OVERVIEW: Rio 2016/Styx and Stones
Aug. 18th, 2016 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllI have been watching the Olympics, but to a much lesser degree than was the case in 2012, because of the time difference. It took me a little while to realise that I could catch some of the sports – there had been so much emphasis on how the premium athletics would be on in the wee small hours.
But after a couple of days, I succeeded in watching things on purpose (instead of sports or 'sports' I have no interest in). I watched quite a lot of the impressive artistic gymnastics (Simon Biles is human, but an excellent gymnast, although if the third place American woman gymnast is the third best gymnast in the world right now, it feels hard she couldn’t compete for a medal. I saw Max Whitlock’s composure win him two golds. Matt Baker had a legitimate cause to get over-excited!)
I was even able to follow some of the tennis. I was pleased with that, because it felt as though the tennis happened in a flash in London. This time, I was aware that Djokovic had a tough draw against Del Potro, then that ‘the unthinkable’ happened, i.e. that he got beat by a former Grand Slam winner, then that Serena Williams was out (in singles and doubles!) Murray stayed in, although it went to a third set all too often. Konta justified her seeding, Del Potro continued in round after round as did Nadal. I got to see their semi-final, which by the end of the third was dramatically see-sawing. I felt they should have given Nadal the bronze then and there, but inevitably the toll of the semis affected him in the bronze play-off. However, he did get a gold in the doubles.
And a completely unheralded woman won the gold in women’s singles.
Meanwhile, Murray was in the final: the favourite, but against a dangerous opponent who had seemed irresistible, but surely he must have little in the tank. I watched the first set, which was attritional (I had a workman coming to do something in the house the next morning, or I would have stayed up.)
I have seen trampolining, which must be one of the quickest sports and even watched the cycling on Tuesday night. Cycling has always put me off, because it’s never a straightforward start when the gun goes off and cross the line rice and velodromes are weird. And the names of the races are inexplicable. But I sat through the explanations of the Kerrin and the Omnium (I’m not convinced, with the lapping, that they all do 100 laps) and was slightly mollified with the idea that the cyclists get some time to get going and watched the exciting gold medals.
What a good job for a bunch of elite athletes that the UK is a nation of gamblers!
I’ve seen swimming heats, but no finals and only highlights of the athletics (I hope that they won’t be putting the Paalympic races on at the same times.)
I know that there are all kinds of problems in Brazil and with the Olympics and doping in sport.
Styx and Stones: Carola Dunn
This is an ultimately breezy mystery for Daisy to solve (with help) and was most interesting for me because of her relationships with Alec and Belinda and our meeting Daisy’s self-contained, more typically upper class sister Violet and her family. Daisy’s brother-in-law asks Daisy to look into anonymous letters that he’s received recently, casting up a long-ago indiscretion. So, she takes along her fiancé Alec’s daughter Belinda, who is the same age as Daisy’s oldest nephew, for a visit and discovers that the local village is suffering from a spate of the ‘poison pen’ letters. Daisy’s ability to get people to open up to her and honed detective instincts get her quite a lot of information, but then she stumbles over a dead body.
Soon, Alec is rushing over to help the local inspector, but his angry reaction upon learning that Daisy bought Belinda into the midst of danger leads to a sudden split between the happy couple.
Fortunately, Belinda’s devastated reaction, not to mention Alec and Daisy’s own similar feelings lead to a reconciliation and the couple working together to find the murderer. I didn’t have a clue who it was, and I was reading out of interest in the recurring characters and learning more about Daisy’s family and watching the Fletchers interact with them.
There’s a lot of sympathy for women who would have been considered ‘fallen’ but much less for gossips, even though gossip is what gives Daisy the final clue to wrap it all up.
But after a couple of days, I succeeded in watching things on purpose (instead of sports or 'sports' I have no interest in). I watched quite a lot of the impressive artistic gymnastics (Simon Biles is human, but an excellent gymnast, although if the third place American woman gymnast is the third best gymnast in the world right now, it feels hard she couldn’t compete for a medal. I saw Max Whitlock’s composure win him two golds. Matt Baker had a legitimate cause to get over-excited!)
I was even able to follow some of the tennis. I was pleased with that, because it felt as though the tennis happened in a flash in London. This time, I was aware that Djokovic had a tough draw against Del Potro, then that ‘the unthinkable’ happened, i.e. that he got beat by a former Grand Slam winner, then that Serena Williams was out (in singles and doubles!) Murray stayed in, although it went to a third set all too often. Konta justified her seeding, Del Potro continued in round after round as did Nadal. I got to see their semi-final, which by the end of the third was dramatically see-sawing. I felt they should have given Nadal the bronze then and there, but inevitably the toll of the semis affected him in the bronze play-off. However, he did get a gold in the doubles.
And a completely unheralded woman won the gold in women’s singles.
Meanwhile, Murray was in the final: the favourite, but against a dangerous opponent who had seemed irresistible, but surely he must have little in the tank. I watched the first set, which was attritional (I had a workman coming to do something in the house the next morning, or I would have stayed up.)
I have seen trampolining, which must be one of the quickest sports and even watched the cycling on Tuesday night. Cycling has always put me off, because it’s never a straightforward start when the gun goes off and cross the line rice and velodromes are weird. And the names of the races are inexplicable. But I sat through the explanations of the Kerrin and the Omnium (I’m not convinced, with the lapping, that they all do 100 laps) and was slightly mollified with the idea that the cyclists get some time to get going and watched the exciting gold medals.
What a good job for a bunch of elite athletes that the UK is a nation of gamblers!
I’ve seen swimming heats, but no finals and only highlights of the athletics (I hope that they won’t be putting the Paalympic races on at the same times.)
I know that there are all kinds of problems in Brazil and with the Olympics and doping in sport.
Styx and Stones: Carola Dunn
This is an ultimately breezy mystery for Daisy to solve (with help) and was most interesting for me because of her relationships with Alec and Belinda and our meeting Daisy’s self-contained, more typically upper class sister Violet and her family. Daisy’s brother-in-law asks Daisy to look into anonymous letters that he’s received recently, casting up a long-ago indiscretion. So, she takes along her fiancé Alec’s daughter Belinda, who is the same age as Daisy’s oldest nephew, for a visit and discovers that the local village is suffering from a spate of the ‘poison pen’ letters. Daisy’s ability to get people to open up to her and honed detective instincts get her quite a lot of information, but then she stumbles over a dead body.
Soon, Alec is rushing over to help the local inspector, but his angry reaction upon learning that Daisy bought Belinda into the midst of danger leads to a sudden split between the happy couple.
Fortunately, Belinda’s devastated reaction, not to mention Alec and Daisy’s own similar feelings lead to a reconciliation and the couple working together to find the murderer. I didn’t have a clue who it was, and I was reading out of interest in the recurring characters and learning more about Daisy’s family and watching the Fletchers interact with them.
There’s a lot of sympathy for women who would have been considered ‘fallen’ but much less for gossips, even though gossip is what gives Daisy the final clue to wrap it all up.
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