Rufus is still out and about in London – you can follow his adventures on Twitter @FindRufus . Follow his clues to find him in the interactive map, and you could win an exciting trip to London.

The show opened with a set featuring iconic London landmarks. I spotted:

• The London Eye
• St Paul’s Cathedral
• The Gherkin
• Battersea Power Station
• Tower Bridge
• Royal Albert Hall
• And last and but not least Big Ben (out of which appeared Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill!)

This section was accompanied by artists from top West End show, Stomp.

We were then treated to a journey through British music with a focus on artists from the last 50 years including The Kinks, George Michael, Queen, Tinie Tempah, Jessie J, Kaiser Chiefs, Liam Gallagher, Take That and The Who. You can explore the rich tradition of British pop music at the British Music Experience or revel in Queen’s music at We Will Rock You!

The Spice Girls’ performance proved particularly popular and fans can look forward to a brand new musical – Viva Forever – premiering in London in November.

The ceremony also celebrated fashion with appearance of top British models including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. You can find many top British designers in London along with some of the world best shopping districts. Fashionistas should also head to the V&A and Fashion and Textile Museum.

There was an injection of comedy with Eric Idle’s rendition of ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. You can enjoy this and other Monty Python classics in popular musical, Spamalot.

The Olympic flag was passed to Rio ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games and London’s Olympic Cauldron extinguished in a dance sequence starring Darcey Bussell. You can discover more about the cauldron at the current Thomas Heatherwick exhibition.

The athletes thoroughly enjoyed the show and Team GB were celebrating their success. I can’t wait to join them for the Our Greatest Team victory parade in London on 10 September.

Now eyes turn to the London 2012 Paralympic Games from 29 August until 9 September, which promise to be another impressive display of sporting prowess and courage. Beyond that I look forward to the legacy of London 2012.

What was your favourite moment of the London 2012 Olympic Games?

Greenwich Park was resplendent yesterday for a day of equestrian competition. As a local, I was very keen to see how this beautiful Royal Park was adapted for the Olympic Games and the results are amazing.

The main grandstand and arena are set against a spectacular backdrop: the world heritage site of Maritime Greenwich. The Queen’s House is perfectly framed and beyond that are the Wren domes of the Old Royal Naval College. Also visible are the National Maritime Museum and 3 masts of the recently reopened Cutty Sark, along with the impressive modern architecture of Canary Wharf - simply breathtaking.

After the Dressage event was over, the crowd was invited to inspect the Cross Country course. It is laid out across the park, overlooked by the home of Greenwich Mean Time: the Royal Observatory.

The course uses the surroundings to brilliant effect for example going through the flower garden, which is in full bloom. There are beautiful and humorous elements such as the jump near the bandstand featuring musical notes and instruments. The water section has a Wind in the Willows theme and uses the boating lake where you can usually hire pedaloes in the summer months.  

Great care has been taken to preserve the park and it will be returned to its former state once the excitement of the Games is over. 

Which is your favourite venue of the London 2012 Games? Will you be visiting Greenwich next time you’re in London?

The Olympic Torch has arrived in London and is making its way around the city’s boroughs this week.

The torch landed at The Tower of London on Friday evening, delivered via helicopter by a Royal Marine Commando, Marine Martyn Williams. The soldier made a jaw-dropping 180ft abseil with the torch from the Royal Navy Sea King chopper at 20:12 hours, reflecting the year of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

London & Partners staffer Georgina Warren saw it from Potters Fields on the south side of the Thames: “Watching the Chinooks sweep across the London landscape and see the torch reach the Tower was a real goose bump moment.  I hadn’t expected to feel part of the ‘moment’, being across the river, but seeing the soldiers waving from inside the helicopters and the wave of emotion that hit as the crowds cheered them on suddenly made it all feel real, and made those watching feel part of what is about to happen… one of those ‘I was there’ moments I can tell people about in the future.”

Today’s torchbearers included Ceinwen Giles, who was first to carry the flame this morning, and British actor Sir Patrick Stewart.

The torch continues through London’s boroughs all week before ending up at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford for this Friday’s opening Ceremony. You can watch the torch relay online at www.london2012.com/torch-relay/video/live.htm

Let us know if you’ve seen the torch live in London in the comments below.

A couple of weekends’ ago, I was invited to join Crown Business Communications who have been organising the Games Makers orientation programmes to see first-hand what the Games Makers journey has been to date and will be going forward.

The Games makers are the 70,000 volunteers who will be the face of the games and where roles vary from helping athletes in the village, collecting and distributing results to officials and the Press at the various venues to welcoming spectators into the park and other venues.

The orientation event was a great opportunity for the volunteers to hear about the Olympics and the important roles they will play to make the London 2012 Games a success. A variety of people such as Paul Deighton (Chief Executive of LOCOG), Chris Holmes (Britain’s most successful Paralympic swimmer and now Director of Paralympic Integration) and the very funny Eddie Izzard all talked about why the volunteers were vital to the Games and about the training they had ahead of them leading up to the Games and the support they would receive during.

After the event I caught up with some of the Games Makers, they were all so excited to be “the face of the Olympics” and varied in a range of people from the Plymouth Argyle FC Mascot, retired teachers, students, doctors, chefs and so on.

The one common theme throughout though was the excitement and buzz about the Games and the part they will play in making it a great success.

Are you one of the London 2012 Games Makers? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

This cover picture from The Royal Thames, a guide to London published in 1937 was shared with the Visit London Flickr group by mikeyashworth.

The photo is in two Flickr groups which gather nostalgic images from books about London, London Books and Maps and London Books and Their Illustrations.

Do you collect old London guidebooks? Have you got a favourite online archive of vintage London images? Tell us about it!

Bill Bailey

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I’m not a huge fan of musical comedy but Bailey is a cut above. Getting everyone to sing the callbacks to California Dreamin’ (“all the leaves are brown…”) early on was a master stroke – making us all feel part of the show. And Bailey’s genuine delight, not just in playing music himself, but in hearing the audience sing it too, only added to the fun.

Doubt was the loose theme of Dandelion Mind, with Bailey meandering from topics as diverse as the uncertainty engendered by having a coalition government, to vagaries of Australian slang, to religion and analysing renaissance paintings of Doubting Thomas. I liked the fact Bailey pitches his rants at a certain level that, if anything, flatters the audience’s intelligence. And he generally manages to avoid the usual all-too obvious gags that can be cringeworthy in live comedy.

This show is so much more than a mindless laugh: it’s amusing, thought-provoking but most of all, hugely entertaining. I absolutely recommend seeing it.

Bill Bailey’s Dandelion Mind is on at Wyndham’s Theatre until 7 December. Don’t miss it! Buy Bill Bailey tickets here.

The Globe

Recently refurbished, The Globe’s interior has a traditional English pub feel, with a dose of French bistro (chequered table cloths and black & white photographs of Picasso, Bridget Bardot etc) thrown in for good measure. This can be attributed to new manager Oliver Trotel – a pleasant and engaging chap who has been working hard over the past few months to reinvigorate the look and feel of the place.

The Globe’s menu is a good mix of pub and bistro fare with pies, steak, fried calamari, pasta and daily specials, plus a specially selected wine list to match.

Chatting to Trotel after our meal, he let us in on some of The Globe’s fascinating history. The building is part of the site of the world’s first Police Station – home of the Bow Street Runners. There’s even an original cell in the basement that’s now used for storage (not accessible to the public). And, of course, there is a ghost, although Trotel said he’d never seen it himself.

During the World Cup, The Globe will be screening matches downstairs. Upstairs,  the outside terrace will be open shortly, just in time for the summer.

Best of all, Visit London is offering you the chance to win a meal for two at The Globe (click the link for info on how to enter).

The red-carpet event’s guests were the great and good from the restaurant industry, plus foodie celebs including Fay Maschler – critic extraordinaire and co-founder of the festival.

With the festival’s main events getting underway today, the organisers have already had a fantastic response from chefs, restaurateurs and the public.

Pre-event targets of signing up 500 restaurants were exceeded with an exciting and diverse range of London establishments getting involved.

Tickets have been selling like hotcakes, with several festival events already sold out. But don’t fear, you can still book a Festival Menu, and get a great ticket deal on the following events by visiting the Festival Hub in Covent Garden:

• Eat Film
• Starter for Ten
• The Big Roast
• Simon Schama’s talk on food  and eating out

From lunchtime today, London Restaurant Festival attendees can also vote for their favourite festival menu. Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 13 October.

Swedish dance troupe Bounce’s Insane in the Brain opened this week at Sadler’s Wells’ West End venue, the Peacock Theatre.

It’s generally ballet that fills my dance card so I was eagerly anticipating this modern, street-dance version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. And I was pleased, if not surprised, to see the audience was a bit younger and more diverse than you often get at traditional ballet performances.

This high-energy show had some fantastic choreography and use of props. The bed scene, with its percussive repetition and alternating light effects was one of my favourites. The slanted backdrop was used for some excellent acrobatics and I loved the dance-offs. I would, however, have liked to see a few scenes made a bit shorter, and the dancers really cut loose in some parts where they seemed to be holding back – this may have been opening night jitters though.

Music was a mix of hip hop (Missy Elliott, Dizee Rascal, Notorious B.I.G), cheesy chartoppers (Lionel Ritchie’s Hello, Maniac and Fame), classical compositions (Greig), metal (System of a Down) and, of course, the title track by Cypress Hill.

A clever inclusion was a short film halfway through - starring the Bounce dancers - which meant the cast could take a well-earned breather without the audience being disrupted by an interval. Plus, they sat right in front of us, so that was quite cool.

If you like things a little bit electro, a little bit shocking, you’d be crazy to miss Insane in the Brain in London until the 3 October (then at various venues around the UK until 21 November).