To all customers and friends

Judging by the amount of response I have had to my recent account of Trooping the Colour 2001, I thought you might all appreciate this cutting from the "question and answer" section of today's Daily Mail

Question: How do bandsmen playing open-mouthed brass instruments deal with the rainwater that enters during downpours, such as that seen at the recent Trooping the Colour?

Answer:  During this year's Trooping the Colour, the tubas and euphoniums filled very quickly with water during the slow and quick troop. There were few opportunities to empty them while maintaining the correct deportment required during such a parade.

A further complication with tubas is that, as they are slung around our bodies, the extra water added to the 2 1/2 stones we were already carrying

When we unslung them in the Palace forecourt, we were able quickly to tip them to the left to pour out the rainwater, only to have them re-filled in the downpour.

The large amount of water affected the tuning and resonance of the instruments, but, by then, this was the least of our worries - our uniforms still haven't dried out.

Tuba section of the Grenadier Guards Band, London