FDLondon

Must say that I agree totally with Athensfan's view of the placard bearer costumes; and I think many of them would too. They really weren't particularly flattering or 'wow'... although I guess you could argue that the attention at that point should be on the flagbearer rather than the placard bearer. Part of the problem with the OC is that there were big cuts made to it timewise; there are bits of Green and Pleasant that were supposed to happen in the main show but ended up only being seen during the preshow (e.g. the football morphing to rugby and all the animal tending) and other segments being tweaked up to the final weeks as they worked with timings. I'm not sure any of those helped with cohesion! Incidentally - the flaming bikes that appeared in the Paralympic Closing were originally slated for the Olympics Opening along with the BMXs that were a late cut.

It wasn't quite as strong an effect; but was still definitely in play although possibly primarily more on the Jubilee line that anywhere else. I know certainly if you were wearing accreditation (or pins) people would often try to catch your eye and have a chat about why you were wearing it. I ended up in quite a few interesting conversations that way with families en route to/from the Park in the Paras.

I go to the Diamond League at Crystal Palace on a semi-regular basis (every year that I remember to get tickets before double-booking myself!) and there are quite often some paralympic track events on the Friday night. I think we had 3 races this year.

Olympian - keep looking even when you're in London and, make a sign saying that you'd like a ticket that you can put around your neck. We saw quite a few people during the Olympics hoping for a ticket on the main drag into security who seemed to be having some success. It seems that there were a few (particularly with prelim rounds) who had had friends drop out at the last minute and had a spare ticket with no other way to sell it.

Now you've mentioned it, I recognise it. At the time, I was too busy blubbing!

At the Stadium tonight and the Muse video started up and I noticed the first bit where the years count down was running in reverse with the years running to 2012 The the video montage starts but now it is all made up from 2012 clips. Sure it will appear online soon if it's not up already.

Here's my pic of it on the Stadium screens at the hockey last night. The screens are tough to see in the daylight unless you're at exactly the right angle; it was only as darkness fell that you were really able to see it

I wonder if they handed them out to the delegations beforehand and one country forgot to bring theirs to the Stadium? It is gorgeous when you see it up-close. We were lucky enough to be able to hang around next to it after the Ceremony last night and take pics. It is a massive shame that it will be in the Stadium and not available to others. You'd have thought there would be somewhere suitable; while we were walking through the Park to/from Eton Manor last week, there was a concrete plinth being chipped away by a digger on the other side of one of the Stadium bridges. We'd speculated that it might be where a cauldron would go but it appears not.

No, he said 9PM (and the exhibition is closed then). I suspect he meant that it would be in place on the morning of the 28th for the public to see.

Incidentally, podium level just means the spectator ground level of Stadium Island as a whole. Many cast are held and depart from lower levels. I said 'on to' Podium level and not 'into' anywhere! Just 15 or so hours to go though... and we will all see the full thing for real! Very excited this morning!

I now KNOW where the cauldron will be... They tested it post-dress rehearsal last night and since there were cast members still around and heading home, when we realised what was going on quite a few of us snuck onto the podium level and watched it being lit and then extinguished. So there definitely is a cauldron and it definitely lights... I will say no more! #savethesurprise after all!

There are a couple of very tall zebra crossing type lights outside the stadium so was probably one of those. Sorry Australianfan, it's not. That gap is the VIP section. The back of the Tor has the wrap for sure - I've walked through it; it's at 149/150. The VIP non-wrap starts at about section 104 - they'd be cricking their necks round to 7 o'clock to see anything in that direction. Based on two shaky videos that don't show everything that's going on? There's a reason that the one showing the transformation are category D seats on the night.

Not noticed it being smaller but am getting little default.aspx files downloading occasionally (14 over the past three days) which concerns me since I don't like things being downloaded without being asked. They're obviously not set to auto-open but it concerns me. Anyone know what/why that might be?

No - it's gone. How odd! And sorry, but in my best disciplined volunteer mode, my lips are sealed when it comes to any cauldron(s). You've only got 5 days to wait

The public rehearsals are stopping at the start of the Parade of Athletes so that they can empty the stadium by 10.15pm. And yes, even without Colonel Iredale breathing down our necks, the volunteers are all invested in #savethesurprise

There's a nice touch on them though if you note the coloured strips down the edge of the containers - if you look over the bridge where this sits, they reflect the 'crayon' mooring posts in the River Lea. Or at least, I assume they're supposed to match!

And Baron, your opinion isn't ever so slightly coloured by the fact that Atlanta was the one you were involved in? I do understand that protective instinct! If I am honest, the only bit of either Atlanta Ceremony I could recall before joining here, was Ali lighting the Cauldron whereas others had stuck in the mind more.

- since I KNOW that's public information and immediately apparent to anyone who goes near the Stratford Gate, that doesn't breach anything. I did get told that some of the Technical Gamesmakers have now been asked to monitor forums and social media so wondered if that's where our Colonel popped up from and perhaps doesn't know enough about the show himself to realise what's actually a potential information leak...

Olympian - the Park is still closed to tourists. There are a lot of volunteers (cast and Gamesmakers) wandering around though as well as sponsors' tours etc.

An optimist? ;p

Except when you have the wettest summer on record when the top of the Shard is quite often shrouded in cloud! Just as well he got re-elected then!

I wouldn't go that far. All I meant was that I now know for certain that I'm still within the stadium at the point at which the cauldron is lit - and I'm not facing the audience so I've got more chance of being able to see the cauldron. Where it is and how they actually light it are still mysteries to most, if not all, the volunteer performers.

Except that they did a nationwide beacon-lighting for the Jubilee so would they really do it again 3 months later? They did actually mention the cauldron lighting at today's rehearsal - so I know where I'm standing during it and since I'm facing away from the crowd at that point, I should be able to see it.

The Orbit. At the moment it is the only thing outside the stadium that you can see from inside.

And there's no guarantee that the remaining cast will see it either. They might send us home right at that moment... and then carry on themselves! Hope not. I really do hate to say this (since I know ALL the reasons why it can't be on the Orbit) but from the Royal Box/VIP seats, it does loom fairly largely over the stadium and is very very visible. A lot of it is to do with transport. The Tubes etc aren't running late until Opening night so they are kicking the audience out so that they can all get home. Otherwise, you have 70,000 people trying to get on three night buses from Stratford bus station. And yes, it does mean that the audience leaders won't get to rehearse everything with a live audience. As for how they test stuff that will happen post-audience leaving, that's what they use the cast for during the final rehearsal hours on occasion.