Was soon going to Skpye with the Toronto Olympic desk chief Dave Ashton as we have done each and every day for the past 20. But before that, time to dash upstairs for normal lunch of tea, banana and a muffin.

Staff in the lounge said the marathon should be going by soon. As a matter of fact right now, they offered. So with tea and muffin in hand, out I went through the front door, stood on the steps and watched the world of Olympic marathon running go by. Plus all sorts of TV media people in an assortment of vehicles. Truly fun experience.

So now time to return the office inside. Oops no security pass. Left it downstairs. Just going to get lunch after all.

“Sir, you don’t have a pass,” she said. Good observation, I thought.

“You can’t go in,” she said. Fine, go and get my pass, I countered.

“I can’t do that.” she said. Nobody in office. Now, can’t get there from here.

Enough of this. Just marched through, went downstairs and got not only my credentials for the building, but also my Olympic credentials.

Showed her and the security guard on the scanner both the passes.

“You need to wear that at all time,” he barked.

(Not much longer, I thought, not much longer.)

Oh, about the marathon. First Olympic event I have seen.

The Games, and the runners, have just flown by.

“I’ve heard about it and if it was to happen, it would be the hugest honour,” she said, “but I’d want my teammates right there with me.”

That’s a great idea.
The soccer team became the first Canadian team to win a medal in the Summer Olympics since 1936 (though I don’t know why they don’t consider the men’s and women’s eight in rowing a team).
Given what the soccer team accomplished and the way they captured Canada’s attention, why not let the team carry the flag?
The could pass it around like they do the Stanley Cup.
Though knowing the IOC, there might be a rule against common sense.

I know, In know it’s not over yet, but we are getting close and the verdict is in.

Outstanding Olympics put on by this London gang!

All the security, transportation and over-crowding challenges have been dealt with and solved in a peaceful, non-invasive manner.

Lord Coe, Boris the Good Mayor, Mr. Cameron and the Queen of all the people combined to put on one of the greatest shows this world has seen

And while Canada will leave with but one gold medal, it has managed to match the Beijing total of 18 medals, albeit the majority of them bronze.

Getting to 18 was something I did not believe we would reach 10 days ago. While the COC was predicting a number on the north side of 20, I was worried we might even have finished on the south side of 15.

More than happy to be proven wrong when it comes to Canadian fortunes in what we used to call the best “amateur” sports event in the world.

But 18 medals is 18 medals on a very tough playing field. With more than 200 countries on hand, it is still a worthwhile accomplishment.

And as colleague Steve Buffery pointed out in today’s Sun Media papers, the future for Canada is bright at the Summer Games, particularly with the male athletes.

So with just more than 24 hours remaining, let’s give London the royal wave goodbye.

And assure one and all, this show was much more than James Bond and Mr. Bean.

All is good, at least for the 17,000 athletes, more than 20,000 journalists and millions of the fans of the Olympic spectacle.

British officials hope the London Games have a splash-over impact across England.
That includes LIverpool, where I’m headed on a train at this moment.
I’m always amazed at how great the rail system is in the UK. People don’t fly, they instead jump on a train.
Since cities are relatively close —Liverpool, home of the Beatles, is two hours outside London — trains make perfect sense.
I say that as I sit in first class, drinking my tea and eating small English biscuits.
If you call up a track plan of rails across the UK,it looks like the world’s largest spider trap.

Canada’s rail system – with much longer distances to travel – looks relatively mild and uncomplicated by comparison, which is why most Canadians don’t think of taking the train as their first option.
The story I will find in Liverpool is still a mystery.
But more certain is, while on assignment, this is the only way to travel.

I just want to pull you aside for a moment and talk about the hotels of the future.
Because as we report from London, I believe we’re staying in a place that is likely the template for what we can all expect when we travel down the road.
I’m not going to name the chain, because this is not a review intended to now help you make vacation plans, but just a comment on the changing nature of hotels.
I’ve traveled a lot, and have stayed in five star places with Madonna sleeping just down the hall.
I’ve also more often been in inns where I’ve shared the bathroom with roaches.
Our current perfectly located hotel in London, a short walk from the Javelin train to the Olympic Village, is clean and seemingly nice enough.
Soft beds. Scrubbed toilets. Fresh towels. Modern.
But after a very short time, you realize you’re not a guest – you’re a paying customer.
It starts in the lobby, where you are welcomed by a row of check in computers that look like a bank of ATMs.
Inside your room, toilet paper comes out in small squares like a public restroom. You don’t get small soaps or free shampoo.
You can call down and ask for a wake up call, but will be told you’ll have to program than in your room phone yourself.
In the shower, there’s a dispenser that offers up watered-down body soap.
There’s a safe in the room, but you have to pay to use it.
Posters brag about the wi-fi internet, but after a half hour, you have to pay to stay on.
Not that it always works, and if you complain to the hotel official who stands at a podium in the lobby, you don’t get warmth or concern. Instead, you get an autobot corporate response that: “They are looking into the problem. It should be fixed shortly.”
There is no human connection.
No home away from home — which I know is all pretend, but we all like the small free creature comforts when we travel.
You can make the same argument of some of the other major chains around the world, but many owners still manage to cut through the brand and make their places seem welcoming.
Though as one of my peers pointed out — maybe this is a cool British thing.
They’re wonderful and helpful people. But a welcoming hug is not really their style here.

First, you start the morning very early here in London, England, with the Sun Media team of reporter Rob Longley, columnist Steve Simmons and photographer heading off by bus to Eton-Dorney, England, a site a good distance from the Sun Media hotel.

First exchange of the day comes from Dave Abel. He reports the good news that he will be in one of the boats for the two races. Down side is that it is a pool position, meaning he has to share his photos with other agencies. No problem, we report back. Better to have the good photo position.

Then the action begins.

First kayaker Adam Van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont., wins silver after leading for a good part of the race.

Right away, Rob Longley sends full story –  largely written before the race begins, but needing some last-minute detail — on to the Sun Media national online team. Samie Durnford, after a quick Got it, swings into action and posts to all our sites across Canada.

Just as she is posting the story and a photo of AVK, another bulletin breaks from Eton-Dorney.

Canoeist Mark Oldershaw has won a bronze in canoeing!

Again, the magical Longley kicks into action. Full story filed immediately after the race ends. And again Samie is on the receiving end. As I am typing this, she is posting the Oldershaw story and photo.

And updating the medal count as Canada now up to 13 for the Olympics.

Whew, everyone can rest.

Not exactly, now Longley and Simmons are off to interview our two newest  medal winners, Abel is off the water and chasing reaction shots and Sami is back posting many more stories back in Toronto.

The Eton-Dorney team are from done. Updated stories for the web, perhaps later versions for Thursday papers, a video shot to note the occasion and many, many photos to be posted by Mr. Abel

And as I type this, it’s not yet 6 a.m. in Toronto.

So wake up, Canada, and in this case, catch up as well.

When this is all done, and I go home, my family and friends will all ask; ‘How were the Olympics?’
And I’ll answer; ‘You tell me?’
This is not a complaint – millions of people would love to be doing what we’re doing as we cover the Games – but the pace is so quick, there is no time to appreciate what we’re seeing.
I covered the equestrian show jumping yesterday at one of the world’s finest venues. And other than a five minute slow walk on the jumping field, from daybreak to past sunset, I moved at a pace even Usain Bolt would find impressive.
Our journalists most often cover multiple events and venues each day, in a city that is not easy to get around in. We write on buses and we write on our Blackberries.
And as we run, we tend to blogs, Tweet, do videos, take pictures and sit down for live hits back to Canada.
I don’t know about other journalists here, but by the end of each day, I feel wrung-out of every word in my head.
There are no longer far off deadlines for newspapers — the web demands constant content.
What does all this add up to? Not a bitch session, but an acknowledgment that our jobs have changed.
Most journalists sent out on these kinds of assignments always expect to go without sleep.
I’ve only done a few Olympics, but I have spent enough time on major foreign assignments.
And lost is the ability to really soak in an event – both bad and good ones. To become part of it and put that down in words that you, the reader, might understand, learn from and enjoy.
I think we still do an outstanding job. That’s for you to really decide.
I can’t tell whether our story-telling is as good as it once was, better or slightly more frantic.
But I do wish we had a few pauses to properly reflect on what we are witnessing and sit still long enough to open our eyes wide and be able to answer that question I know is coming from those back home.

At the same time, he will be looking down at his country having the time of its life.

In a perfect confluence of state and sport, Jamaica today is celebrating its 50th anniversary of independance, the day after its greatest hero since Marley rocked the sports world on its biggest stage.

In London, Usain Bolt won the Olympic men’s 100 metres only a few hours before the day of celebration was about to begin in Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios — all communities Canadian tourists know well — and all other parts of this Caribbean paradise.

Bolt set an Olympic record in the process, with the second fastest time in the history of the sport. And the Trelawny runner brought his Montego Bay sidekick, Yohan Blake, along for the ride, taking the silver.

Haviing been in Montego Bay for a short trip a little more than a month ago, I can assure you every single Jamaican man, woman and child had Sunday, Aug. 5, and Monday, Aug. 6, circled on their calendars. Heck, they didn’t need to write the dates down.

Because in those 48 hours, Jamaica was about to celebrate like never before.

Enjoy my friends. I am sure Bob is.