England - in all its diversity, history, and wackiness

My intention, today, was to go to the Scrambled Messages exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery (about the Atlantic Cable).  I didn't check whether it would be open ... it was closed for the Lord Mayor's Show, an occasion I've never witnessed before.  I thought it was pure ceremony - Lord Mayor of London in their coach, lots of members of worshipful companies and guilds, variegated aldermen - that kind of thing - looking like the Logsdail picture below.  I hadn't known about the large number of charity and organizational floats (here HIV/AIDS support groups high-five the spectators); the old tradesman vehicles.

And yes, there was plenty of this sort of thing - albeit not entirely predictable (here we have some women military riding side-saddle);

here some horses who want to go more quickly than their foot companion;

here some more military women waving cheerleading thingies.

In bands, not everyone is arranged for height.

I'm impressed by a couple of our combat troops, carrying two comrades over their shoulders for the duration of the 2 mile route.

Then there are a lot of very different occupational groups;

the Lord Mayor, of course;

and - only in England - a team of drag-queen grannies, doing formation dancing on segues dressed up as shopping carts, and wearing sashes saying "welcome to Yorkshire."  Apparently Granny Turismo are quite a thing ...