It’s 9.30 on the first day of the congress. Only I’m not there yet. I’m sat in cafe beside the River Douro, escaping the driving rain. However the cafe has a whole Phil Collins CD playing, and the track that’s just been playing was “I Wish It Would Rain Down” – very suitable I think.

Look on the bright side though: if the weather is bad outside there’s no incentive to leave the conference centre, so it should create a positive atmosphere. Or maybe I’m just looking for something optimistic to write to take my mind off the fact that my trousers are wet through due to the rain.