Just three days before the Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony and the Torch Relay literally passed by the bottom of my street.
I really had no idea how many people would turn up.
I knew that a former neighbour, less than a mile away from my house expected the Torch to pass at around 9:15 in the morning, so I thought I'd stroll down at around 8:30.
I was pretty surprised to see traffic still flowing so chatted to one of the stewards - they stop the traffic around 10 minutes before they are due to come up the road.
I suppose one of the advantages of being in London and towards the business end of proceedings is that by now plenty of friends have seen this coming along so lots of advice was forthcoming, my favourite being:
"Ooh, am torch relay veteran. Make sure you're on near side of procession, look into the bus - famous people!!! - and try to stand on a corner so you can face into the direction it's travelling from! Scream, wave flags and touch a policeman. It'll all become clear....."
As you do with these things, you get chatting to people around you, in my case three lovely ladies who were friends of the Torch Bearer due to come running past us.
Pam Clarke, Ruth Lambert and Janet Dewey were all there to support Keith Haworth who was nominated by his wife for his activities in running a local running club, and charity work.
In our prize spot, we waited and chatted about who had tickets to what, and what the coverage was going to be like. Little did I know that by the time I got home, my bumper Olympic edition of the Radio Times would be waiting for me and I could marvel at the extent of coverage.
Seriously heaven help anyone who is not a sports fan, as the next few weeks are going to be insufferable!
As we were standing, waiting I did comment drily that I was surprised there was not an enterprising flag seller, when what should stroll by but an enterprising flag seller, who met his match with the ladies, who hustled him down from a price of £3 each to two for £5.
As we got closer to torch time, the crowds got deeper - people lined the streets both sides and the atmosphere was lovely.
No-one was prepared for the party atmosphere of accompanying "party lorries" - there really is no other way of describing them - people dancing on the Coke Lorry, streamers and flags being handed out by the other sponsors.
What really impressed me was the out-riders and the torch security team - smiling, waving, where we have only seen the people in grey stopping people running out and trying to get close to the torch.
Police officers on bikes with plastic inflatable torches or little Wenlock and Mandeville toys tucked in the windshields, stopped to high-five children waiting at the side of the road.
The torch security team cycled and ran by giving us updates on the time the torch was expected.
And then we heard the roar and cheers as the "torch kiss" was performed a hundred yards or so down the road.
It was actually quite moving to see Mr Haworth run past with such pride on his face, and for the first time you realise how many people have been nominated for these little 300 metre stretches, how much good is being done and how so many people all across the UK have all shared in this moment.
It doesn't matter that the Olympics are being hosted by London - I know people all over the country who have been to see the Torch, and even a couple of Torch Bearers.
And when you see so many people come out on a weekday morning to see someone they don't know run past, how can detractors say that this is a waste of tax-payers money and no good for the country? I did not see one person frowning, nor hear any person complaining.
Even when the ladies and I were chatting about the effects of the road closures over the weekend (which, incidentally pretty much effectively kiboshes my plans for the weekend), all we could talk about was who would we see in the cycling race and where would we go to watch it.
And I may well have arranged to join them at their golf club, as it is high time I threatened golf balls with my bats again... the power of gathering a community together over a gold thingy with flames!
The ladies took off to see if they could catch the hand over at the top of the Common, and I decided to stroll back home, but in doing so I was taken aback at how many people from Ham Village and estates were streaming over the common to go home.
One of them had commented to me, as we marvelled at the lines of people, that the turn-out was not bad for our sleepy little hollow.
Well today, sleepy hollow did the torch proud.