Rain, reign, rein

I was up bright and early and in front of the television by 9:30 to watch the coronation. I'm not a fervent royalist nor an anti-monarchist so I took my seat with a pinch of salt, a cup of tea and a necklace recycled as a home-made tiara.

Gold stars to:

The musicians and composers. The choice of music was excellent, including the newly composed works, the singing was superb and the instrumental work wonderful.

The organisation - from where I was sitting it seemed flawless.

The members of the services who marched in the pouring rain, the horses that patiently pulled the coaches and the police who had to look the other way 

The camera-workers - they always seemed to capture the moment

Penny Mordaunt - she was graceful and dignified and carried that sword without flinching hour on hour. 

Huw Edwards for just enough commentary during the service.

Princess Anne for having the bottle to ride back to the Palace on horseback and then appearing on the lawn at Buck House with the members of the armed forces. She's a trouper.

Brickbats to:

The weather - how could it rain so unrelentingly on all the people who had gathered on the streets of London

Rishi Sunak - sorry but I think it inappropriate for a self-professed Hindu to read a lesson from the Bible, even if he is Prime Minister.

All the unnecessary nods and wokeness - the coronation is what it is; a confirmation of the King as the Head of the Church of England. 

The rather silly state coaches - one too ornate for words, the other air-conditioned; really? For a few minutes drive around town once every few years? 

As for The King and Queen, I'm not religious but I do feel there is a certain hypocrisy in a pair of divorcees going through all that Head of the Church stuff. Camilla seemed more relaxed and at home than Charles did. He seemed to be pained by the whole experience. Perhaps he was thinking about the hypocrisy too. 

Anyway, in a spirit of togetherness, after the service was over I toasted them both with a cream cheese and smoked salmon bagel and a glass of prosecco. Vivat.