The last fortnight has been very hectic, but full of new experiences.
It started with the Lord Mayor making ceremony which was straight forward with very kind compliments being made by both main parties. I wanted to liven up the formal dinner and Rachel Russell, the 08 Singer in Residence entertained. Everyone seemed to have a great time and all the visitors from outside the city were staggered at the magnificence of our town hall.
The next day I flew to Athens for the European final. I had the best spot imaginable being on the front row of the 'royal box', next to the new American owners. The result was so disappointing. I ended up shaking Maldini's hand saying 'well done' through gritted teeth.
I also attended the Alder Hey dinner at Knowsley Hall. Yoko Ono was the guest of honour. She made a nice speech and donated £50,000. She does not have to do anything for Liverpool. I was very impressed. There were other massive donations to the hospital. The night was clearly a great success.
Made a key note speech at the Mersey Partnership Tourism Awards ceremony at St Georges Hall. The speech was well received. The evening reminded you of the numerous tourist offerings that we have. The night's main award went to the organisers of the Open at Hoylake. I loved the Open last year. With the weather being so fantastic it now seems almost dream like in the memory.
On Saturday 2 June we had the Lord Mayor's parade. This is now going from strength to strength. The sun shone and the crowds came out in the thousands. The Daily Post estimated there were 10,000 people. The area in front of St Georges Hall was packed with hundreds of people. They went right up the steps and over the balconies. The atmosphere was great. It was Liverpool at its best. The people clapped and cheered and were so positive with clear pride in their city.
My wife, our two daughters and myself were paraded in the Lord Mayor's coach. This is a beautiful carriage which amazingly dates back to 1826. The floats and all the parade were great with the Carribean centre's float of a tropical island being the deserved winner.
Paul Clark is Lord Mayor of Liverpool and Barrister at Exchange Chambers