A very frustating day....

Today was such a frustrating and disappointing day, I am still feeling upset about it. It was meant to be such a special day... Gavin was going to be sworn in as a member of The Skinners Company, which was something we had been looking forward to for a while now.

The Skinners’ Company is one of the ‘Great Twelve’ livery companies of London.  It developed from the medieval trade guild of furriers and was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1327.  Today it is a major not-for-profit organisation involved in running schools, sheltered housing and grant programmes for individuals, educational institutions, and a wide range of small organisations throughout the UK.

 One can only join through certain ways, either as an apprentice, patrimony, or if one is elected, either by admission - 5 to 10 admitted each year – or by redemption – when one is selected to join in recognition of service to, or connection with the Company. Gavin was elected to join The Worshipful Company of Skinners by redemption, and we felt it was quite an honour for him to be invited to do so.

But it was not to be...the clue should have been when we woke up this morning and realised that the rainstorm last night was worse than we realised - half of one of our huge trees lay across the lawn, it had come crashing down during the night. We left home early to get to the station and as I went to buy the tickets the station master said to me not to bother as there were no trains due to fallen trees further down the line. We got back in to the car and spent the next hour trying to drive to other nearby stations that were on different lines, but it seemed all the southern lines were all experiencing the same problem. The traffic was horrendous due to no trains working, and eventually after trying a 3rd station we realised we had to give up and it was not going to happen today - with trains not running, and roads blocked with heavy traffic it meant we could not get to London. We phoned the secretary and told her we just could not get there. Gavin now has to wait until the next time the ceremony is performed which will be in September.

I was feeling so frustrated and upset for him - we were all dressed up and were looking forward to the ceremony and then the lunch I had booked afterwards at the Sky Garden. We came home afterwards and said things could be worse....

I then headed off to Kingston to collect Thomas' suit from the tailor and it was not its usual bustling place - the howling wind and rain meant the stall holders had not even bothered to open up in the  market place, and it was not as busy as usual.

After that foul weather this morning the sun is now shining and I am waiting for the tree surgeon to come to remove the broken tree - we have a second viewing tomorrow by an interested party and it won't do to have a broken tree strewn across the lawn!