Wyn Drabble: I'm going for goggle box gold

One way Brazil kept the costs down for the opening ceremony was by using projection rather than reality, though real human stars did figure as well. Photo / AP/Morry Gash

There we were, cocooned in the belief that this was going to be a mild winter. Well, it was, until along came a polar blast to remind us that it is winter, after all.

The rain came, the wind came, the snow came, and the Hurricanes played on; two games in swirling rain and freezing temperatures during which even the pea in the referee's whistle was at risk of grinding to a frozen standstill.

But if you had walked down the drinking strip that is Courtenay Place after the final, you could have been excused for thinking it was high summer. Generally in that venue revellers sport bare shoulders and skirts almost up to "see" level. Some of the female revellers are even more foolhardy.

But there is one thing you can thank the cold snap for; conditions made it perfect for Olympics fans to stay indoors by a cosy fire and watch the opening ceremony and early events beaming to us from Rio.

I have to congratulate the Brazilians on keeping the opening ceremony costs down (relatively speaking) yet still putting on a stunning show. According to the commentators, it was a tenth of the cost of the London or Beijing Olympics.

So, how did they reach their high standard so cheaply? The simplest way was by using projection rather than reality, though real human stars did figure as well. The central-arena "sea" was very convincing without the need for bringing in an actual body of water.

They also saved money by recycling the children who carried the shrublings that will later populate an athletes' shrubbery near Rio. I'm sure these kids were recycled because a number started to look like familiar faces and were showing signs of greenery-bearing fatigue by the end of the alphabet.

Iguarantee these kids were hoping that they would strike a significant nation each time so that they could at least feel they were carrying a cutting for someone special.

Sapling Kid 1: Who'd you get to carry your twiglet in front of?

Sapling Kid 2 : I got Germany, then I got Russia, then USA.

Sapling Kid 1: Cool! I only got Chad, Kiribati, Nauru and Zambia.

Anyway, their twigs were all part of the ecological theme of the ceremony and their trees-to-be will be augmented by the ones which will grow from the seeds the athletes poked into little soil canisters.

Another way they kept the costs down was hiring masses of low-cost (or volunteer) extras and the ones wearing arrows on their tummies to show the athletes where to go during the parade certainly worked hard.

Their instructions were clearly to jiggle in a rhythmic, South American manner and look gleeful. For hours! Some of the arrows were looking decidedly saggy by parade's end.

So, I'm thrilled the Brazilians read last week's column and managed to bring costs down, but it's obvious my suggested events (egg and spoon race etc) didn't make it through the red tape in time for inclusion. Perhaps Tokyo.

And thanks to the reader who suggested some other events which should augment my list: tiddlywinks, bungy jumping, sandcastle building and marbles.

His concern matched mine, so many new events do not embrace the Olympic motto, "Citius, altius, fortius" (Faster, higher, stronger).

I can't predict the weather but, if we get another couple of weeks of cold, in front of the telly will be the place to be. If you're caught outside, seek shelter under the nearest sapling.

- Wyn Drabble is a teacher of English, a writer, musician and public speaker.