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 ...... !

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  .

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 !!!  

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 .

A busy day on Feb 12

The Water Conservators team of Fiona Begely  ' Keith Tozzi , Rob Casey and your Master did not disgrace themselves in the Pancake Race at Guildhall but we were not winners . We were certainly cold .Thank fellow runners .

After a peaceful afternoon ,I went to the Constructors Awards Dinner at Stationers Hall  . Very pleasant surroundings and company . The awards were inspiring in seeing so many young people coming through and none more so than those given to service personnel in Afghanistan. The speeches were interesting . That to the guests was given by a Past Master , the wife of the current Master who worked with the principal guest Douglas Oakervee in Hong Kong . Douglas is Chair of HS2 and spoke in spirited defence of this major infrastructure project .

A long day finished by going to  bed at 1 am  

Today, I , Ralph our Clerk , Martin Baggs Liveryman and CEO Thames Water , and Chris Sneath Chair of WaterSafe ,Past Master of the Plumbers  and incoming chair of WET 10 ,made a successful team presentation to the Energy and Sustainability Sub Committee of the City of London. This focussed on WET 10 , WaterSafe and services of Thames Water in London . We hope to repeat this in future years and strengthen our links to the Corporation . A copy of the presentation will be on our website.