Let the Games begin

It's the day before the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Vancouver is completely BUZZING! Roads are closed, flags are flying ... visitors and officials and TV crews are everywhere. Today the olympic torch came to Tri-cities - it was fun trying to get across the main through route to get to the station!

On my twice daily Downtown walk between Waterfront station and the COL office I see a sea of turquoise and lime green - yes my favourite colours ... but also the favourite colours of the President of VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee) and therefore the colour of the anoraks of all the thousands of volunteers who have come to help assist the visitors and athletes and pick up litter and provide security and welfare services and transport and so it goes on. Vancouver is always multi-lingual but as I pass people in the Downtown streets I hear Spanish and french and half a dozen other languages I can't even recognise. This is the second olympics games that I have lived through and the organisation of such a mamoth event still astounds me.

The sad thing is the weather - we are scheduled for more rain this week and this weekend - which is a real pity because not only will everyone get wet but they won't see Vancouver in all it's glory. And there is a big problem with lack of snow on the north shore mountains - no problem at Whistler but nearer to the lower mainland the snow line is just too high and all they have been getting is a nasty mix of snow and rain. Apparently VANOC have been bringing in snow and shoring up some of the moguls with straw bales.

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics were great because we were part of it, but we think Vancouver will put on a fantastic show and we can't wait for the opening ceremony on tomorrow - even if I do only get to watch it on TV!

I just wish I had a Union Jack to fly on my car or put in the front window like all the Canadians are doing. GO UK GO!