As omens go, this was a pretty good one. A pall of rain that had threatened to dampen the ceremonial handover of the Olympic flame in Athens on Thursday afternoon lifted the very minute the torch entered the Panathenaic Stadium. The vestal virgins, shivering in a tunnel in their diaphanous gowns as they waited to emerge and do their stuff, were not the only ones breathing sighs of relief.

The flame was carried away by London’s dignitaries for safe keeping overnight before being flown on Friday evening to an airfield near Penzance, from where it will begin its relay around Britain, starting on Saturday morning when it passes into the hands of Ben Ainslie, the triple gold medal-winning sailor. The first of 8,000 torchbearers, Ainslie will pass it on to Anastasia Swallow, an 18-year-old junior international surfer from St Ives.

Full article:
British-style weather fails to dampen Athens handover of Olympic flame – The Guardian – May 17, 2012
By Richard Williams
Link to Guardian article