The Olympic flame arrives in Worthing and our Olympic story begins

The build up to the London 2012 Olympics started in this household some time ago, back in March 2011 when the very first round of ticket sales started. We applied for a wide range of tickets, both popular and unpopular events, and to our disappointment we didn't receive any at all. We were then however eligible for the second round of tickets, and with a 6am start we were able to purchase six tickets to events that, although not our first choices, meant that at least we would be watching something.

Then about a month ago, as people began to re-sell their unwanted tickets, small numbers became available. Since then, Ram has spent most of his time, day and night, with the ticket sales screens loaded onto the computer, constantly hitting refresh. His dedication has paid off, and we have found ourselves the lucky owners of quite a few tickets to some really good events, including the football final, track cycling at the velodrome, athletics and swimming finals and the Closing Ceremony. Most of our tickets are in the lowest price band, with the logic that we'd rather see a wider range of events than just a few at the higher prices. We have even sold back nearly all of our original tickets, having managed to replace them with tickets to events that appeal to us much more. Part of Ram's success was been down to a website that constantly polled and checked the availability of all the tickets you are interested in.

There was however one elusive pair of tickets that Ram was still waiting for, having been awake most of last night constantly checking to see if any more had been released. Then, this afternoon, as we waited by the side of the road for the Torch Relay in a damp and drizzly Worthing, he spotted a refreshed page on his phone, dialled in as quickly as he could, and minutes later we were so excited to find that we are now in possession of tickets for the Opening Ceremony!

I'm not the sportiest of people, and I must admit that it's the ceremonies that I'm most looking forward to. But I am also looking forward to the rhythmic gymnastics, because that sounds like it will be quite spectacular. Some of the other events are new to me and also look like they will be amazing to watch. I'm not sure how we're going to manage with the crowds, and I'm also just hoping that I have the stamina to make it through! We will also have used up all our babysitting credits for the next few years at least!

If you want to get in the Olympic mood, why not make some collage Olympic Rings, or hold your very own Olympic Torch Relay.