Thursday March 21
I went to the Spring Court Dinner of the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers .. and not the Taxi Drivers ! This was held in the lovely surroundings of Saddlers Hall . The principal guest was His Honour Judge Brian Barker QC Recorder of London. As always Judges make excellent after dinner speakers and he entertained us with a mixture of humour and serious commentary . He drew a distinction between being none the wiser, but better informed after some submissions in Court.
By the way in my blog for March 14 I referred to excellent sources of formal wear - one such source is Clermont .. not Clearmont .
Monday 25 March 2013
Wednesday 20 March 2013
Two in a Day
March 20th started with a meeting of our FMGP . I am very pleased and proud of the progress that we have all made against the objectives we committed to this year . I am also sad that we are now in the back of the year . It goes so quickly .
On to the Master Mariners lunch with our Clerk . The Master Mariner John Freestone was so welcoming and we see a lot of one another on the circuit - he and I used to work together in the PLA . The principal guest was Ian McNaught , a current colleague , Deputy Master of Trinity House , and former Captain of QE2 . There was lots of merriment about various people being at sea .The Master Mariners must surely be unique in celebrating absence .. on the high seas .... but it is in their soul to be sailing .!
Taxi Drivers tomorrow !
March 20th started with a meeting of our FMGP . I am very pleased and proud of the progress that we have all made against the objectives we committed to this year . I am also sad that we are now in the back of the year . It goes so quickly .
On to the Master Mariners lunch with our Clerk . The Master Mariner John Freestone was so welcoming and we see a lot of one another on the circuit - he and I used to work together in the PLA . The principal guest was Ian McNaught , a current colleague , Deputy Master of Trinity House , and former Captain of QE2 . There was lots of merriment about various people being at sea .The Master Mariners must surely be unique in celebrating absence .. on the high seas .... but it is in their soul to be sailing .!
Taxi Drivers tomorrow !
Sunday 17 March 2013
Two glorious days on Mar 14 and 15
The first was the Dinner for the Masters , Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff of the Livery Companies at the Mansion House ... a white tie do . I bought my ensemble from mytuxedo.com and Clearmont on the advice of other Masters - and that was good advice . The food and company was really enjoyable - there are such nice people in the Livery . There were speeches by the Lord Mayor and the Master Mercer and Master Grocer which addressed the future of the Livery and the commitment we must all make to its future . It was again a message of tradition blending with innovation .But the pageantry was magnificent and that takes me on to day 2 .. the 15th
This was my second service in St Pauls in a week and it was the United Guild Service . This started in 1943 during the Second World War to lift the spirits if London, and has carried on since . Again the pageantry was striking . The sermon by the Bishop of London focussed on generosity and tolerance . Afterwards Lis and I and several of our company lunched at Browns for a very enjoyable end to the week - thank you for organising that Ralph.
Now on to next week ...... !
The first was the Dinner for the Masters , Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff of the Livery Companies at the Mansion House ... a white tie do . I bought my ensemble from mytuxedo.com and Clearmont on the advice of other Masters - and that was good advice . The food and company was really enjoyable - there are such nice people in the Livery . There were speeches by the Lord Mayor and the Master Mercer and Master Grocer which addressed the future of the Livery and the commitment we must all make to its future . It was again a message of tradition blending with innovation .But the pageantry was magnificent and that takes me on to day 2 .. the 15th
This was my second service in St Pauls in a week and it was the United Guild Service . This started in 1943 during the Second World War to lift the spirits if London, and has carried on since . Again the pageantry was striking . The sermon by the Bishop of London focussed on generosity and tolerance . Afterwards Lis and I and several of our company lunched at Browns for a very enjoyable end to the week - thank you for organising that Ralph.
Now on to next week ...... !
Thursday 14 March 2013
March 13 A busy day
First, I went to Evensong at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate 650 years since the Vinters gained their first Royal Charter . It is always a pleasure to go to a Service there . The Bishop of London gave a most interesting Sermon in which he drew a Christian message from looking after the land of vineyards( something which we can resonate with ) and the social responsibilities of vintners as part of retail trade and as a pivotal part of our social framework .
Then on to Buckingham Palace to hear the first Bellamy lecture organised by CIWEM and the Conservation Foundation . It was hosted by Prince Philip and delivered by Chris Bain . It was a most enlightening and pleasant evening . A really interesting message ( apart from just how much passion can drive change !) was the concept that rather than oppose developments such as HS2 we ought to ask the question - what can these projects do for the environment ? For example HS2 could create a major wildlife corridor . Something to think about for Wales particularly as Chris used Wales as an example in his talk' From Summit to Seabed'.
As at July the 20th when I am reviewing my year I realise that I omitted the Modern Companies Dinner on March 11 - my only mistake - a pity because I recall it being a very enjoyable event in which we started the idea of swopping thoughts and experiences in being a modern companies .
First, I went to Evensong at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate 650 years since the Vinters gained their first Royal Charter . It is always a pleasure to go to a Service there . The Bishop of London gave a most interesting Sermon in which he drew a Christian message from looking after the land of vineyards( something which we can resonate with ) and the social responsibilities of vintners as part of retail trade and as a pivotal part of our social framework .
Then on to Buckingham Palace to hear the first Bellamy lecture organised by CIWEM and the Conservation Foundation . It was hosted by Prince Philip and delivered by Chris Bain . It was a most enlightening and pleasant evening . A really interesting message ( apart from just how much passion can drive change !) was the concept that rather than oppose developments such as HS2 we ought to ask the question - what can these projects do for the environment ? For example HS2 could create a major wildlife corridor . Something to think about for Wales particularly as Chris used Wales as an example in his talk' From Summit to Seabed'.
As at July the 20th when I am reviewing my year I realise that I omitted the Modern Companies Dinner on March 11 - my only mistake - a pity because I recall it being a very enjoyable event in which we started the idea of swopping thoughts and experiences in being a modern companies .
Thursday 7 March 2013
Monday 4th March Evening
I attended the WET 10 debate on droughts and floods - what is happening to the weather ?This was not so much a debate as a duologue by Paul Leinster CE of the Environment Agency and John Hirst CE of the Met Office . This was a most interesting and well organised evening . The question is - is 2012 the new normal or will we look back at it as a freak year? Time will tell .It has certainly affected policies and practices to improve resilience . Well done to Colin Drummond and others on the WET10 committee . I did not stop for the networking afterwards as I felt under the weather having started a heavy cold that day !!!
I attended the WET 10 debate on droughts and floods - what is happening to the weather ?This was not so much a debate as a duologue by Paul Leinster CE of the Environment Agency and John Hirst CE of the Met Office . This was a most interesting and well organised evening . The question is - is 2012 the new normal or will we look back at it as a freak year? Time will tell .It has certainly affected policies and practices to improve resilience . Well done to Colin Drummond and others on the WET10 committee . I did not stop for the networking afterwards as I felt under the weather having started a heavy cold that day !!!
Saturday 2 March 2013
On the evening of the 18 February the Lord Mayor hosted the speech by the Deputy PM Nick Clegg at the Mansion House and I attended . In fact the Lord Mayor himself was away overseas on business representing the benefits of financial services in the UK and the evening was hosted by a Past Lord Mayor Sir David Howard . The Deputy PM's speech was most interesting in that he was promoting the ideas of a resurgent economy being based on a network of more independent and successful cities throughout the country . This would not to detract from the role that the City of London plays in the nation's finances but would strengthen it . He drew analogies with the USA ,Germany and Japan .This was a launch of the Government's City Deals.
Thank you to Stella and Nigel Mattravers for organising a regional visit
Over 20 Water Conservators and guests visited Rich's Cider Farm near Bridgwater on February 28 . A very enthusiastic manager told us all about the ins and outs of cider making and left us cold but warm with appreciation of the benefits of 'boutique' production.The visit was rounded of with a really splendid lunch and a visit to the shop . As Lis has relatives in the area - will be be back !!!! This achieves another one of the objectives this year of increasing our regional presence and of increasing the number of Water Conservators who participate in our affairs .
Over 20 Water Conservators and guests visited Rich's Cider Farm near Bridgwater on February 28 . A very enthusiastic manager told us all about the ins and outs of cider making and left us cold but warm with appreciation of the benefits of 'boutique' production.The visit was rounded of with a really splendid lunch and a visit to the shop . As Lis has relatives in the area - will be be back !!!! This achieves another one of the objectives this year of increasing our regional presence and of increasing the number of Water Conservators who participate in our affairs .
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