Holidaying Blairs pose for cameras
As a publicity exercise, it was a washout. Two days before jetting to the South of France for their summer holiday, Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie dropped in on the Cumbrian village of St Bees.
The heavens dropped on them. It was as if this bleakly beautiful part of the country was getting its own back for the Government's handling of foot and mouth.
Not even the rain could dim the Blairs' smiles, though.
Mr Blair beamed as he evaded questions. Would he be thinking about war with Iraq while on holiday? "I will be thinking about a lot of things," he said. "Come on guys, it's my holidays."
Would he be visiting his friend Lord Bragg, who has a house in nearby Wigton? Mr Blair wasn't saying. He did concede that he had spent the previous day reading in " fantastic sunshine", but couldn't recall the title of the book.
The Prime Minister's wife was more forthcoming. The children had visited Cumbria's Bird of Prey Centre the day before: "Leo loved it."
Later today, they would be going on a boat trip on one of the lakes. The Blair children were conspicuous by their absence today, perhaps pickingout beachwear in preparation for France.
Cumbria, Mr Blair opined was "beautiful". The previous day Mr Blair had been booed and heckled in the sunshine by field sports supporters as he opened an research unit in Wigton and a business centre near Whitehaven. Today, his reception was, unlike the weather, warmer.
David Postlethwaite and his wife Marianne had brought their nieces and nephews. Beatrice Lamb, nine, said she had told the PM she wouldn't go out in a boat in this weather. "He said he would get used to it," she said.
Christine Southam presented her grandsons, Lee and Ricky, to the Blairs. "I think it's great they've come here," she said.
A few pictures, a few more grins and the Blairs were off, umbrellas held high. As they departed one local man took a dimmer view of the visit. "It's about a year too late," he said. "This county was ruined by foot and mouth last year."
As if in answer, the clouds redoubled their efforts. Cumbria rained on Mr Blair's parade.
