From the archives (very recently added!): The Olympic Torch

Thursday, July 26: This morning we held our last class session, save for the final.  We encouraged the students to gather their thoughts, to think about things they have learned and can use that relate to their work as artists and practitioners, to their intellects and their understanding of the world, as well as to their spiritual lives.  There’s plenty to process, and much to gain.  We are hoping, we are suspecting that that most all of them are well along that road.

LDS chapel, Exhibition Road

There were some nice book presentations.  We got (co-director) Tom rolling on one of his equivalents to the Japanese golfer joke, which he was actually able to finish.  We talked about this and that, and maybe finished things up effectively.  It’s what happens outside of the class, isn’t it?

Torch day!  Earlier we’d looked at some of its various routes, and were trying to figure out what and how to do.  Some of the gang wanted to wait until it passed by the (BYU) London Centre on the north side of Hyde Park.  Others wanted to catch the torch earlier as it went through Holland Park.  

Spencer and I decided do both.  I'm glad we did!  We left Mum and Matt and Claire to explore in the Science Museum, and walked/bussed our way west over to the park.  We were about an hour early, I’d say, and though there was quite a crowd up there where the walkway turned to the left past the bandstand, underneath the trees at the south end of the park there was actually quite a bit of room.  We tried this spot, then shifted a few yards up to that spot, in the shade of a tree, and right exactly on the route.

Himself

It was nice to wait, and chat, and look around.  There were lots of cheerful people there, most all of the different kinds that you could imagine.  There were lots of police constables and event staff and volunteers too.  

In case you were wondering, and this continues to be one of Spencer’s top priorities, numerous dogs were also out in force. 

After a relaxed passage of time, marked by nice glimmers of glancing on-location camaraderie, a smiling young woman dressed in a white track suit came along with an unlit torch.  

She stopped just past us to wait.  People flocked around her.  I invited Spence to go over and see what was happening, or touch the torch.  He declined, out of a natural reserve, and because he was happy where he was. 

 A few minutes later another more serious looking young woman arrived with her torch aflame.  

The second one ignited the torch of the first one, and on they went.  

There was lots of cheering, the inevitable big people butting in and getting in the way of all of the nice youngsters, and the also inevitable fact that these things come and go so quickly.  Maybe it was for that reason that the arrival and departure of these Olympic (and corporate) emblems were so fun.  Spencer clearly thought so.  I agreed, absolutely.

We went to Tesco to grab a snack, then got on the bus to Notting Hill Gate.  We got off and were making our way east when what should we see but Matt’s striped shirt, and who should we see but our family and half of the BYU students.  That was cool.  Drew was there too, which means that Spencer and I were able to enjoy our private time, and then all of us were able to enjoy it together.  There was no one waiting on the street, but after ascertaining that the torch was indeed on its way, the students went over and grabbed the best spot and settled in for the duration.  

 After much lightheartedness (cheering every bike that passed by, to an amusing range or responses) and a bit of waiting, the outliers started to arrive.  Busses with big speakers and loads of dancing young people, policemen—one had a Queen Elizabeth mask on—people telling us to get back, and other telling us to make some noise.  Now they actually isolated a lane, and let some pedestrians on the street to form the other side of the friendly gauntlet.  There were our youngsters with their tons of cameras, and lots of evidence of a community having been created.  Wonderful.  “Torch!  Torch!” they chanted.

Now came this third torch wielding runner.  Here he is.  There he goes.  (No photos.  Instead of recording, we were experiencing.)  "Four more years!" went the students.  We were all excited, and then we all went on our way.  Again, terrific.

We took a very leisurely walk through the park.  We went through the beautiful gardens by Kensington Palace.  Hollie V. had talked this morning about reading The Secret Garden in England, and how the book’s botano-mania finally made sense to her.  Ditto.  These places are such a nourishment!  It was warm, but there was also, somehow, a cool breeze that moved through the heat.  It was very pleasant to make our way back together.