The Lord Mayor's Show
14th November 2015At least it started dry even if it did end wet. We assembled in St Martin’s le Grand to be marshalled into place with the usual efficiency of the Lord Mayor’s Pageant Master. We were a part of the Modern Companies float which meant we were walking with the Firemen and the Famers amongst others. The Farmers brought a huge GPS controlled tractor which drives itself around enormous fields making decisions on how much seed to put where according the computers which control it. It was so heavy that it was banned from crossing Mansion House tube station and had to complete the reurn leg of the procession on a transporter. What a beast. And what a cost, well over a quarter of a million. Such is modern farming. We had a very convivial walk in the rain which got steadily heavier as the morning drew on. Charles Miller, Senior Warden had thoughtfully provided a flask of the King's Ginger, made by Berry Brothers to a secret recipe, to warm the cockles of our hearts and Ralph Edmondson, Renter Warden, brought some good Scottish whisky to do the same. What with the sloe gin also provided by the Senior Warden to add to our champagne at lunchtime we rapidly ceased to have any feeling toward the cold and the wet. We puffed our specially made churchwarden pipes and the crowd were delighted. Not quite what I had become accustomed to last year when I travelled in style in a carriage, courtesy of our status as mother company to the sheriff, but a more down to earth, in touch experience. Actually it was enormous fun and we acquitted ourselves very well I thought.