Tom in Salisbury, England

Tom in Salisbury, England

|≤ <<< Saturday, May 18, 2013 >>> ≥|

Tom is participating in the Mayor Making of Mayor Elect Penny Brown in Salisbury, England, UK.

At 0715, it’s 48 and sunny. I had sausages and back bacon for breakfast with another nice pot of tea. At 1000, I walked to the Guildhall. I was greeted at the door by Graham, who had conducted the previous day’s building tour. Coffee and tea was available in the lobby while the Councillors and guests assembled. Reg, in his ceremonial wig, gave us our briefing on the order and procedure of the processional. At 1130, with citizens lining the streets, we walked the few blocks to the Church of St. Thomas a Becket. There, the annual meeting of the council was called to order by the outgoing Mayor, John Collier. Penny was nominated and elected by acclimation as the 753rd Mayor of the City of Salisbury. Councillor Jo Broome was elected as deputy mayor. Penny’s selection by the council occurred last year when she was elected to be deputy mayor. However, the ward she represents had to re-elect her as councillor in early May before she could be installed as Mayor, today. Following the ceremony, the procession reformed and we walked back to the Guildhall for a luncheon reception. As Mayor, Penny selected the charity she will champion as the acquisition of a 2nd CT scanner for the Salisbury District Hospital. This will require the raising of £650,000. The visitors from Salisbury’s Sister Cities were warmly greeted and countless numbers of locals sought us out for conversations. I therefore, met many folks whose names I can not possible remember. A crowded room, combined with, at times, heavy accents, made conversation difficult. At 1815, I left the hotel and walked the few blocks to Crane’s on Crane Street, and was, as usual, the first to arrive. Soon thereafter, 47 had arrived. Pictures were taken and champagne was present. When we started to take our seats it became apparent that the restaurant was expecting 42, not 47. An extra table was setup and a few staff members discreetly withdrew. It appears 5 guests did not respond to the invitation and showed up anyway. This ended up being very fortunate for me as I was seated at Penny’s right. I had pre-ordered an excellent Cod fillet in mussel chowder with spring greens and Jersey Royal potatoes and she, the Chicken Schnitzel covered in a parmesan crust with mushroom fricassee & sweet potato fries. Even though my cod came in a rich and creamy sauce, topped with a fat mussel, I only nailed my shirt twice during the evening. At 2130, the group started to break up and I walked back to the hotel to catch the 1500 EDT baseball game between Clemson and FSU over the internet.