They enjoyed travelling in the new car. Even PC could forgive the Press Secretary this luxury but occasionally gave vent to his feelings of envy. But nothing could spoil their fun to-day.



Everything seemed perfect - the bright sunlight lifted their tired spirits.

They were dressed casually and an unsuspecting person could have taken them for ex- English tourists. The only clue to their somewhat faded status was the Union Jack penannt which the Press Secretary flew to please the Queen whenever they went out together. The Queen wore beige slacks with matching shoes and a flowery top. Her only concession to 2006 fashion was the baseball cap which she wore with great nonchalance.

The Press Secretary pulled up sharply outside the Bar Stop.

They entered. The Queen had some small change at the ready as she knew this would please the owner. They knew that they had to order first. The Queen ordered a cappuccino for herself and then the other two played their parts

"Un caffe' macchiato freddo" said PC haltingly

"Un caffe' lungo macchiato caldo" said the Press Secretary glibly.

They were regarded as somewhat special guests and were allowed at no extra cost to sit at a table nearby. They then started their favourite pastime which was called 'The Coffee Game'.

"Shall I start?" volunteered the Queen.

They all knew the rules of the 'Coffee Game' backwards. They would listen carefully as the customers called out their orders for coffee.Each round was three minutes long and they had two minutes for corrections. The Queen and PC had to write down the English equivalent and then these were checked by the Press Secretary and marked accordingly. The Press Secretary had been an Examinations Manager in a previous life so this task he always performed with great panache. The winner would be awarded an extra coffee of his/her choice.They were always astonished at the varieties of coffee available. It seemed that every coffee was made to measure for each individual customer.

"It just shows you the creativity of the Italians"the Queen invariably commented.

They had already learnt from other sessions of the game that

temperature was an important element so they had trained their ears to hear the key words of caldo (hot) tiepido (warm)

and freddo (cold).

Bar Stop was crowded as usual. They were intoxicated by the smell of the freshly brewed coffee, the satisfying click clack of the coffee dispenser and then the placing of the thimble like cups under the spout, the gushing of the steam to heat the milk to dense foam for the cappuccino. The customers handled the coffee cups as if they were gold drinking cups of great value from another age. They were able to enjoy the quick shot of caffeine and still carry on a conversation about the latest football results, family problems or a quick comment to the barman if the temperature of the coffee was not right.

That morning the orders came thick and furious:-

'Caffe' al vetro'

'Caffe' shakerato'

'Latte macchiato con caffe' freddo'

'Cappuccino senza schiuma'

'Cappuccino caldo con poca schiuma'

'Latte macchiato tiepido'

'Cappuccino freddo con caffe' caldo'.

The Press Secretary looked at his stop watch and quietly and authoritively said "Time is up for this first round-put down your pens please".

Papers marked. PC grumbled that he had missed two of the seven. The Queen said nothing but waited patiently looking

seraphic.

"Winner is the Queen" said the Press Secretary. She ordered

another cappuccino as her prize. The money was taken from the 'Coffee Game Kitty.' She clapped her hands in delight as the barman placed the cup in front of her- the foam was perfectly formed with a crown in the middle!

"So creative- Grazie!" she rewarded the barman with a radiant smile.