Another post from the back of the cupboard – this one is about Euro 2012, and listening to the commentary as England took on Italy. We were in the car, driving home along an almost empty M25 on the night of the big match.
Originally posted on The Phraser:
Football England’s heart is hopeful in Kiev in 2012. We follow the match on BBC Radio 5 live as we travel the Gatwick stretch of the M25. The noise of the crowd and the commentary pitch through the car. Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Daniele De Rossi attack the English goal.…
In the summer of 2012 I visited Blind Veterans UK. Its story fascinated me…this is what I found.
The logo for Blind Veterans UK
Changing names is never easy. St Dunstan’s has had to move very carefully. Nearly a century old, and trusted by the blind, it shed its name in February to become Blind Veterans UK.
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The Olympics dust off continued…this, again from the early days of The Phraser, was how it felt after the Olympics had happened. I can still remember the vivid switch in mood.
London Olympics 2012
London raised its Olympic hat to the world, and found a new bounce beneath its feet.
The Games ignited the city with music, confidence, competition, and a collection of the most charismatic athletes the world could ever hope for. The fortnight exhausted us and then added new energy.
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Another piece from the early days of The Phraser. This one is my impression of London and the ‘mood’ before the 2012 Olympics. I’ve tidied it slightly but only to shorten a few of sentences.
London Olympics 2012
London’s high performance summer is about to begin. A Henman Hill mood carpets the capital…surprise at having got this far and anxiety about what happens next.
The weather is damp and dreadful – an oppression of rain – a familiar blanket for a public keeping its chin up, and disregarding all logistical odds. This is what Londoners understand – how to create miracles on a soggy island.
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Here’s another piece on Camden Lock Market’s West Yard. It was written in 2012 after a visit to the food stalls. I’d love to know if anyone has fresh news of the food there. There was such a great atmosphere when I visited.
Fresh food in Camden Lock Market’s West Yard
The food stalls in the West Yard of Camden Lock Market last Friday were all sunshine and service. It was a world food experience – a gap year in a lunch-hour…minus the alcohol.
If you have a London ‘to-do’ list that burst with parks, palaces, museums and big stores perhaps you might add Camden Market. It’s a day out to stretch the senses – a break from the big brands.
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Do you remember this film? I found this review back in the early pages of The Phraser so I’ve dusted it off, and am showing it again. The film made me smile so much the first time.
Angels’ Share – a film directed by Ken Loach
Angels’ Share introduces us to a group of Glasgow’s young offenders as they spiral down into nowhere…and then it adds hope, urgent, illogical hope.
It’s a ninety minute diamond of a film, with an age-restriction of 15, some on-your-nose violence, and great publicity for whisky and Irn-Bru. It also shows the meaning of useful compassion, and it feels real.
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Here’s something with fright attached. I remember Felix Baumgartner’s jump so well…we listened to the live broadcast whilst driving into rain on an English motorway.
Garnerin parachutes into London -1802
That was 1802 – a decade over two centuries later the following happens: a huge gossamer balloon floats into the nothing of the stratosphere. Beneath it clings the tiny dot of a capsule, and inside it is an Austrian, Felix Baumgartner, aged 43.
When the balloon reaches 128,000 feet (24 miles) above the Earth, he will step out and drop into the deep.
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My first visit to the food stalls in Camden Lock Market’s West Yard was in 2012. I loved it and a few articles followed. This is one of them.
Camden Lock Market, London
Camden’s markets attract some 15 million visitors every year. This summer we joined the crowd.
Once through the curiosity and distraction of the general stalls and the shoppers, we made our way to the West Yard for food.
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Football 