boat a lady played music on a harp. The lounge and cabins were so comfortable in such tranquil surrounding. With the London Assembly as a backdrop outside the “Scoop” at More London, where packed audiences watched 600 London school children perform a new song written by the award-winning British traditional singer Sam Lee to celebrate the tenth year of the Kids’ Choir, followed by choirs from across the UK singing in a unique massed choir concert on behalf of Water Aid. The Thames sailing barge “Lady Daphne” recreated history by sailing through the Festival site on this historic vessel and causing Tower Bridge to lift several times. I could not help recalling how frustrating it is when you are stuck there in the traffic as the bridge opens and yet looking through the tourist’s eyes it is a wonder to behold. With the Union flag flying from one side of the top walkway and St Georges flag flying on the other side, no other city on earth can look so majestic and beautiful. Tower Bridge is mistakenly “recognised” throughout the world as London Bridge. Next time I get caught in my cab trying to cross over it I will think of the wonderful excitement this open bridge creates. Funny how we can travel far and wide and yet can we honestly say we have seen anything better than this? Looking out at the Pool of London I noticed some barges having BargeDriving Races. Teams competed with each other in this impressive race, requiring both skill and strength. I noticed one of the barges was displaying the RMT sign. Could Bob Crow possibly be one of the rowers on the left wearing a cap? There was so much to see and do in this two day event that after spending all day on Sunday cramming in as much as I could possibly do, I felt there were plenty
of other things I didn’t have time to see. As the evening sky grew dark, it was time for the Night Carnival which brought together over 1,500 dancers, drummers and masqueraders with Soca music and Brazilian Latin on the menu to welcome Rio as the next Olympic City. The parade made its way from the starting line at Upper Ground, then across Blackfriars Bridge and along the Embankment where a firework finale ended the evening.
One thing I think we can all agree on, even with the downturn in work during the Olympics, is that 2012 has been an exciting year, beginning with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee; the Olympics and the Paralympics; and it has made London, the great city that it is, the place for us all to be proud of once again. ■ Roger Sligo
31