Certain events in life - your first kiss, passing your driving test - only come around once, and when they do it's hard to not get swept up in all the excitement and hype. Later on in life, of course, you'll discover that hype is sometimes just the younger brother...

With the tremendous irony that is so typical of London the ever-present rain disappeared just in time for the final dress rehearsals before the opening ceremony today. Why not wear layers and layers of synthetic material when it's 28 degrees? The stadium is ready, the park looks amazing, athletes have...

Before this week's rehearsal I was invited to my friend's British citizenship ceremony. Originally from Australia Bruce (he would be called Bruce, wouldn't he?) had been living in London for the last eight years but recently decided to become Her Majesty's latest loyal subject. And he wasn't the only one....

There comes a point in every Olympic volunteer's life when you just can't help wondering precisely what mood elevator Gene Kelly was on when he wholeheartedly belted out his signature Singing in the Rain whilst happily splashing through puddle after puddle. Because the reality is that after countless rehearsals for...

From Big Ben's traditional role in our New Year's Eve celebrations to the hard-to-miss Olympic Torch relay, everyone loves a good countdown. Let's face it, half the Olympic media coverage is made up of stories marking milestones such as '100 days to go to the Games' or, in my case...