Evening all ….

After the peace and quiet of yesterday, much more action today. Importantly, I now know where to go to get my meal ticket. And where to go to make a cup of tea when I get there in the morning - important. A few other fellow Games Makers have found it as well and that seems to be shaping up as our informal meeting place. Our boss Anna found us. So did Marie-Claire - her first day as a Games Maker and her first day in the Olympic Park. Hats off to Marie-Claire for finding us ….. it really is a maze round the back where the common folk live and she could have been wandering around all day. Anna asked me to take her on a quick tour of the park so she could get her bearings …… more of Marie-Claire later.

Anna left me up at the hospitality centre today. You need to know for later that this looks out on the Olympic Stadium. And at the back, over a road and a bridge, there's the Olympic Village [the photo is of the Team GB block] and the basketball arena. Job's the same. Basically try to be helpful and smile a lot when the bendy-buses deliver VIPs. ["VIPs" in Olympic land includes "Marketing Partners" for all the money they've stumped up]. Pretty slow start and two bendy-busses were parked up. Suddenly a flashy black unmarked police van drew up beside me. "Danish royalty are on their way" said the driver. "You can't park those buses here". And off he went. Unfortunately leaving me with a problem. I know I was a bit boastful yesterday about despatching a bendy-bus [no come-back on that by the way] but I chickened out here. Now I wonder what the drivers would have said if I'd asked them "Sorry to bother you chaps. But would you mind awfully if you drive your buses around for an hour or so with no-one inside?". The name's just come to me ….. Sergeant Wilson from Dad's Army. Now HE would have asked that question perfectly. I was fast heading towards Corporal Jones "DON'T PANIC. DON'T PANIC". Fortunately Anna came round the corner at that moment, saw me twitching a lot and took the problem away. [And solved it effortlessly in seconds].

In a while, a cavalcade of cars drew up, lots of big men in shades got out. So did a couple and their children. They disappeared into the hospitality centre while the big men stayed with us and looked menacing. Other dignitaries of one sort or another arrived during the day. One of them collared me on the way out to say that it was stupid that they [important people] couldn't just walk over the bridge to the basketball arena via the Olympic Village. And knowing that they couldn't do that, even more stupid that we didn't have transport ready and waiting to take them there. [It was USA v France this afternoon I think]. I could understand why she - someone connected to the IOC - felt like that and tried to sympathise and understand. The only solution I could offer was "If you've got a driver, you're welcome to wait here. Otherwise I'm afraid it's a walk the long way round". She was actually fine about it and set off on a long walk.

But I had exactly the same routine with someone else a few minutes later. Someone told me afterwards that he was a French government minister. "Sniffy" is a polite way to describe his attitude. He just made a call and waited in silence until his car turned up. I shouted out "Hope America beat you" as he drove off. He stuck a finger up out of the car window. [Didn't really but it's a nice thought].

One other little thing about that bridge into the Olympic Village. It's single lane, drive on the left. Apart from another enormous cavalcade of cars - this time American. Clearly someone very important going to the basketball. The first car turned left onto the bridge but drove on the right. Everyone else followed. We can't see what's on the other side but they clearly couldn't get through it. Everything suddenly stopped and they were just stuck there for a few minutes. Then there was a pantomime of cars reversing and bumping over the kerb in the middle to get to the other side.

Told you about pins yesterday. I still haven't got any [no surprise there then] and didn't see Dean much so don't know how he's getting on. I'll keep you informed though. But Marie-Claire ….. we'll have to keep an eye on her. Just out of uni and about to start work as a primary school teacher. Someone casually mentioned the importance of "Pins" to her and she's going for it. Still hadn't got any when I left but was making plans and identifying her main opposition amongst other Games Makers. One other thing about Marie-Claire. When I left, she had a clipboard AND a radio. ON THE FIRST DAY!! Complete rookie to radio operator in a single day. Headteacher by the time's she's 30 I reckon.

Well that was today in the Olympic Park. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Watch this space ….. Ken