It's so easy to criticise and so damned difficult to create.
I've heard criticism of the London 2012 opening ceremony. Some have said the NHS sequence was too long and that Danny Boyle shouldn't have used such a ceremony to make a point. "Leftie crap" was another criticism. "The music used wasn't a true representation of Britain" was yet another. Danny Boyle might not have pleased everyone, but he certainly pleased me. I thought the whole thing (except Macca at the end) was out-of-this-world freakin' awesome. I loved every second of it.
I suppose my favourite part was Daniel Craig/James Bond whisking the Queen off to the ceremony in the helicopter. When Craig/Bond was standing in the Palace waiting for 'the Queen', I was fully expecting to see Helen Mirren in full regal attire. Isn't the Queen a star? I also loved the tribute to children's literature, the high-speed film showing the length of the River Thames, the way the smoking chimneys arose during the industrial revolution and - this was fantastic - the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. The cauldron itself, made up of 204 'petals', is so wonderful that I want one for the back garden. (There are some good pictures of it here. There's also a video where the designer, Thomas Heatherwick, explains how the cauldron will be dismantled and how a slightly scorched 'petal' will be returned to each competing team.)
Not a word of criticism from me. I thought it was amazing. Congratulations to Danny Boyle and the hundreds of people involved. Simply the best!
In other news, I'm on the 'Bring Puppy Home' countdown (only 5 days to go) but I must, must, must get some words written before then. Have a great week!