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It starts here on TV at 7:30 pm eastern time, that's still more than 90 minutes from now as I'm posting.

The opening ceremony was DIFFERENT.

I enjoyed it but I'm not sure all non-brits will get the history lesson. At least the hitches were few.

I will post a decent opening ceremony video when one appears.

Glad you are looking forward to seeing some great competition.

There will be disputes and disagreements as usual but at the end of the day, when did 204 countries all hit it off.

Let's get behind the world's best. After all this is what so many have spent their life so far in getting to.

Cheer your teams. Appreeciate the efforts of the less advantaged.

Let's remember the paralympics too. They are overshadowed by the biggest and best but there are wonderful stories of struggle and determination.

Well, all is underway here this morning. The cycling gets underway only twenty miles from here in the beautiful Surrey Hills around Dorking in England. I don't think I'll venture in that direction today. Could be a lot of roads closed. It's 9.45 in the morning here and despite a change in the weather THE SUN IS OUT.

We have been stuck to the north of the Atlantic jetstream since our hot weather in April. It has rained for months. Four days ago the jetstream shifted north and we have had three days of 30 plus temeratures, BUT, it is slipping south again with rain forcast for Sunday. So expect grey skies and rain for a while. Well, it is London.

Roger

In case you missed Mr. Bean.

Here he is being helpful as usual.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19021660

Hi Roger,

I watched the entire thing! I hope other countries realized that Mr. Bean is a comedian and not a nose-wiping key-tapper, haha!

The opening ceremony started a little sluggishly from the old-time agriculture way of life but it was good, it picked up when they got to the industrial age, and then all the storybook characters and the kids nightmares...

I really liked when the Queen and the James Bond actor (forget his name already!) Daniel? flew in on a helicopter and "parachuted" in!

The Queen needs to smile more :) especially when the kids were singing.

My main beef is with the American TV blah-blah of Meredith Vieira talking over some of the kids singing :(

Now I understand why my parents would get annoyed at commentators, sometimes less commenting would be better.

I liked the musical decades with Frankie & June...

also enjoyed seeing Will & Kate and Harry in the audience, they all still look like kids who were allowed to stay up late, haha.

One more thing, what's with the French announcements in addition to English? Has England become Canada now?

Firstly, the French language thing.

It's apparently Olympic protocol but I don't remember noticing this before.

Yep. Queenie was not on good form. Maybe the arthritis (getting a little old for late nights)

I was quite proud really because despite the cost it was peanuts compared with China's show, however, times are getting hard.

Your comment about the American commentary is just why there is no full version here of the opening as the most comprehensive is the ABC one but it's so far off what happened I think they were watching a different show. Yucccchk

Looking forward to great things though.