The Green and Pleasant Land opened the show with a ploughing shire horse.

In true British style this is the fellow we had felt sorry for in previous rehearsals as he was getting wet. We forgot we were too!

The geese didn’t bite, the sheepdog herded his flock with enthusiasm, the goats didn’t quite eat all the astro turf and the cows didn’t leave too much of a mark, if you see what I mean, this time.

"Be not afeard," said Kenneth Branagh in his best thespian voice. "Sometimes, a thousand twangling instruments will hum about mine ears."

Well, we did a bit more than hum. A thousand buckets and bins being boshed made quite a noisy impact and shattered the idyllic rural scene of Ye Olde England.

The Industrial Revolution had arrived with the revolting peasants and pandemonium drummers - me being one of them.

The chimneys rose, with steeplejacks a-dangling. The whistling in the music was acknowledging the working man and soldiers off to war.

I managed not to fall down the steps, trip over my dress or drop my drumsticks, which had all happened in rehearsals. I drummed the bucket with gusto.

Quick change into Primark jeans (no expense spared) and sweatshirt whilst on stage.

All the performers in the Swing out Sisters scene worked for the NHS as nurses, doctors, pharmacists, etc. They practised on their days off. One nurse fell off her rollerskates in the last rehearsal and broke her ankle. How sad was that?

Danny Boyle did the one thing you should never do - work with animals and children - but it worked in both cases.

In paraded the countries, resplendent in wonderful outfits. Mexico had the best outfits, followed by Poland, although the African countries also looked amazing.

We lined the track, or M25 as we called it, and drummed along, for two hours non stop, hoping to move the athletes in as quickly as possible.

There were over 200 countries to get through, tubes that would soon stop running and my shoulders were aching, so get a move on USA!

At the end, Cherie Blair was singing along to Hey Jude. Tony wanted to go but she was staying put.`

My husband had to miss most of the ceremony on TV to come and get me as the trains were not running any later to the south coast. Come on Southern, wake up. I was finally home at 4am.

We start all over again on Wednesday to rehearse for the closing ceremony. Here's hoping it has a heartbeat as strong as the opening ceremony.