Tuesday 3 January 2012

London explodes against its own silhouette

2012 marches in at a rate of knots. In London, New Year really arrived with a bang, ushered in by a fireworks display that took the breath away. This was a hi-tech explosion the likes of which we've not seen before. The intensity and synchronisation were stunning. At times it looked like a hundred huge white palm trees exploding in unison above the Thames. The London Eye was used to brilliant effect with rockets cascading out in spirals as well as streaking inwards. How did they manage to load so many crackers on to that steel grid? Big Ben also played a key role with multi-coloured tracers shearing out in pods from the top of the tower while the cameras would periodically zoom in on its looming shape against the dark silhouette of London behind. To get to the front of the barriers for the best view, people started queuing at 1pm but they sure got what they waited for. It took us back to Millenium night when we stood on the roof garden of the Liffe building where I used to work and had a magnificent view of the iconic display that ushered in the next 1000 years. But this latest one was on another level. The QSL is from LBC, London, heard in Johannesburg on AM 1152 in 1986, long before we ever thought we'd be living here.

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