Wootton Bassett says goodbye to its "Goodbyes"

A really long and busy day today.  I got up this morning at 6.00 a.m., made tea and showered and was on the road to Dorking by 6.45 a.m.  I had a meeting in the Surrey town at 9. 15 a.m. which I made easily.   The meeting lasted until 11.30 a.m. and after a short stroll around Dorking town centre to stretch my legs and drove to Arkle Manor on the A25 road to Reigate for lunch with my former colleague, Belinda.  We had a pleasant chat by way of catching up on what each of us was now doing over some lovely food - in my case salmon and crab fishcakes.  Following a coffee and then drove along the M25 and M4 to Membury Services where I got changed into my masonic morning dress and over a mug of tea dealt with some phone calls and emails with my BlackBerry.  I then drove on through Wootton Bassett (the High Street of which was filled with TV and satellite equipment) which today was seeing the last repatriation cortege from RAF Lyneham as repatriation of bodies of servicemen from Afghanistan will, in future, revert to RAF Brize Norton.  I was on my way to Calne to attend the Installation Meeting of the Wiltshire Masters' lodge - the most prestigious lodge in the Province of Wiltshire.  Our Provincial Grand Master was being installed as Master and I was being invested as his Junior Warden - a great honour.  following the installation we had a short talk from the Assistant Provincial Secretary on Masonic Etiquette and an excellent dinner of smoke salmon, beef chasseur and a savoury pudding of mushroom stuffed with Stilton cheese.  The meal ended with cheese and biscuits.  It was a long meeting and I didn't finally arrive home (after driving across Salisbury Plain) until 11.30 a.m. feeling quite tired after such a full day.