Tony Bellm Lunch - Monday 15th November 2010

Tony Bellm was one of our early Masters who inaugurated an annual lunch for the Past Masters, their ladies and a few other guests of the Marketors 'family'. He was a towering figure in every sense of the word; his lunch provides an occasion to remember Absent Friends. My husband, Roger, and I were honoured to be invited, as is the tradition, to share the memories.

Later I attended an exhibition of paintings and prize-giving to the artists organised by the Painter-Stainers' Company at their lovely hall. The attendees were drawn from the arts and the City (a luvvy-livery mix?) and we mere artisans opened our eyes in amazement at the variety of styles, textures, colour codes and scale of the displays. I cannot pretend to have understood it all but it was good to be exposed to what is new and considered to be excellent.

Remembrance Sunday at St Brides - 14th November 2010

Unusually this year, Remembrance Sunday fell after Armistice Day (11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month) so I spent the 2 minutes' silence on Thursday in the reception of Cass Business School, just before going into a meeting.

But on Sunday a dozen Marketors were at St Brides for the wreath-laying and subsequent communion service. The music as always was exquisite - the St Bride's choir augmented by a volunteer (professional) orchestra. They sang the Durufle Requiem, and you can't go wrong with Durufle, in my view.

Driving into the City earlyish on a Sunday morning is a different experience. The streets had all been hosed clean after yesterday's parade. The mainline railway station at City Thameslink was closed. All was quiet except for the occasional tramp of soldiers moving in small groups towards St Paul's. The only coffee shop open was the independent Italian one, serving a diverse clientele of churchgoers and workmen in their reflective waistcoats. Parking was easy but there's no discount for going to church!

Lord Mayor's Show Day - Saturday 13th November 2010

Thank goodness it was dry! Here are some images from a great day out, not only for us, but for the family of Marketors who joined the many thousands of people alongside the route. I was joined by Senior Warden, Jim Surguy, Middle Warden, John Flynn and in this picture by Past Master and Brigadier Roger Hood, who is a Marshal for the parade. We walked with the other Modern Livery Companies in front of our bus, a steam-driven fire engine from the Firefighters and a potato harvester from the Farmers - what a neat bit of driving that was round our narrow streets.

A good walk through the streets of the City, wearing out your arm and cheek muscles waving and smiling at the crowds, who were so enthusiastic and welcoming. It was particularly nice when friends called out to us from the crowds or we saw someone we knew - they got an extra big wave.

Then to HQS Wellington (thank you to the Master Mariners) for a lunchtime break and refreshment. Then back along different streets, past the coachloads of elderly and less able visitors parked beside the road so that they got a ringside seat.

Returned to the Wine Tun in Cannon Street to join the last of the Marketors party before they left - big thank you to Court Assistant Dan Doherty for organising their hospitality with such efficiency and warmth.

Then on to the old HMS President where the City Livery Club had a bar open all afternoon preparatory to watching a stunning firework display, then dinner. Their President this year is our Liveryman Valerie Boakes, so it was great to see her and her husband, Past Master Norman Boakes, hosting such a delightful mix of guests.

A long day but the tired feet were well worth it. Thank you to Junior Warden Sally Muggeridge and her husband David Williams for getting the team together and managing logistics on the day.

Silent Ceremony - Friday 12th November

This was an occasion for hats, as you can see. It is the ceremony at which the new Lord Mayor is installed and, apart from his declaration, it takes place in silence.

There is a large table placed in the centre of Guildhall around which the dignitaries sit and the symbols of authority are, one by one, presented to the outgoing Lord Mayor, who presents them to the incoming Lord Mayor, who returns them to their custodian. So the Sword, the Mace, the Seal of office, the Purse, the collar and badge are handed over.

This is all done with much bowing and stepping forwards and backwards - very dignified, very British. It was thanks to the good offices of our Clerk, Adele Thorpe, that my husband, Roger, and I were able to attend. A great privilege.

6th City of London Biennial Meeting - 9th November 2010

I was invited to attend this meeting organised by Cass Business School. It takes place in alternate years and looks at macro-economic conditions and their impact on the finance, energy and shipping sectors. I went to the second day for an update on two areas in which I have spent most of my career so far.

Delighted to see that the government is now espousing the energy objectives that Shell has talked about for some time - that what we all want is energy that is clean, cheap and convenient. Or if you prefer it more elegantly: affordable, available and acceptable. The Department of Energy and Climate Change seems to have (what I would consider to be) a sensible view of the task ahead as we migrate to a new portfolio of energy sources and technologies.

Just as interesting, I met a delightful Past Prime Warden of the Dyers Company, Michael Rowlandson, who sits on the Court of City University. It's one of their expressions of social responsibility.

For our tomorrow, they gave their today - Monday 8th November 2010

At 5 degrees, London today was colder than Switzerland. It was also wet and windy enough to blow rain under your umbrella. Perfect conditions for remembering those who died in the much worse conditions of war.

From 9.30 the crypt of St Paul's gradually filled with representatives from the the Royal British Legion, the armed services, the Ambulance Service, City Institutions and the Livery Companies. We were called out to walk across to the garden of remembrance at the North East corner of the cathedral, where the Band of the Scots Guards (well wrapped in grey greatcoats and bearskins) waited.

The Livery Masters gathered on the grass under the plane trees, cold penetrating up through the soles of our shoes, and the large wet plane leaves brushing water across our dripping umbrellas as the wind caught the branches.

The arrival of the procession of dignatories (Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Dean and Chapter) signalled the start of the service and we did our best to sing and pray, then took our turns in sixes to plant our small wooden crosses in the grass at the foot of the tree. Cautious steps required on the slippery mud (wonder what it was like in the trenches) and a strong hand to push the cross into surprisingly resistant ground.

The Lord Mayor Locum Tenens (i.e. stand-in for the LM, who is abroad), Lord Levene, said that this morning he had read the names of all those servicemen who had given their lives this year - 104 of them. "So many were only 18, 19 or 20 years old. That's one of the injustices of war. It takes the youngest and the best." Very choke-making.

Lady Mayoress's Reception - Thursday 4th November

We are approaching the end of the Mayoral year - next week we have a "3-day event" with the Silent Ceremony on Friday (the installation of the new LM), the Lord Mayor's Show on Saturday and Remembrance Sunday at St Brides. November is such a busy month for Livery events and committee meetings that I have even found it worthwhile to buy a monthly season ticket for the train.

On Thursday the Lady Mayoress held a reception to whom, among others, all the Livery Company Masters of 2009-10 and their Ladies or Consorts were invited. I have been in office for almost 9 months so many of them are now friends; the reception was more like a large private party than a formal civic occasion. Excellent tea, finishing up with a glass of champagne - now that's style!