The torch bearers were nominated to carry the torch for their contribution to their communities. 8,000 bearers will take it through 1,019 cities, towns and villages, each one carrying it about 300 metres before using it to light the next torch. And then stick it on ebay? I’m not sure I can square the great community folks with a cash-in culture?

The Olympics haven’t set my world on fire. I am really struggling to get excited by the event. It seems to me that we have spent billions on an event which lasts but a few weeks and has sucked the funding out of the regions for the last few years. Apparently it’s all about ‘Legacy’.

The best thing I heard at the weekend was that the 100m is the least exciting event with 12 grown blokes running in East London – away from a bloke who has just fired a gun… Some say that’s not unusual!

But since you can’t beat ‘em I figure I probably am better joining ‘em. So, I have an idea again this week for a little money making. I am no longer selling ‘art’. I’m prepared to sell you an actual olympic flame. It’s the genuine thing – but just in a pocket size pack – you can enjoy it anywhere. The first bid over £100 I’ll take. And I’ll throw in the postage.

I’ll also throw in another 35 mini flame-makers for free… You can share them with your friends…

I can cope if the art is clever or makes you stop and think. But if someone has to give me a long and abstract explanation it’s probably lost on me. Actually, not probably – definitely.

So I won’t be off to the Hayward Gallery anytime soon. Especially as they want Eight quid of my hard-earned cash to view their latest ‘exhibition’. That’s because it is ‘invisible art’. The Press Release proudly announces that the punters can expect ‘plenty to see and experience’ and that it ‘would set our imaginations alight’. Well, without wishing to sound too cynical, it will have to.

There are a number of pieces of ‘art’ – Andy Warhol’s invisible sculpture – he allegedly once stepped on and off the plinth that remains. Also – more intriguingly the Tom Friedman blank piece of paper. Not entirely blank as he stared at it for 1000 hours over a five year period. Sounds like he really thought that through. On top of these two masterpieces there are 48 other wastes of space.

‘Art isn’t about material objects – it’s about setting our imaginations alight’, cooed the ultimate luvvee, Ralph Rugoff (no tittering at the back) Director of The Hayward.

Please someone pinch me and tell me I didn’t really hear this twaddle?

£8 to see nothing.

I can’t help but think that someone is laughing somewhere.

I wonder if they have ever heard the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes…

In the meantime if it is your idea of art and you have a spare million – I have an A4 sheet of paper on which i have drawn an imaginary line with my finger. It’s a classic. I can frame it if that helps. It’s similar to that shown above, but clearly better…

Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced the controversial HS2 high-speed rail project was approved earlier in the year. Well, the first phase was. This was the line from London to Birmingham. The second phase will then form a ‘Y’ shape and he’d from Birmingham to Leeds. There has been a lobby for a stop in Nottingham.

Or more precisely between Nottingham and Derby – close to the motorway and somewhere near the end of the tram line. All roads point to Toton? It’s a logical place, unless you support the East Midlands Parkway Station on the A453.

Recommendations to ministers about this future extension should be made to ministers by the end of the year. So we have some time to wait for the outcome.

But I have it on good authority that Nottingham may not now benefit. I have been told that the line may well go to the west of Derby. There is current infrastructure there and the right noises are not being made to the Government. It was suggested to me that HS2 might get a spur at a later date to Nottingham.

This would be disastrous in my view. You cannot get an official response as the whole project is shrouded in mystery and secrets. But there seems to be a slightly different mood in the City. It will be a real headache if the line doesn’t benefit us at the first cut. We need to up the campaign!!

I will do a little digging to see what I can find out…

Most people who know me realise my day starts in Costa Coffee (it used to be Starbucks but they don’t have wi-fi at my local store). I can get an essential caffeine boost, breakfast, warmth and a connection into the world through wi-fi. I have noticed an increase in numbers of people logged in this way. They aren’t necessarily chatting on their phones though – it seems to be email…

Then if I call later I can do a meeting – get good coffee again and if we need it – plans or documents on my iPad. The coffee shop is a great meeting place. We don’t even have to wash up!

It’s become a new way of working. There are some statistics which suggest 1.3 million people now work this way. Of course it offers the ultimate in flexibility. And perfect conditions!

And there’s a new class of worker too – the Bleisure Brigade – those blurring business with leisure. People who work flexible hours (not like the Cvil Servants in my blog yesterday) but also in flexible places. They can move from coffee shop to coffee shop. The key element is the wi-fi connection. It has become critical now – and the coffee houses have finally grasped it. Free wi-fi and Costa-Lot coffee!

Not only can they build up hours but if they get stuck in traffic or trains run late this ‘time’ counts as ‘working’.

Civil Servants have already taken strike action over their pension arrangements. It seems that the Government proposals to change their work practices are opposed – I can’t imagine why!

So whilst all these fun and games go on, William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said companies should “work harder” to help boost the economic recovery.

I sometimes wonder how out of touch these people are. Have they any idea about the hours worked in the private sector. It’s not just in my office, but several of my friends work 12 hour days. I always thought I would work less if I were a Junior Doctor! I’m not complaining – but I find it hard to understand how people can be so lazy.

I knew someone who worked for a local Authority who routinely worked a system of his 5 weeks holiday plus four weeks sick leave and 12 ‘Duvet Days’. In addition he worked flexitime too – so earned those extra few days off a month after slogging away… The Sick pay was regarded as ‘holiday entitlement’. I’m not sure it still exists, but it certainly did.

The review of these sort of practices can’t wait. As unemployment rises we can’t have tens of thousands of people working half shifts and expecting to be paid handsomely.

One of my first bosses had a great answer for people who asked for a job description – simple he would say, “Do what it takes”…

So whilst Greece scraps around for some pennies for the milk bill Zukerberg can buy a new hoodie without so much as blinking.

But I can’t but help wonder how long the euphoria will last. Generally speaking companies need to create revenue to prop up profit and thus dividends for those shareholders. It was interesting yesterday that the share price went from $37 to $45 but then slipped back to the starting price.

I don’t use Facebook a lot. The squash team I am part of do have a private page where we post rude messages about each other and look for games, sort fixtures and teams for forthcoming matches. The rest of Facebook is accidental stuff for me. I see people I know – occasionally press ‘like’ but rarely engage in long conversations.I put a few pictures up, but that’s like the worst eight words in the English language – “Would you like to see my holiday photographs”?

But I never click on the adverts. Nor do I pay for my Facebook experience. Nor would I. In fact occasionally I have considered shutting it down. If it weren’t for the squash stuff, I probably would….

So where is the rich revenue stream? Is it just me who wants my user experience for free? Presumably someone is paying Facebook Inc. some cash somewhere? But are the results measurable? I guess they must be.

But I can’t help but wonder if Zuckerberg sold at the right time. And that the only way is down?

The building isn’t pretty – but can be seen for miles around. The four chimneys and rather brutalist architecture make quite a statement on the London skyline. It’s a bit of a ‘marmite’ building. Some love it and some hate it. I quite like it. It last produced power in 1983!

And so it seems that the proposal by Chelsea to create a ‘Stamford Bridge II” has also divided opinion. Although I can see that the football club could create an instantly recognisable ground, I am not sue that it would work. I think the designers will have to demolish too much of the structure to make a stadium work. This seems a pity, although finding another use might be rather elusive.

I gather that Boris Johnson must give consent and that he may not be behind the proposal.

There was talk that the former power station should have been Tate modern. I think that sort of use sits much more comfortably than a football stadium…

I have played for many years – and became an England Squash qualified Coach back in 2001. These days my knees are likely to shorten my career! It’s a hard game on the joints.

There was a travesty when Squash was not chosen as an Olympic sport either this year or for 2016. The problem is that it’s not a great spectator sport – although the introduction of glass walled courts have changed that. You really have to have played to appreciate good play.

The British Open is currently being hosted at the O2 in London. It’s the Wimbledon of Squash – and we currently have the world number one and two – James Willstrop and Nick Matthew. I have seen both of them play at Nottingham’s Squash Club. There aren’t many sports Where you get to see the World number one or two play? Sadly the sport has been declining in numbers for many years – which is a great pity.

We have to encourage kids to play.

And one such ‘kid’ was my youngest son Jak. He played from the age of six and then had a gap after picking up a number of injuries. But starting back a couple of years ago, his game has come on – to the extent that he won the Club Championships – Group C at the weekend. The final was hard fought, but he shone through. Apologies about the quality of the image! But you get the picture – Jak’s on the left.

I think his coach during the game is still awaiting the champagne…

Well done Jak!

The event was held under Chatham House Rules – so I can’t divulge the full details. However, it was a fairly robust and challenging discussion.

My views are fairly well known about Nottingham now. I think we don’t punch above our weight. I think we under-achieve. And to some extent I’m of this view because I believe that we have got bogged down in small minded politics. We do have some good things – and there are good things in the pipeline. But I’m restless about where we are going. I worry that we are slipping back.

I travel around a lot and I see other places pushing forward. Nottingham has to find itself again. There is a rich seam of talent here – and that needs to be given a voice and an outlet.

We are going to arrange another Nottingham based Dinner as the follow up is all important.

What became clear at the end of the two hour session were that there were some themes that people were passionate about:

1. Nottingham needs a story. Be it Robin Hood or sustainability or that we are easy to deal with. Our identity his not clear.
2. The power of education is all. Our Universities and Colleges are critical to the success of the city now and into the future
3. Sustainability is a given – but must pervade everything the City does.
4. Retail is king – we must keep improving and the Broad Marsh / Victoria Centre debate needs to be resolved.
5. Jobs and social cohesiveness will become more important. We have to head off the riots and disenchantment.

I look forward to the next Dinner. Hopefully some good will come from this – and all of Nottingham can benefit.

I didn’t have dungaree’s but I did have the Dexy’s Midnight Runners album – from which they drew ‘Come on Eileen’. It remains, to this day, a disco favourite. The drum section towards the end is a classic. Perhaps you had to be there…

Kevin Rowland was notoriously difficult and it was perhaps no surprise that the Midnight Runners ran off. It was a brief period of fame.

But 30 years on they’re back. But renamed, they are now just Dexy’s. Rowland is there as are a couple of the original members of the band. I have only caught a few minutes of the songs, but they sounded rather good. I was surprised.

You will know if you follow this blog that I’m a big music fan – and the music from the late 1970′s through to the Eighties was some of the best in my view. Squeeze, Bowie, The Stranglers and The Boomtown Rats. I liked the Dexy’s album, but when I listen to it now it sounds rather dated!

I have heard that the super-group Steps have reformed – but I think this sounds like it’s for the money. And that is surely the issue. When you have been away for so long, you can’t help but wonder whether these bands are in it for the cash. Cashing in on peoples memories. That’s going to lead to disappointment!

Perhaps I’m being cynical. I will probably buy the Dexy’s album out of curiosity. I won’t be following Steps though.

However, if Bob Geldof is out there watching – the comeback tour can’t come soon enough. It only seems like yesterday when I appeared on stage with Jonny Fingers and helped him play Banana Republic! Derby Assembly Rooms – April 1982 (oh dear that seems to be 30 years ago too!)