The overbearing atmosphere caused by the thundery weather was not reflected in the opening of Parliament yesterday morning as Ministers shared lighthearted jokes and banter.

Kim Wilson, the Shadow Minister of Health, was one of the first to arrive in the House of Assembly and her silver and red dress brought with it a festive cheer.

When she opened her umbrella to shake off the rain, Mark Pettingill, the Warwick North East candidate and former Attorney General, joked: “Don’t do that, we don’t need any bad luck today.”

He then quipped that she should remove her wide-brimmed hat, too — she probably wished she had taken his advice, as the wind almost whipped it off her head as she made her way to the Senate after the session.

Nandi Outerbridge wore the most adventurous outfit, although her St George’s West constituents might not be too pleased with the Somerset colours. She wore a pillar box red hat with a bouquet of ruffles and matching, show-stopping red lips. The classy, above-the-knee laced blue dress tempered the look, but she certainly brightened up the House.

On the other side of the House, Lovitta Foggo, the Opposition Whip and Shadow Minister for Education, chose to dress with the weather: dark greys and black were the order of the day. It was a sleek look complemented by sharp, faux animal-skin heels.

Ankle strapped heels were high on the fashion agenda with at least three females sporting them including, somewhat surprisingly, the Parliamentary Clerk Shernette Wolffe. From the ankles up, she was the image of formality complete with collar and wig, but a glance to the floor revealed striking, zebra print killer heels with a blue accent.

Over to the men, Shawn Crockwell, the Minister for Tourism Development and Transport, sported one of his signature fitted suits with a playful red, blue and white handkerchief, perhaps a nod to his Southampton West Central constituency.

Michael Dunkley, wore his OBA colours with pride: a red tie, red hanky and Bermuda flag lapel button — the same as the man he replaced as Premier, Craig Cannonier.

Opposition leader Marc Bean dressed quite conservatively with a greyish stripped tie, but he looked sharp. Several PLP Ministers chose green ties to represent their party.

The room was hot because the air conditioning was off, so the gents were invited to remove their jackets. As they did so they giggled, adding to the sense of informality. It was like the first day back at school.

As the morning’s formalities (and informalities) drew to a close, there was an almighty crack of thunder outside and a few of the ladies in the House rolled their eyes.

“My jacket’s only this short,” Ms Outerbridge said to Mr Dunkley, pointing to her waist. Luckily, the rain subsided as the Ministers made their way to the Senate for the Throne Speech.

As they sat in the Senate, there was another crack of thunder; perhaps a little more reflective of the discussions that lay ahead — after a summer of discontent and an ambitious Throne Speech delivered, we can likely forecast showers of insults, with a chance of thunderous debate.