THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

In Victorian times, people would pay to see 'Freak Shows' where they would be horrified by the sight of other people with physical deformities such as dwarfism or the loss of a limb or limbs. 

Currently, people are once again paying to see these people not because they see them as freaks, but because they see them as heroes. How times have changed. This surely says a lot for the development of the human race.

Whilst some may have watched the first few days of the Paralympic games with a sense of fascination at the range of disabilities before them, it wasn't long before we were all simply spectators watching superb sporting prowess and cheering on our favourites.

I have found my emotions out of control as I have watched these athletes and in case anyone has missed these examples, I have categorised them for you.

BASIC - 'Amazing'.

In the basic category which I call 'amazing' we have  seen people with no legs riding horses and wheelchair users playing tennis. There is also an archer who holds the bow with his foot and pulls the string back with his teeth.

INTERMEDIATE - 'Astonishing'.

In the intermediate category which I define as 'astonishing' there have been swimmers winning races by powering through the water having only one arm stump. Blind cyclists raced round the velodrome on the back of a tandem. Visually impaired footballers raced round the pitch wearing blindfolds. Just think of that when you next see a defensive wall in the able-bodied version of the game as they nervously place hand in front of their crown jewels. How brave is it to stand there blindfold as someone shoots for goal?

SUPER-HUMAN - 'Unbelievable'.

Finally there are the ones you don't believe until you see them. There are competitors with one leg who perform the high jump. Try it yourself by holding one foot off the ground. Did you manage 6 inches? They jump around six feet. I thought the one stumped swimmer was good until I saw the swimmers with neither arms nor legs shooting along in the water. Likewise, I was in awe of the bravery of the blind footballers until I saw the blind long-jumpers launching themselves forward into the unknown.

'Inspirational' just isn't a big enough word to cover it.

SCAREDY CAT?

As far as I know I'm not a coward. But then of course it's hard to know until you are faced with a scary situation and have to decide whether 'fight or flight' is the best course of action.

The only moment in my life which comes to mind is when I returned home one day to find my wife and daughter outside the house in a terrified state because the front door had been forced and they were sure there was an intruder inside the house. On that occasion, the red mist descended and I ran indoors and raced round with murderous intent to try and find the burglar. Thankfully he had already run off.

In times of war, men who were branded cowards were vilified and often abused or imprisoned but I can't help feeling sorry for them. Cowardice is not a matter of choice. It is just the way you react in a crisis. Bravery is admirable but cowardice, though not a flattering quality, should invoke our sympathy not our anger.

Eek!!! There's a spider crossing my desk!

GRITTY GRANNY

There are some news stories which are so amazing that they demand comment. Stories which are so newsworthy that they quickly fly round the world and become favourites all over the globe.

For instance, I doubt if there are many of you who haven't seen the incredible footage of Susan Boyle's audition on 'Britain's got talent'. Even if you saw it originally, it is still worth watching again.

The audience and judges alike were cynically smirking as she revealed her dream to sing professionally and become a star. They were then completely stunned as she began to sing and her voice 'blew them all away'. Of course, she received a standing ovation and is now an international singing success.

The current news sensation is no less surprising in nature. It is the story of the gang of five jewel thieves who were attacked and foiled in their attempts by a Granny armed only with her handbag.

This amazing lady, showing no regard for her own safety whatever, charged at the gang swinging her handbag at them wildly and was successful in that one of them fell off his getaway scooter. Once he was lying on the ground and his accomplices had made their escape, several men ran forward to hold him down until the police arrived. Apart from the one who didn't get away, two others have since been arrested and two more are still at large.

There has been much comment about the way so many men had stood back as the SuperGran steamed into the attack and did not enter the fray until it was relatively safe.

I feel the need to defend the honour of my sex. On the film of the incident, the robbers were clearly so stunned by the sight of this plucky old lady that although they were equipped with hammers, they made no attempt to defend themselves or to retaliate against her. However, if it had been a man instead of a Grandma, they would have seen him as a serious threat and would surely have attacked him.

The cartoon in The Times amused me. It depicted a switchboard operator answering the emergency phone line with "Emergency. Which service do you require.....Fire, Police, or Granny with handbag?"