Stop Press: the winner in the Big Floats category was the one you see above - Satisfaction, the work of Les Amis du Quartier de la Gare - and that would have been my choice, too. In the medium-size section, the honours went to Terre Neuves du Soleil for their depiction of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest
In London, we were reliably informed, the sun was shining. Only a couple of weeks ago, Boris Johnson had raised chuckles when boasting to a London conference about a "fantastic climate" better than Rome's.
On the Côte d'Azur, his words rang true. It was raining on the parade at Le Lavandou's annual floral carnival, the corso, and this year's theme was So British.
"So you've brought the bad weather back from Britain," said Jean-Marc at our favourite seafront bar, Chez Mimi. Similar words were on other lips. Singing in the Rain could be heard over the sound system.
The rain was torrential at times, the wind sharp and chilling. When the mayor, Gil Bernardi, walked past with his umbrella folded by his side, it was hard to be sure whether he was being stoic, displaying some British phlegm, or just didn't want his brolly broken in half by the gusts.
But bravo to all the locals, from businesses to clubs and associations, who had been preparing for this occasion for months and would not let a little bad weather, imported from perfidious Albion, spoil their day.
"It's such a shame," Jean-Marc said. "The floats are magnificent." And he was right. Big Ben, the Tower of London, the Loch Ness Monster, Wimbledon, the Beatles and Stones, State coach and horses, English bobbies, kilted Scots and more. All depicted in the splendid chars.
Madame Salut also refused to be defeated. "I'm French, but a French Londoner," she insisted, looking the part.
As people from the understandably thin crowd poured over these colourful evocations of Blighty at the end of the curtailed procession to choose flowers to take home, the rotten British-ish weather drove me away. I have no idea whose float was chosen as the best. But everyone who took part, including the drenched spectators, probably deserved awards.
So here are a few more photos ...
Recent Comments