Olympic Beginnings

A friend of mine went to the toilet during the Opening Ceremony, on returning she asked if she'd missed anything.
     'Not much,' was the reply, 'just the Queen parachuting out of a helicopter.'

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I really wish I could have been at the first planning meeting for the Opening Ceremony, chaired, I imagine by Danny Boyle. He would say, 'Welcome to our first meeting. This is just an informal chat to get together some ideas for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. So let's go round the table and see what people come up with. Barry, why don't you go first.'
     Barry says, 'Okay. So this is just an idea I had,' he pauses, 'Mr Bean playing the theme tune to Chariots of Fire.'
     There is a moment of silence before Danny turns to Christine. She takes the cue. 'I was thinking about the NHS. You know get some nurses in and some kids on hospital beds. We could get some of those light up duvets, have you seen those?' Everyone looks at somebody else.
     Joe cuts in, 'I want to see something connected to children's literature. Does anyone know where we could get hold of a 60 foot Lord Voldermort?'
     'Not sure,' says Alison, 'but how about the Queen arriving with James Bond and parachuting out of a helicopter?'
     Danny Boyle is now struggling to contain the meeting and goes to Pete in hope of something that will pull everything around.
     Finally everyone is quiet enough for a slightly overawed Pete to say, 'We could have some geese.'

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Truly though, all credit to the team behind the Ceremony, an excellent job done. Touching, thrilling, amusing and beautifully British.