To celebrate the day we surpassed the Chinese in the Olympics medal table (accepting it can’t last but still…) and to acknowledge the joy I experienced working for the Olympics in 2012 in London (the pictures are from then), here is a sonnet I wrote
Team GB
Improbable arcs, they shape with simple grace,
Higher by far than Herculean gods.
They dive, like salmon, in an old millrace,
Fake scaled, in black, mocking friction and the odds.
Four lycra saddlemen of apocalypse,
Impossibly close till they swoop up high,
While a peacock prepares his triptych blitz,
Both men and gravity does he defy.
Water, earth and air limit simple men,
But those honed gods are made of sterner stuff.
After four toiling years, they reach a point when
Their efforts lift the fog, they’ve done enough
To know what has been their goal all along:
To leap higher, go faster, and be strong.
This is magnificent, Geoff. For all Olympians…
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Thanks Noelle it’s been fun to watch and write
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Fabulous! And the opening ceremony – pure class! Although not as classy as your poem, of course.
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You are very kind
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A great tribute to our Olympians who are doing so well so far!!
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Loving it
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Brilliant, Geoff and in the great spirit of the Games 🙂
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Thanks Esther
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Smashing, Geoff. Brings London2012 and those wonderful few weeks, back.
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Loved it then love it now!
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Thank you Willow
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😁
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Love it! I wondered how you were taking in the Olympics given your close proximity to the London games last go. I found US coverage too US focused to I went to the BBC and found it suffers, too. Well, not US focused, but one-country. I thought it appropriate that Fiji won rugby! But they don’t have Olympic cricket, do they?
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No cricket yet. There’s a form of cricket called twenty 20 and would be perfect. One day
And yes coverage is myopic isn’t it?
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I still don’t understand cricket! 🙂 But see, if it were at the Olympics, I might learn…
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mazing, can’t believe you were that close to bolt!
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I know lucky boy
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Great poem, Geoff. I particularly liked this line: “Water, earth and air limit simple men,”. Fantastic. To these limitations, I’ll also add TV, electronics and procrastination.
I haven’t kept up with the medal rankings and am still basking in day 1 when Australia was at the top.
We’re currently watching the 50K walk and we’re in the lead going for gold with 5 km to go at 12.20 AM. Got to see the end of this race and yet we have a reasonably early start. Geoff and the lad are off to a scout hike and the lad will be hiking and camping overnight and taking his own food. Miss off to play her violin at the Opera House on Monday night. I think I’m about to clock off for a few months and head to a deserted island.
Hope you have a great weekend!
xx Ro
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I’m off to Finland of all places. Hope the soused herring is fresh
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Finland sounds great. Not sure about the herring. I had rollmops in Germany and will stick with my Vegemite.
I doubt know whether you’ve been to Suvi’s blog at all but it might be helpful. She lives in Finland. At least, I think she does. https://mrssuvi.com/2016/08/12/share-your-world/
xx Ro
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Thanks
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