It's official: I have London 2012 Olympic fever!

Cheering on Team GB - flags and nails!

Something rather strange has happened to me. The only TV I've watched over the past week has been sport, and I actually read the sports pages of the paper. Sometimes, I turn to them first. Yes, I have definitely caught the bug and come down with Olympic Fever. There is something very special about hosting the Olympics in your home country, and I am clearly not alone in loving it.

Lord Nelson has a Union Jack on his hat!

Before the Games started I had worried that the nation wasn't going to be swept of its feet in a wave of patriotism just like it was for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, mainly because of the strict marketing rules banning shops and the like from having Olympic-themed windows, but luckily, my worries were unnecessary. Led by London's (fabulous) Mayor, Boris Johnson, our capital city has been transformed, and the rest of the UK has jumped on the bandwagon too. Everything's cleaner, everyone's a little bit friendlier and more helpful, and none of us can get enough of the Games.

Victoria Station in London

There's a real sense of national pride going round - everyone wants to show off our fab nation in the best possible light to the rest of the world. And, come on, we are utterly fab, am I right? Danny Boyle's incredibly quirky and entertaining Opening Ceremony was the ideal start to the whole shebang, and the eccentricity has continued. This fool hanging from a zipwire? Yes, rest of the world, that's the Mayor of London.

pic from mirror.co.uk

It really warms my heart to see bunting galore and Unions Jacks (or "Union Flags" as they're apparently correctly known) all over the shop, not to mention everyone coming together to cheer on Team GB. As I write, Great Britain are in third position in the medal table, behind the USA and China. THIRD POSITION!? God, we're awesome. I truly believe that it's the support from all us regular Brits (along with the oh-so-brilliant royals like Wills, Kate and Harry) spurring our athletes on to do so well. Compared to the populations of the USA and China, we're teeeeny! So it is bloody impressive. Here's hoping our success continues!

I was given a free ice cream by London 2012 volunteers upon arriving in St Pancras

I haven't actually been to the Olympic Park yet, but I'm very lucky to be going soon. Watch this space! Right, back to cheering at the TV.

UPDATE: Read about my amazing day at the Olympics here.