Their Majesties' visit

 Charles and Camilla spent two good days in Paris, where speeches (made partly in French), walkabouts and a table tennis game left a very good impression.

Today they arrive in Bordeaux. They'll fly into Mérignac, be whisked to the Town Hall, then have a walkabout down to the quays to inspect the Iron Duke, berthed there since Wednesday, then attend a concert at the Place de la Bourse. Traffic is diverted and trams will be interrupted between 1 and 3:30.

Pat and I are on duty at the café, where we'll be warm and sheltered from the constant, interminable, incessant, driving, torrential rain that we saw all day yesterday and that is forecast all day today.

It was suggested that we close to go and wave flags, but we rejected the offer of standing for hours in the eye of the storm for the uncertain prospect of catching a glimpse of Camilla's hat.


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