Glen the Lifeboat and the Olympic Torch

Forgot Difficult to get a decent shot of the Olympic Torchbearer Elen Evans coming through due to the agressive scrummage of small kids and old ladies that wasn't mainly arms, flags and cameras, but I did video the torch being launched aboard the Beaumaris RNLI Atlantic 85 lifeboat Annette Mary Liddington and have uploaded that to my YouTube. Some shots of the lovely Elen as well as other shots of the RNLI are on my Blipfolio.

After an overnight in Bangor the torch relay set off from Beaumaris Castle this morning just after 07:00. Very decent of the organisers to start just 50 yards from our little house, meaning we could stay in bed late and saunter down last minute (the well-intentioned but essentially just big-talk about 05:00 fishing never happened).

In the matter of a few hours the relay would run down the Menai Straits in the company of RNLI RIB's with an accompanying flotilla and RAF helicopter escort (William as pilot perhaps?), before eventually heading up Snowdon with Chris Bonnington (though I think he cheated slightly and took the train) and then on to Chester. Pretty impressive logistics all round though I thought - including the weather.

The picture here by the way, is the full RNLI crew awaiting the torch arrival and prior to the RIB launch. Grinning and looking straight at me is our good friend Mr Glen Warburton resplendent in his full lifeboat gear and survival suit - just after I bellowed across to him to come over a bit closer. It's not the best shot, but it makes me smile that he looks so happy.

After this, I dashed back to Knutsford, donned full work mode and went to a day long seminar at Staffordshire University about the Canals & Rivers Trust.

I think I desperately need to get my life planned-out better.