We rehearsed the Lord Mayor’s Show today, in the official carriage from 1753, the longest continuously used vehicle in the world. But to have empty streets were were up at 03:30 and underway at 04:50. You’d think we’d yawn, but it was absolutely fantastic fun with hundreds of volunteers making everything special. Yes, that’s me practicing my hat waving.

BBC – “Lord Mayor: Rehearsals Held In City Of London Ahead Of 695th Procession” (the pedant in me points out that the Show began in 1215 so there have been (minus a few for wars and a pandemic) just over 800. It’s the 695th Lord Mayor, yes, but some Lord Mayor’s were elected more than once long ago, but all had a Show. And the trivia is that from approximately 1360 till 1860, 500 years, there was a land ride and a waterfront show, leading to the continued use of the word ‘float’ to describe an entry in a parade.