A few thousand hopefuls, and the coerced, lined the streets of Coupar Angus in East Perthshire to see the Olympic Torch as it meandered its way from Aberdeen to Dundee via Perth. I was there, a lot more excited than I should probably be at my stage in life.
I wandered lonely through the crowds chatting to folk getting a feel of how fortune had smiled on the town 'for a change'.
It was due to come in at 12.20 and by quarter past I was listening to some kids from the local Primary Schools singing a 'Dougie McLean composed for the occasion' song about the joys of Perthshire and the flame going along the Tay ( I heard him and a small choir sing it later on R2 from Scone Palace). Of course the pipe band decided to tune up in the middle of the second verse just in case anyone thought there was much organisation at play.
Then out of the Perthshire countryside came the Police motorcycle outriders with a hand out as they passed the waiting kids and then an entourage of vehicles, some who seemed to have been caught up in the convoy (including a lorry full of chickens on the way to the factory) - a sacrifice to the Gods I wondered. Of course it's crassly commercial with its fizzy drink vans and go-go girls, but when the Torch arrived on the chair of a young totally excited guy with cerebral palsy and was passed on to the next runner in his white running suit, everyone cheering, I forgot all the razzmatazz. As I followed the runners through the street I found myself in touch with that wee boy in me who saw the torch as a sign passed on from the ancients, rather than some CC sponsored thing.
....and as the Torch and its minders headed out of CA and on to Burrelton and beyond folk had a smile on their face, or a drop of cynicism in their voice, but all agreed that it had been a right good day out. I felt honoured to have seen it pass.
I wandered lonely through the crowds chatting to folk getting a feel of how fortune had smiled on the town 'for a change'. It was due to come in at 12.20 and by quarter past I was listening to some kids from the local Primary Schools singing a 'Dougie McLean composed for the occasion' song about the joys of Perthshire and the flame going along the Tay ( I heard him and a small choir sing it later on R2 from Scone Palace). Of course the pipe band decided to tune up in the middle of the second verse just in case anyone thought there was much organisation at play.
Then out of the Perthshire countryside came the Police motorcycle outriders with a hand out as they passed the waiting kids and then an entourage of vehicles, some who seemed to have been caught up in the convoy (including a lorry full of chickens on the way to the factory) - a sacrifice to the Gods I wondered. Of course it's crassly commercial with its fizzy drink vans and go-go girls, but when the Torch arrived on the chair of a young totally excited guy with cerebral palsy and was passed on to the next runner in his white running suit, everyone cheering, I forgot all the razzmatazz. As I followed the runners through the street I found myself in touch with that wee boy in me who saw the torch as a sign passed on from the ancients, rather than some CC sponsored thing.
....and as the Torch and its minders headed out of CA and on to Burrelton and beyond folk had a smile on their face, or a drop of cynicism in their voice, but all agreed that it had been a right good day out. I felt honoured to have seen it pass.
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