Thoroughly enjoyable London Lord Mayor’s parade and bonfire night and fireworks in fine and dry weather after a day’s shopping with the family
The children awake early in our hotel room, well before the 7.00am call I had arranged. Diana also awake to feed the baby but eventually the drinks arrive and a sip of tea whilst reading The Guardian. Down to breakfast by 8.30am with Daniella asleep in the room. A fair fried breakfast, whilst Daniel had his scrambled eggs and Deborah, toast. Upstairs for our things and out for the day. I take the kids to collect our London Transport Explorer tickets and we meet Di t the bus stop to catch a 2A bus from Swiss Cottage. It takes us into the West End and we eventually leave the buses at Aldwich and file along Fleet Street and stop at a good position on Ludgate Hill. We had changed buses at Trafalgar Square and had a fine time feeding and catching the pigeons. Debbie and Dan are thrilled as we played in the sunshine. Anyway we were in Fleet Street and, after a fair wait, along came the sanding lorries as the vanguard of over 100 floats, carriages and bands, with the final climax of the golden Lord Mayor’s coach escorted by his medieval bodyguard of pikemen and musket bearers. A fantastic pageant of music and colour, justly known as the grandest free show in the world. A parade enjoyed by all in fine sunshine and, after a lunch of burgers and chips, we set off to St Pauls Cathedral for our first family visit. Strange to think the huge dome was even higher before 1666 and Sir Christopher Wren’s re-building. Debbie enjoys pushing an observant Daniella up and down the aisles as we rest on the wooden chairs and gaze up in wonderment. What an even more glorious site it must have been when the gilt and colours had not faded so. When rested, out to try to find a bus but the city is still blocked with diversions and so we walk northward to catch a diverted bus to Oxford Circus. Off to Hamleys with Daniel and Debbie, pausing for an ice cream outside Proruptia (and seeing a young bride take off her wedding gown!) Di takes Daniella to Dickens and Jones for a feed and we all meet there later for afternoon drinks. The shopping centre was packed with Hamleys particularly so – the worst I have seen it. Out to try to get a No 23 bus to The Tower but they are out of sequence and so we catch a taxi instead; just getting to Tower Wharf in time to see the start of the firework display from the GLC jetty.
A huge display of massive thunder flashes, hailed hundreds of feet in the air, with cascades of multi-coloured flashes. Certainly the largest and the loudest fireworks I have seen this year, and perhaps ever. In the end the jetty erupted in a blaze of flame and fusillade of cannon bursts – filling the air with smoke, light and flashes. When it finished, a long wait to file out through the small door – the Tower Yoemen had swung too and locked the main gates – and then a fair wait for a No 23 bus to take us to Oxford Street and a 113 back to Swiss Cottage. I take the kids to McDonalds for their tea whilst Di feeds the baby, then all into the hotel swimming pool with aching limbs from the day’s exertions. Debbie is learning to swim without armbands, but it is painfully going. After a bath together, Diana and I go down to another fine buffet dinner in the restaurant and return to the room to find them all fast asleep – we must have worn them out! I write up this splendid day’s activity which has been blessed with good weather for full enjoyment. I sit late in the light of the television whilst the family are asleep and the television featuring the Albert Hall Festival of the Armed Services for tomorrow is Remembrance Sunday. I heard no news today and needed none. And so, tired and happy, to bed.