I didn't realise just how patriotic I was until I watched
the London Olympics Opening Ceremony last night.
The lighting of the flame was particularly powerful. From
Beckham to Redgrave to seven young people lighting 205 copper petals, each petal
having been carried in by a participating country. And then for each of the
petals to rise into the air and create one flame was not only clever but
visually stunning.
Well done to Danny Boyle for getting it just right. He
produced a show which was self effacing, humorous, full of pathos and with a
good dose of pride in our achievements. There was no doubting the message - as
a country we don't always get it right but we have brought the world the
industrial revolution, sporting achievements and invention, pop music, Shakespeare,
Peter Pan, Harry Potter, David Beckham, James Bond, the NHS, Chariots of Fire, the
World Wide Web and - oh - Mr Bean?! I loved his performance of the Chariots of
Fire theme song. Great drama throughout, so much going on - I'm sure at one
point I saw Lord Voldermort being zapped by Mary Poppins!
The lighting of the flame was particularly powerful. From
Beckham to Redgrave to seven young people lighting 205 copper petals, each petal
having been carried in by a participating country. And then for each of the
petals to rise into the air and create one flame was not only clever but
visually stunning.
What a wonderfully chaotic and powerful evening. The whole
thing was thrilling to watch and with the world's eyes on us, it was a proud
moment.
