Meanwhile, Royal Mail has painted itself into something of a corner with another pledge - to paint a postbox gold in each of the medallists' home towns.

BBC: Heptathlete Jess Ennis

So much is red in the surroundings, that the eye takes unexpected pleasure in anything that is not red - the gold paint on the inside of the church, the deep blue of Mary's cloak, as she holds the crucified body of Jesus in her arms.

BBC: Villagers despair in Hungary's red wasteland

Keene couldn't use regular paint because the sun and the elements would ruin it, so he used gold-leaf metals in blue, gold and green.

WSJ: I Love You, Man