The Olympic torch departs

Bud got me up when there was a 5 in the time and we dressed silently and slipped out at 0605. I arrived at school at ten past, with all my lucky colleagues, including Emma Puddle and Lewis Puddle, a good showing from our old Alma Mater. A thousand schoolchildren are due to see off the torch from Fratton Park football stadium and experience some sideline events. Here is the ground at 0615 where lots of security personnel were wandering around and the car park (with burger vans) was filling up.

Schedule

Be seated by 0645

Local dance performance and workshop. They were quite energetic and we had to join in in the stands. The 2 large areas of white things are little flags as made by thousands of local schoolchildren: not sure if they survived the rain.

Pompey Music Service Singathlon project. A large lady made the choir sing while the men from the BBC shoved microphones and cameras at them.

Flame arrives 0729, the Lord Mayor did a speech in his funny costumes and the newspapers took photos. I got 3 blurry photos of the mayor but like the parable of the girlies with the oil lamps, my old and tired camera battery died at this point so I didn't actually record the flame itself. Luckily, the BBC man recorded it and I have put a big red arrow on it pointing right at me! I have a red coat.

Flame leaves 0734,

Young Portsmouth Poet Laureate performs.

Breakfast with Linvoy Primus: I had orange juice and a healthy cereal bar.

Sports challenge and street dance in the car park. I learnt a new and exciting dance routine with many jumps and kicks.

I got a specially printed souvenir, map of the route and ticket.

0830: go to school. This was a let-down in comparison but you can't win them all.

At Jofs' instigation I had a shower before going to Beavers so I could crash out at 730 if required. I said I never get tired, we'll see.

At Beavers we had biscuits, games with prizes and a balloon fight. I now own Elton John orange plastic star specs and also Groucho Marx glasses'n'tache combo, so now have ready disguises, and I don't have to go back until September, although that's a bad thing. I had a bit more food and was abed for 830.
The Torch ran to Brighton (where it met the Drizzlekicks again) and out of our lives forever. But (use Eddie Murphy shout here) I was there, man, yeah! I made it count, baby, I was the man, I wuz, wzwz....snore zzzzzzzzz