The countdown is on to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, with just hours to go before the Opening Ceremony…

The Paralympic Flame has visited some of London’s most famous attractions on its relay route today, including Big Ben, London Zoo,Lord’s Cricket Ground and Abbey Road - and it’s not over yet! The flame is now travelling east, en route to Stratford.

The Paralympic Relay is running later than planned, but you can keep track of its progress here. The new schedule means it is due to arrive in Greenwich just before 6pm, and at Waltham Forest at 8.49pm.

Have you seen the torch today? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.

Late last year, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of Lord’s Cricket Ground, one of the most historic sporting sites in the whole of London.

We started the tour in the museum, a fantastic two-floor space full of cricketing memorabilia, including bats, balls, kit, photography and some great paintings. I overheard one awestruck Australian teenager stage whisper to his father, “Daad! This is the kind of museum I could spend time in!”

After we’d had a short time to peruse the objects, a guide arrived to take us on the tour. Clearly an expert on his subject, and possessing a fine sense of humour, our guide really enhanced the tour for us. As well as being hugely knowledgeable (answering any questions we had), he also tailored the tour to the group: the day we went, there were four Indian tourists, a host of Australians, some British people, and one Irish guy. Perhaps about 30 people, all with varying knowledge of the game; yet I don’t think anyone was bored by too many simple facts, or left behind because he assumed too much cricketing knowledge.

On the tour, we saw the famous Long Room, designed by Thomas Verity (also responsible for the design of the Royal Albert Hall) lined with portraits of well-known figures from the game; the Committee Room, where all the big issues about the game have been discussed, including the laws of cricket; and the Dressing Rooms, with the fascinating Lord’s Honours Boards on the walls, and balconies offering impressive views of the pitch.

We then left the Grade II*-listed building to watch some Real Tennis being played in the Lord’s Tennis Court (a very confusing game like a cross between tennis and squash, but with very hard balls!); spent some time in the stands, and returned to the museum with our guide. He showed us his museum highlights among the objects on display, including the tiny Ashes urn.

Finally, we headed out to the award-winning J P Morgan Media Centre, an incredible, futuristic building which is gorgeous both inside and out. It was great to be able to sit in the comfy white workspace of sports journalists with such an impeccable view of the ground.

The Lord’s tour took about 1 hour 40 minutes, and I loved every minute. I was struck by how much history and culture you could learn about in one place. Starting with the beautiful Victorian paintings in the Long Room and finishing in the white minimalism of the Media Centre, it felt like we’d been on a journey though history! My husband, more of a cricket fan than a history fan, particularly enjoyed seeing the Lord’s Honours Boards in the Dressing Rooms.

We can’t wait to go back to Lord’s to see the Archery, one of the Olympic sports we were lucky enough to get tickets for. Being part of the London 2012 Olympic Games will just be another incredible chapter in the history of this wonderful venue.

Fancy going and seeing Lord’s Cricket Ground yourself? You can book a Lord’s Tour on visitlondon.com I attended this tour at the invitation of Lord’s.

Win a delicious Christmas Afternoon Tea at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday 18 December.

Enjoy mulled wine, hand-baked scones with homemade jam and Cornish clotted cream, and indulgent cakes from Lord’s resident pâtissier Thierry Besselievre.

Carol singers will also provide a festive soundtrack to your afternoon at the home of cricket.

In addition, the lucky winner will receive a guided tour of the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum, home of the iconic Ashes Urn.

For more information visit www.lords.org

Enter now for your chance to win this unique festive prize.

The My London Sticker Collection offers children a fun way to discover more about London’s landmarks, as well as creating a great “personalised” guide book with colourful pictures of the city.

Children can collect stickers of everything London; from famous sporting venues like Wembley Stadium and Lord’s Cricket Ground to notable Londoners such as Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill.

The book, which costs just £1 from newsagents and shops like WH Smith, also contains “money-off vouchers” and exclusive deals and discounts for a variety of family activities including West End shows, the London Dungeon and the Houses of Parliament.

We’re all thrilled about the outcome of the Ashes here in the VL office. But sometimes the action in Australia has felt like it’s a very long way away.

Here’s some brilliant coverage of England winning the Ashes at home in 1926 from the BFI archive.

It shows England beating Australia as they regained the Ashes for the first time since 1912 after drawing four successive tests and winning the fifth by 289 runs. This Topical Budget newsreel, originally released on 19 August 1926, shows selected highlights of that fifth test at the Oval. And it certainly looks very different to today’s coverage. No technology here to give people out; these guys aren’t even wearing helmets!

If you’re a cricket fan in London, make sure you take the Lord’s Tour, including the MCC museum. It’s a must-see!

The iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground will host the archery event at the London 2012 Olympic Games after plans were approved by Westminster Council.

The athletes are set to compete on “the square” in the centre of the cricket pitch, with spectators assured of close seating, all against the imposing backdrop of the Lord’s Pavilion.

Preparations for the week-long Olympic archery event include temporary seating for up to 5,000 spectators, a warm-up range and an area for competitors and officials.

Seb Coe, Chair of London Organising Committee (LOCOG) said: “I am delighted that we have obtained permission to stage the Olympic Archery at Lord’s in 2012. It will be a spectacular venue for hosting the games and the Olympic Archery will be an exciting competition for both spectators and athletes”

Lord’s now joins other Westminster venues Horse Guards Parade and Hyde Park in hosting Olympic events.

Councillor Alastair Moss, Westminster City Council’s planning committee chairman, said: “Lord’s is a word-class sporting venue and will be ideal for hosting the archery event in 2012.”

The Olympic archery event will be held from 27 July to 3 August 2012.