Olympic Union Flag raising - RAF out of step

[barnstormer1968]

Hi Shack

No, modesty probably isn't one of my biggest treats. But possibly just like fighter pilots there may be some jobs where modest folks tend to come off second best.

I have read your posts for a long while and you seem to have had your fair share of banter, hardships and fun during your service career too. What probably made me really bite are posters who spring forwards with excuses etc when a simple admission of messing up would have been more honest. I have made and make plenty of mistakes, but am the first to not only own up to them but share them with others for the sake of humour (at my expense).

I think that the line 'its hardly front line' was the worst IMHO. I meet up with lots of WW2 veterans as part of one of my jobs, and find the bravery and hardship some of these men faced truly humbling. I love their humour and the magical sparkle in their eyes when they get together to talk over past exploits (the sparkle that temporarily transforms an elderly gent into an 18 year old again, something I find a delight to see). Now some of these fine pensioners have not been in service for 65 years, but they can stay in time when marching on legion parades!......Of course maybe the fact that they fought a long hard and bitter world changing world war makes them a bit more front line than the RAF chap at the Olympics. Who knows.

I will add that the chap involved here is a great bloke (I have been told) and may have bitten the bullet (I know one of his work makes couldn't wait to see him to start the banterathon), but my gripe was the stream of excuses. Sorry if that annoyed you.

[Shack37]

No, modesty probably isn't one of my biggest treats. But possibly just like fighter pilots there may be some jobs where modest folks tend to come off second best.

And are sorely missed by their friends whereas the arrogant ones just disappear.

What probably made me really bite are posters who spring forwards with excuses etc when a simple admission of messing up would have been more honest.

The guy in question was not one of them. Whether it was a mess-up or step adjustment for the terrain is still up for debate.

I will add that the chap involved here is a great bloke (I have been told) and may have bitten the bullet (I know one of his work makes couldn't wait to see him to start the banterathon).

I have no doubt that the banter will be long, imaginative, very funny and involve lots of liquid.

Thanks for your reply.

[Tashengurt]

Good to see they kept it up for the flag lo
wering too.

[Lima Juliet]

Who cares? The Who were bloody brilliant!!!



Plus Roger Daltrey was wearing a roundel, so he can be honourary RAF!

[salad-dodger]

Good to see they kept it up for the flag lo
wering too.

And the prize for predictable pedantry goes to tashengurt. Well done fella, hope you enjoyed the show!

S-D

[Tashengurt]

Only caught the end, what I saw was, like the whole thing, excellent. Come on though, it's just exaggerated walking, why can't anyone seem to manage it?

[unclenelli]

Olympics Overview

Well it confirms the rumours that the 30th Olympiad were NOT drug free!

Amy Winehouse & references to "Trainspotting" in the Opening Ceremony & George Michael and Russell Brand in the Closing Ceremony - to name but a few!

Do Glaxo-Smithkline have to keep their samples for xx years too?


But all-in-all a Bloody good effort by Danny Boyle to portray English-ness across the world. (I suspect an honour will be forth-coming (as well as an elevation to Lord Coe - if possible))
What a playlist.........(of merit):
Jerusalem
Danny Boy
Flower Of Scotland
Bread Of Heaven
Chelsea Pensioners
Grimethorpe Colliery Band
James Bond & the New Bond Girl (what a coup)
The Dambusters March
NHS & GOSH
KAOS
Mike Oldfield
Simon Rattle
The Beatles (as a group & solos)
The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin
Sex Pistols (albeit if they were censored at the Silver Jubilee)
The Prodigy
John Lennon (wish we could have seen more of the mask)
The Kinks
Madness
Queen
Bowie
the models (I thought their trailers would stand up on end)
The Pink Floyd (& Ed Sheeran)
Fat Boy Slim (I wished the Octopus had turned into more Beatles)
Jessie J (I wish I was that body stocking - Tinie Tampah's driver can't reverse in a straight line to save his life!!!)
The Bee Gees
ELO
& Human Cannon
Eric Idle
LPO
LSO
Take That
Spice Girls
The Who
&
Tim Berners-Lee
(although I would have like to have seen (remaining) Queen perform their traditional finale trio of WWRU/WATC&GSTQ for the Closing Ceremony)


Can anyone think of anything DB missed out??????
X Double-Decker buses (can't find cross-out font)
X Black London Taxis
X Chicken Tikka Masala (See Eric Idle)
X Union Jack
X Royalty
X Musical Exports
X Movie Exports
X Industrial Age
X 1914-1918 War
X 1939-1945 War
X Welfare State
X Iraq & Afghan Conflicts
X Human Cannon
more Monty Python
Laurel & Hardy
Chaplin
Fish & Chips (& other regional delicacies - but how would you have done it?)
2011 Riots (hardly worth advertising on a global stage)
Def Leppard (given the recent release of Rock Of Ages)
Ozzy Osbourne (given his global reality series)


I think it was just a shame that a few front-members of certain bands couldn't be there for the show
Dave Gilmour & Roger Waters
Liam Gallagher
Roger Daltrey (earlier)
Paul McCartney (earlier & later) & Ringo Starr
Stones
Led Zep
Bowie
Queen (at start/end of ceremony)
Barry Gibb (Closing Ceremony) - apologies if I'm too premature etc
Evelyn Glennie (closing)

But I DID wonder about the Anthrax Attack on Eric Idle(???) but he did get a 4-letter word into the ceremony. Thought he might have made more of the fat lady singing!


But ultimately (FAO Lord Coe):
Lots of cheer for the Volunteers, but None Whatsoever for the NON-VOLUNTEERS (i.e. Military) Most called at VERY short notice to fullfil YOUR (LOCOG) shortfalll Other than "The people who stood guard to keep us safe" So you lumped us in with the people who volunteered for G4S on minimum wage and failed to turn up!!!!
Thanks for that!!!!

I was not one - I was on PODL
but was almost called back to work pre-PODL because of Op Olympic



But my favourite moment:
Opening Ceremony
The Parade of nations Britain has conquered!