One thing that we can do well in England is to put on a spiffing show of pomp and pageantry. In the picture above(please click on to enlarge, I've cropped a lot of these pics to remove the backs of people's heads, Sam picking his nose, etc) you can see the Band of the Grenadier Guards, formed in 1685, just as they are about to pass (on the opposite kerbside) a pack of Beaver Scouts from King's Lynn, containing many of Sam's friends! That wasn't the 0nly surprising meeting of the day, we also bumped into Sam's Grandma and Grandad outside King's Cross station.
Not to mention Martin Jarvis and Denise Robertson - one a famous actor, the other a national treasure, the againy aunt on This Morning. Sam was initially fascinated, then embarrassed, as his mates in the Cubs kept shouting at him, and not the "celebs"
Closer view of that rowdy lot from King's Lynn.
Toot Toot!
The parade was a really enjoyable mixture of modern elements and the very, very old, with the City of London Militia above being part of the Old, of course.
Brave Sir Robin didn't run away, even when we cheered at him.
Sam was excited to see the Cadet Force band march by, he's quite keen on joining them himself one day.
So, what HAVE the Romans ever done for us?
I loved this old, beautiful Royal Mail lorry. Fantastic!