An inspiring visit to St Pauls
On Wednesday 21st . Lis and I represented the Company at the Festival of St Celia Sevice for the Musicians Benevolent Fund . The Lord Mayor , Sherriffs  and Duchess of Gloucester were present .This year's specially commissioned Anthem was by Alec Roth to the words of Psalm 100 .It was truely joyful .Will Todd the composer gave the address  and this coupled with the lessons so eloquently read by music notables  Sir Williard White and Dame Kiri  Te Kanawa  left a lasting impression on how we can move forward in postive ways  .

Four in a row
Tuesday 13 November was dinner at Haberdashers Hall with the Worshipful Company of Gardeners . A very pleasant evening in impressive surroundings . The principal guest was the Earl of Selborne who spoke on sustainablity . This is a particular interest of the Master Rex Thornborough who I have met through WET10.
The next day was most interesting . Whe Lis and I were in South Africa in August we were in very rural communities and often these have antique shops and as you know we are incorrigible collectors . For a very small sum I bought some old spectacle lenses on the basis that we knew someone who collected them . Well we could not find who that was and I met the clerk to the Spectacle Makers at a dinner and told him about this . He told the curator, Neil Handley  of the British Optical Association , College of Optometrists  near Charing Cross . I visited him on the morning of the 14 November and was pleased to find that the lenses were of WW1 vintage and I donated them to the Museum in my capacity as Master Water Conservator .
After an interlude at Trinity House I went on to the Lord Mayor's Address to Masters , Wardens , Clerks and so on  ........ for those of you who read this I was distracted by a small challenge in Wales which  has consumed all my time .. so back to my blog ! The addres was inspiring and I was very pleased to hear the Lord Mayor say ... 'to stay true to the past , we must  change continually' . He said that he would be writing to Companies regarding his notion that we should build our capital through legacies which is  now more attractive under the inheritance taxation rules  under the title Livery Legacy ? I was honoured to be asked to ask a question regarding the changes to City Briefings which have been suspended pending a review which will completed in the New Year . So I added the compliments of the Company  and said that we would give consideration to his proposal .
Which is what I reported at the FMGP the following day - Thursday 15th - the four event in a row . Have a nice weekend  ! Finished Nov 17th

A Beautiful Day for Remembrance 11 November

Lis and I attended a Service organised by The Honourable Company of Master Mariners at the Merchant Navy Memorial  at Tower Hill in conjunction with Trinity House . This brought two parts of my life together .I wrote a message of condolence for our Company 'The waters of  the seas will conserve the memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice '

I have also discovered the Walbrook Club which our Walbrook Warden is eligible to join . We must find out more.

The Lord Mayor's Parade
After an early wet start  at home , the weather was not too bad  in London when we got going with the parade . We were in the Modern Companies section , as usual  . The crowds were very jolly with lots of cheering and whistling - but it is a long walk and comfortable shoes are a must .I really enjoyed being with Roger North , Fleet Warden and Peter Hall, Walbrook Warden who did a sterling job in holding our placard . Lis tells me that we featured very well on the BBC transmission

Two special events in succession for Lis and me
Last night (8th Nov )was  a very special dinner at Stationers Hall in honourof His Majesty King Michael of Romania to celebrate his 75th year as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order  given by His Honour  Sir Gavyn Arthur . It was a splendid  and colourful affair with the Guard of Honour provided by the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers of the  Honourable Artillery Company . Sir Gavyn's speech stirred us all with the brave exploits of the King during the dark years of Fascism and Communism in Romania.

Afrter an overnight stay in London  , we went to the Silent Ceremony at Guildhall this afternoon .This is the installation ( Admission ) of the new Lord Mayor , Roger Gifford .Again lots of pageant . The robes for this ceremony are dark which contrasts with the scarlet used for the election - and today there were no posies - I am going to find out why there are these differences.Looking forward to the Parade tomorrow  . We are really enjoying the tradition of the City.

The start of a challenging week
Today in bright sunshine I placed across of remembrance on behalf of the Company  in the ceremony of the Opening of the Garden of Rembrance in St Pauls Cathedral .It was very moving and the memories of the sacrifices put all our problems into their proper perspective . But in many ways the sombre  mood was mixed with the brightness of the honour in the sacrifices that were made . Once more we see  opposites co-existing in life . Wardens - you do not need black ties , ordinary ones preferable a company tie will be fine

Then on to one of the last functions for the Lord Mayor - a lunch provded by Trinity House for the City of London Corporation . I was there as an Associate Brother but I was able to wear the badge of the Company with pride . The food and companionship were splendid .

What a wonderful night last night at the Banquet  .Over 100 people attended the event at Painters Hall . Lis and really enjoyed ourselves and appreciated the efforts which people made in organising and attending .I include the texts of my speeches

(Wardens, Liverymen, Freemen, Ladies & Gentlemen)

It is my pleasure to welcome you all here this evening . With my new found bilingual skills Hello, Good, Evening , Welcome . Helo, Nos Da , Croeso

To use the words of our alderman, you are all most welcome  emphasizing that all most is two words and not one

Before I say anything more about our guests I would like to take this opportunity to say something about the company . We are in very good heart and I am very pleased that we have a very active programme of engagement with the membership this year . Inevitably with so much activity there will always be challenges to deal with, but I would much rather deal with the sins of commission than the sins of omission and by golly we have lots of commissioning going on. I encourage those members present who have not become engaged so far to do so .

There are many things which I ought to mention but I do not have time . One which might interest our guests is our book . It is called Reflections on Water . This will be made up of individual views and experiences of water . They may be technical ( although not too esoteric) reflective , personal- with essays , poems, papers or anecdotes . It will involve contributions received and promised so far from perspectives as diverse as technical leaders on lighthouses through to the views of eight year children on reservoirs . So guests please do contribute – we really do want a diversity of views, thoughts and experiences .

So whilst I am talking to you as guests may I repeat my special welcome to you . Your presence adds lustre to our evening , but ,may I be very selfish for a moment and say that on behalf of the Members present with guests who are partners – domestic partners – how much we appreciate your support throughout the year . Welcome to our personal guests , Sue and Peter Cook who many of you will know were active in the Company but moved to France to be with their family , and our son Robert .

Lis and I are having a great time representing the company and by being strict on what we eat at home we are keeping our weights down . We could not do what we are doing without the support of the Wardens and our clerk Ralph Riley . Thank you all .

Now finally may I welcome our principal guest Sir Richard Dearlove . He has a very distinguished career in intelligence finally as C the Chief of British Secret Intelligence .He is currently the Master of Pembroke College Cambridge where I am sure that he is known appropriately as M,. although I have never heard him called that . His challenge is the same as mine and that of Masters of all Livery companies – how to honour tradition whilst encouraging change and experiment in this modern world .

I now come to the toast which will be in tap water – what could be a better expression in our belief in water conservation than doing this .It is genuine  treated Thames water supplied at fantastic value for money by Thames Water .

Sir Richard will respond to my toast on behalf of all the guests and so may I ask the members of the company to join me in that toast …….. the Guests

……………………………………………………………….

Sir Richard’s speech  referred to his life in the Secret Service and as Master of Pembroke and shared his thoughts on combining innovation and tradition. He concluded by referring to some issues on water conservation and fishing on the River Tamar and complimented the progress which had been made in co-operation with organisations like South West Water . He stressed the importance of conserving our natural assets. I responded briefly by referring to the new approaches to natural resources management as is demonstrated by the initiatives in Wales and the current reviews in England.

   

Sir  Richard that was a most interesting speech and we will add that to the compendium of views which we are collecting on this topic throughout the year . You honour us with your insights .

 I conclude by thanking the Worshipful Company of Painter Stainers for the use of their Hall – it is magnificent and  by thanking the staff for their attentive service and by thanking the caterers for the delicious repast .May I thank Huber for providing sponsorship for this evening

And of course on your behalf may I also  thank our singers from the Guildhall School of Music who entertained so well  with Welsh songs and sea shanties .

It is my bittersweet duty now to bring matters to an end this evening and to invite you to join me in a stirrup cup . The flower arrangements are constructed in a way which allows the ladies to take home individual posies . Lis and I thank you  once more for coming and we wish you godspeed and safety for your journeys  home.