On a cold day, bells ring around London to welcome the Games

LONDON: The bad news first. As everyone feared, the city woke up to an overcast sky on Friday morning, accompanied by a light drizzle. That explained why a warm night had suddenly turned chilly, forcing one to look for a blanket. The heart sank. It's opening ceremony day, and some big plans were likely to go awry.
One wondered what was going through the mind of Danny Boyle, or for that matter almost anybody associated with the Games in any way.The good news is such weather is par for the course here. Nothing stops just because it's raining.
In fact, hundreds of spectators went to the Big Ben in the morning and rang bells to welcome the 'greatest show on earth' home.
Gathering one's thoughts for the day's first dispatch, the mind wandered to Lord's, where the Indian archers were going through the paces in the fight for rankings. The weather is a worry but that should not pull them down when the real competition begins on Saturday.
Bolt stays cool with girls and music!
Usain Bolt stares out of the pages of a sports magazine, looking mean and relaxed in green Jamaican fatigues. Bolt's face is everywhere, on every hoarding, in every corner. Surely, even he must be feeling the pressure. Even he must know that there is a mad scramble to watch the 100 metre race, with almost a million people lusting after 80,000 tickets! If that doesn't faze him, the thought of a young Yohan Blake, smiling in a corner, surely will.
The interviewer tries to provoke him: Is Bolt finished? "Is that what they're saying? That's just what the British papers write. The problem for them is too much good is not good. They need some negativity," Bolt says.
Bolt is scared of African killer ants. Is he sacred of Blake, 'The Beast' ? "I'm not scared but the truth is I'm feeling a little bit of nerves or something. I don't wanna lose my medals to Blake or any man," he says.
You also see the funny side of him. What is he focusing on?
"Girls, I guess. Back there before the race there will be guys who stay quiet, and guys who want to talk. I prefer to talk, so I'll talk to any of the Caribbean guys because we know each other and we are cool.
"I'll probably end up talking to Yohan, about girls, cars and music. Anything that takes your mind off the race."
Do that, champ. We'll be thinking about the big one coming up later.