After a rocking night in London, 2012 was music to my ears

I opened the curtains on New Year's Day and the first thing I saw was the Olympic Park and the Aquatics Centre where, hopefully, I'll be competing later this year.

It was an amazing feeling to wake up in London, just 100 yards away from the Games site. My girlfriend, Caitlin, and I had come down to the capital for the New Year's Eve Re:Wired gig at the O2 Arena. Click here to read the full article

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Making a splash - Soar Magazine (Issue 15)

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I've never seen anything like this street in Florida

Ask any athlete when was the last time they didn't feel tired or sore and they'd probably tell you it was before any of them started competing.

As for the next time when they won't feel so bad, it'll be when retirement comes. I've grown up doing this sort of thing so I'm not complaining at all.

Training's pretty intense - it always is at this time of year - but it's made easier by the fact that we are in Florida for a month-long camp. It's going well and I feel in a good place. Click here to read the full article

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Parry backs Tancock for glory

Olympic bronze medallist Steve Parry has coined his own nickname for Liam Tancock -- and he is adamant the ‘Ram Man’ can power his way to an Olympic medal next year.

The 26-year-old has been by far and away Britain's best male performer since the Beijing Olympics in 2008 – climbing the podium at every major international since then.

That amounts to eight medals in total – including double Commonwealth Games gold last year and the world 50m backstroke crown and record in 2009, a title he retained this summer. Click here to read the full article

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Liam Tancock: You'll just have to wait for my secret to be revealed . . .

There's a really iconic image from the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 of a diver at the top of a board with the backdrop of the city's landscape.

I love the picture and I found myself in that exact spot last week to film a TV advert. It's going to sound all a bit top secret but I can't tell you who the advert was for. I'm not allowed to, though what I will say is that it will hit your screens next year.

As days go, it was amazing. I woke up for breakfast in London, flew to Barcelona, was there for most of the day filming and nearly made it back to London in time for my dinner. Click here to read the full article

I was able to p-p-pick up a lot about swimming from Solly the penguin

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Sunday mornings are usually the chance for a lie-in but at eight o'clock last weekend I was already at an office in Torquay being given a safety briefing about swimming with penguins.

People talk about once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and this was definitely one of those. I couldn't believe I was about to be given the chance to get into the water with them.

All the penguins at Living Coasts, an animal park on the Devon coast, have their own characteristics and the keepers gave me a heads-up on what to expect once in the water. Click here to read the full article