Tonight at about 8 o'clock I will sit back with a glass of beer and a pizza to watch the Opening ceremony of the Paralympics.
The Cat and The Cat's Mother are away, with Up and The Muffins in France, whilst The Boy is yomping over mountains in mid-Wales as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
I can't wait to see some of my friends performing in the Ceremony...I know exactly the emotions they'll be feeling - that surge of adrenaline as it all kicks off, the excitement and joy of the performance, and the incredible buzz afterwards...which if they're lucky will last for days, perhaps weeks, afterwards. The experience will be remarkable for them...for some of them it will become a life-changing experience; it is certainly something that will etch itself in their souls. I'm so pleased for them.
The next couple of weeks will be another exciting time, when sport and sportsmanship comes to the fore again in this remarkable year. So many people are going to come away from the year with such powerful positive feelings that I'm sure it will bring a sea-change that I hope and believe will trickle through the veins of the nation.
If you haven't seen it, this is Channel 4's ad for the Paralympics. Powerful stuff.
I hope you'll be watching with me.
http://youtu.be/tuAPPeRg3Nw
