posted 02/08/2012 at 08.38

The feelgood factor

Can you cast your mind back just a few weeks to before the Olympics began?

Sometimes as a country we are a little guilty of being..how can I put this..negative. You may blame the media, certainly the tabloids seem to enjoy gloating about how bad things are.

No one can deny that this summer has had some of the worst weather that anyone can remember and it's true to say that the weather affects all of our moods. Despite that though the mood of a nation has lifted since the Olympic opening ceremony.

Watched by nearly twenty seven million people in the UK, and many millions more around the world it lifted all of our spirits. It was a celebration of what it means to be British and contained more wonderful music and great humour than any other ceremony that I have ever seen.  Danny Boyle may have had the media rounding on him ready to complain about what he was doing but they, like the rest of us, were enthralled by what he, and the great team he worked with, created.

Who will ever forget the forging of the Olympic rings in steel, the Queen talking to James Bond and jumping out of a helicopter and even Mr Bean playing chariots of fire. I loved the fact that rather than just go for spectacle Danny Boyle chose to have one man playing one note on a keyboard and Rowan Atkinson had the world smiling and Sir Simon Rattle rattled.

Since the opening ceremony there has still been a little rain but it seems we have temporarily forgotten about it. We are all swept up in the excitement. For once the weather is not our only topic of conversation.

I have never been one to watch much sport. I much prefer to be taking part myself, but I have been as glued to the television as everyone else, willing our athletes on to medal success.

Watching Bradley Wiggings cycle his way to Gold victory, and seeing him hugging the family that he has hardly seen recently, its a tough person who doesn't find a tear of pride in their eye.

There is so much more to come and my biggest hope is that we can take some of the joy and pleasure and remember it once the Olympics and the Paralympics have ended.

Don't forget those smiles, the good will and all those feelings of pride that we have all felt this past week. It has only been a week since the opening ceremony and yet the nation has seen its level of happiness raised much like the incredible cauldron rose just last Friday.

Enjoy the rest of the entertainment, stay proud and keep smiling. It has made us all feel better.