The Olympic games - has it really been a year?!

Has to really been a year since the start of the Olympics and Paralympics? REALLY? 

It seems like only yesterday that the 'Queen' parachuted from a helicopter into the stadium, Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won the first gold medal in the rowing, Jessica Ennis Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford took golds on Super Saturday, Tom Daley demanded a re-dive after flashes distracted him and Jonnie Peacock beat his hero Oscar Pistorius  in the 100m. Amazing times. 

Now I am the first to admit I was an Olympic grump pre the games starting. The stadium was literally on my doorstep (I lived in Bow) and I just saw it as a huge hassle. In the weeks leading up to it roads round me were closed and we couldn't even park on our street. Plus it was impossible to get a full nights sleep as helicopters would be flying overhead until 4am. 

And I was dubious that London, especially the transport system, would be able to cope with the sheer volume of people descending from all over the world. 

But from the moment the opening ceremony started I went and cut myself a large slice of humble pie and got stuck in. I was sold. We were going to be amazing. 

For the opening ceremony I threw a party. The excitement levels were high, we drank a lot, playing a drinking game as the nations came out. But the rules of the drinking game got lost in translation… Was it drink a shot if you'd been to the country? Or drink a shot if you hadn't? We ended up pretty much drinking a shot for every country that came out. Messy. 

We oohed and ahhed as the fireworks went off and as everyone left to get the last tubes, my friend Stephen and I wanted to get in the middle of the party atmosphere. So we headed to Bow Road station, bottle of fizz in hand. Once there we directed tourists to wherever they wanted to go. Helpful, we thought. But in hindsight, with the amount we'd had to drink, who knows where we were directing them too? Poor tourists. 

The Olympic games were officially open and we exceeded expectations. The atmosphere in London was amazing. Travelling on the tube with Canadian hockey team became normal, as did actually smiling at fellow tube passengers! 

Then came the Paralympics. I was lucky enough to go to one of the games. The atmosphere was electric, it was the most amazing night.

It seems mad that it was all a year ago. If only we could have the games every year!

Do you wish it could happen all over again?!