A whole lotta sh*t

Did you see the Olympic closing ceremony today?

As with everything at these hugely exhilarating Games, the Chinese bits were excellent.

Having been on leave for the past two weeks and with the three of us not being able to go too far, I've seen almost all the coverage and loved it.

Like so many others, I've been delighted (and pleasantly surprised) at the performance of Team GB. Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe even won his bet after Great Britain finished one ahead of Australia in total medals won. Brilliant stuff.

I've also been very excited about London 2012 and actually signed up to be a volunteer shortly after the bid was successful three years ago.

But I was far from impressed with the London segment in today's closing ceremony. Three years in the planning, two and a half million pounds spent and what's the best they can come up with? A plastic bus, a street theatre group, a reality TV show winner, a sweaty rocker and a part-time footballer more at home on the catwalk than on the pitch. At least we were spared the sight of his talentless and joyless wife.

Aunty Vicky and Uncle John joined the Whites and our telly in the garden for an Olympic barbecue. And we made the best of it. But it was hard (mainly for the others because of my sullen mood).

I mean, did you see the concert which followed the closing ceremony? We were promised the best of British. And what did we get? Myleene Klass and Zoe Salmon's massively informative views on people who run and jump. And McFly plugging their new single.

For me the Olympic Ideal has always been about the pursuit of excellence. From a British point of view - and with the exception of Mayor Boris Johnson's brief cameo which I thought was hilarious - all we got today was a sea of mediocrity, and that's putting it kindly. I really hope the bar is raised over the next four years otherwise we're set for national humiliation.

In the meantime, perhaps tomorrow I'll cheer up - but I can't guarantee it.

UPDATE: I did lighten up a little later on (mainly because I'd had a few) and decided to sing to Jamie. Aunty Vicky took a pic and thought you might like to see it. Perhaps some things are more important than the Olympics.