Olympics begin at Ben Mar (SOCIAL SCENE)

Having fun (from left) Curtis Greenidge, Mayard Schwaiger, Jan Power and Professor David Rosin. (Gercine Carter)

By Gercine Carter | Sun, August 05, 2012 - 12:04 AM

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSIONER Paul Brummell and his wife Adrianna hosted a smasher of a reception at Ben Mar Friday night in honour of the start of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Hundreds were invited to view highlights of the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics on a big screen mounted under a big tent on the lawn in the expansive, lush gardens. Performance after performance was greeted with loud applause from a fired-up crowd ready to have a good time.

The opening ceremony entitled Isles of Wonder featured the story of the United Kingdom with inspiration drawn from Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

In keeping with the theme of the opening ceremony, guests feasted on traditional British fare, with the fish and chips being the hottest item of the night. The queue at this food station just kept growing. There were also Eton Mess, the strawberry-and-cream dessert traditionally served at Eton College on June 4, and eccles cakes, along with Caribbean favourites like rotis and ham and cheese cutters.

Welcoming his guests, the High Commissioner said Britain had been working for seven years to deliver an Olympic Park which had been completed on time and on budget, and he especially wished the Caribbean athletes well.