Crap, CRAP! WHY don’t I seem to have my camera with me when I need it most? I went for a run this morning, and accidentally ran into a parade. Today is the Lord Mayor’s Show, given by the Lord Mayor of London, who is more a figurehead than anything—his job is to “Promote the City of London”—whatever that means.
I love parades. They are just good clean family fun. It was great to see a parade in another country—in many ways, it was similar to hometown parades at home. There were the requisite high school marching bands, the Lions Club, the Veterans Society, and the Boy Scouts. One of the troops had the kids walking inside tents—they had cut holes in the sides for the kids to see out of, but they were having trouble with the concept of balancing a tent on their heads, which made for a hilarious fiasco in the middle of the street. No Shriners in tiny cars, sorry. Guess they don’t do that in London.
However, this parade also had its share of differences. One difference was the amount of pomp and circumstance and the sense that there were Important People in attendance. The Royal Guard was there, looking silly as ever in their hairy hats. Riding in beautiful, old horse-drawn coaches were barristers and City officials in attendance wearing their medals, capes, powdered wigs, and other royal insignia. For some reason, every person riding in a coach was waving at the crowd with a sock puppet. I was a little confused (and delighted) by this.
Despite the presence of the upper crust, there were also some things that made me laugh: first, one of the biggest floats, accompanied by its own motorcade, was for Pimlico Plumbing Company. A gaggle of questionable-looking plumbers in a ragged line walked proudly alongside the company cars. This was one of the biggest living advertisements I have ever seen.
And finally, my favorite part—this is just for you, Torni: after some of the officials came through, such as the City Council members and some lawyers, a small but very special group walked by, heads held high, in their business suits. They even had their own flag: The City Information Technologists. Three cheers for IT!
I once was the Mayor of said City of Technologists. A cushy gig it was. Unfortunately I was ousted for spreading anti-apple materials. I still have connections though, so watch out.
ReplyDelete-Torni