Cheltenham Festival 3

It rained all day. It rained on “Ladies’ Day”. I am surprised that such eponymous days continue in the 21st century racing calendar.

I was sorry to read that one of those beautiful race horses died yesterday on the racetrack.

The crowds flocked in in their thousands again today. For those who could not afford helicopters there were hundreds of coaches going to and fro in the relentless rain.

Meanwhile news from Ukraine continues to numb us all. I share others on Blip in the enormous unease at the humanitarian support being offered to displaced Ukrainians while refugees from other recent wars are struggling for parity in how they are being helped.

One ray of light on this dreary chilly day has been the long overdue liberation of three British Iranians from Iran. Two are on an RAF charter flight from Muscat to Brize Norton as I write this tonight.