and carted off to become community facilities elsewhere.

Later, we went to the Olympics office way up in a shiny tower block in Canary Wharf to view the whole complex from above. Far in the distance construction workers busied away like the proverbial ants and the Olympic dream seemed to be growing before our very eyes. What’s more, they reckon it’s on time! Some of it is even ahead of time. What? Can this be Britain we wondered? Was that a rare surge of national pride manifesting itself or just vertigo?

Mind you, it says something about our times that the bit that is done, dusted and about to open first is the spectacular shopping centre. Never mind if the running track doesn’t get finished or the opening ceremony doesn’t quite match up to the extravagant goings-on in Beijing, at least there will be a gleaming new Waitrose for us to hold up to the world!

BATH CHRONICLE