Dáil Sketch: It was hard to decide if it was the weather or Minister for Finance Brian Cowen. Either way, the effect was the same - a somnolent Dáil.
One observer compared it to lawn tennis, the sluggish rally of a long question from the Opposition and the equally slow return from the Minister.
But it couldn't last. And the first to raise the game was Labour leader Pat Rabbitte. A gentle lunge at first about the Supreme Court's statutory rape judgment - when would the terms of reference for the all-party committee be ready, and would various reports be available for its perusal.
The Minister neatly parried and moved to express his disappointment that deputies regarded the appointment of a senior civil servant to review the issue as "sweeping things under the carpet.
"It ill-behoves members of this House to impugn the integrity of either the Civil Service or the public service," he said.
"The Minister is joking," retorted Fine Gael's Olivia Mitchell.
Pat Rabbitte offered: "The very tetchy Minister gave several glib replies."
"The deputy posed several glib questions," the Minister lobbed back.
"Could the Minister manage to avoid sulking for a moment?" said Pat, and the atmosphere altered.
"Name calling will get the deputy nowhere," parried the Minister.
"Will the Minister have another go at answering the question?" returned the deputy.
"I have answered it," lobbed the Minister.
The deputy repeated the question about committee reports.
He added a rider: "Could the Minister attempt to answer without snarling?"
"I did not snarl." The rallies were getting snappier.
"One man's snarl is another man's smile," offered an unexpected referee, Joe Higgins.
The Minister began playing for the match: "The problem with this deputy is that whenever he hears an answer he doesn't like he decides to call people names."
He added: "I will leave the name calling to the deputy." "What is the answer to the question?" the Labour leader, returned undeterred.
"The answer to the question is that whether that [ report] will be available is a matter for discussion."
Fine Gael's Bernard Allen took up the game. Did the Government remember its own document on Delivering Better Government and was the aspiration ever likely to become a reality? "Perhaps Deputy Durkan should concentrate on trying to deliver better opposition," suggested the Minister.
Then added mischievously: "I apologise to Deputy Durkan for snarling." Labour was back for another game when Joan Burton asked about the new reduced alternative bank levy of 25 million. Brian "Snarler" Cowen replied that he would announce the full details when it was sorted.
"It's a steal for the banks," Deputy Burton provoked, "a bad deal."
"I don't renege on deals - that is the difference between deputy Burton and I," snarled the snarler.
"That was a snarl," quipped Labour's Brendan Howlin.
"We're all enjoying the sunshine. We're actually in good humour. The Minister should try to join in," said Deputy Burton.
"A little less pettiness would not go astray," the snarler almost snarled.
Play was suspended until next week when team captain the Taoiseach returns.