The organist librarian

40 lengths 3 times this week, also went to tai chi. Been up late missing Liz. Watched "Little Dorrit" and "Beautiful People" on Thursday evening - cold over night. Liz safely back after practice on Friday - the girls came and did some work on carols and music for November.

Liz off to Salisbury cathedral to sing services until Friday. Monday 40 lengths. Busy day. To Beckenham Catenian meeting - bitter and good jokes. Tuesday woke late so missed swim. All banking stuff finished. Book sale going well. Left at 4 and reached Rochester by car at 6.30 but Holiday Inn hotel not reachable form one side of dual carriageway so arrived late and had to change in to evening dress before meeting. Furious. 88 miles to say a few sentences about Norwood's 1000th meeting! Good dinner - roast beef. Sat with Duncan Aitkins. Nice photos from Saturday. Left at 10. Wed snow overnight so meeting at British school of osteopathy postponed although it was clear. Left at 12.30 to go to Shirley for lift from David and Sylvia to Tunbridge Wells. Visit to Salomons theatre organ - heard 3 rolls including Lemaire playing Bach very fast. Quite fascinating. Michael Cooke a know-all a pain! Enjoyed it and lovely sunny day. To cathedral for last of organ recital series. Stephen Cleobu...

Only 3 in choir at Coulsdon so we sang the unison Rutter setting and "We love the place O God" from A & MR. Words are good! The girls seem to have assumed that if there was no Sunday school there was no choir too! There was a powerpoing presentation about planned giving - not good timing! The church needs another £267 a week! I have now done my tax returns showing my expenses for 3 years - I cannot claim for travel from home or for another pair of trousers! To Royal Hospital Chelsea. I was early so visited the excellent National Army museum - good art gallery with some famous pictures of the Boer War! Very well presented for kids especially about Waterloo. The chapel at the Hospital is very fine and Gabriele Damiani plays well. Denis Bedard's Suite Romantique is very like Suite gothique in structure and quite delightful and amusing. Corelli Concerto grosso OP 6 No 10 and John West to finish - not quite to my taste. Met a member of the library reading group. The dining...

Put a new hook on bedroom door and got the water feature working again. Did tax forms for church. To Kent House and left car there and got train to Rochester. Tea at Cathedral tearooms and to evensong sung very well by the voluntary choir. Sopers there and Dan was playing. Lovely setting by Grayston Ives and anthems by WHitlock and Parsons. Served at Catenian province 7 Mass. Liz was mitre and I was book. Both Bishop John Hine and Bishop Michael very friendly - latter knew Mum and Dad! Good music Dan played and voluntary choir sang Rutter "For the beauty of the earth". Dan played Thalben-Ball Elegy and Boellmann Suite Gothique. Train back.

40 lengths. Set up the book sale myself. To the Albert Hall for 4 p.m. rehearsal. Met Liz on the way! Back to Battersea to bring up car to the hall. First half was Goldsmiths choir singing Faure Requiem - often flat and dull, tenors feeble, English choral singing at its worst. Second half Berlioz Te Deum. John Birch on the mighty organ, RPO. Not a bad audience, Brian Wright did well despite changing tempi unexpectedly. Timothy Robinson the fine tenor soloist. Liz spotted the Cardinal in the audience and spoke to him.

40 lengths. To park at lunchtime - it was sunny but windy. Autumn is here! To Battersea Arts centre for Wandsworth interfaith forum meeting with Mental health trust staff. Rather too many speeches but impressed by the New testament Tooting pastor (black) and the Imam from Tooting. Workshops were good - I went to the one on young people. Asked about duality of those who are leading young people in the church or faith community but parents are unaware they are in a gang. The professional said some kids literally change dress at home. How can it be that kids have lost any sense of the value of life? Met Buddhist meditation leader and lady who lost her daughter to knife crime. Gave out books on prescription leaflets. Home for fish and watched films of railway trails and old British transport films and "Beautiful people"

Spoke to Ann and reinvited her to the blog. To Hinsley Room for session on Paul - 9 came. One lady berated me about interfaith group - classic case of not listening to another point of view! To St Michael's West Croydon for recital by Martyn Rawles of Lichfield cathedral - the last of this year's series. He plays very well. Michael Berkeley sonata, Vierne, Widor, Walton and Elgar's Coronation march 1911. Met Sr Mary Clement on way out - she was delighted to see me and asked after Liz. Train to London Bridge and walked to Tate Modern. Preferred the Cildo Meireles installations to the Rothkos! Back to Hinsley Room adn 12 came for interfaith group. Ebrahim Rashid from Hyderi Islamic centre in Streatham spoke well. I had to collect him from Victoria. Next meeting is January. On buses to Holborn and Conway Hall home of humanism with a Bertrand Russell room for another Berlioz piano rehearsal with Brian Wright. Home and fell asleep watching Gryff Rhys Jones in Paris!

Monday was again a busy day. Caroline is off for the week. To tai chi for part of lunch hour. I only had 15 minutes lunch on Saturday because of doing 2 weeks money! I swam 36 lengths. Tuesday only managed 6 as we were late at the pool and I had to get to Putney for the course which was dull - looking at regulations. I met Liz at Clapham Junction and we got the train to Cheam. At the station we met Mike Cornford, sometime librarian at Northcote on his way to swimming! He looks well. I played for Derek's funeral at St Christopher's just as I played in February for Bunty. There were 9 Catenian brothers present. We went to the lovely Old Rectory for sherry, tea and eats. Surprised to receive 2 bottles of fine wine from the family. Derek was a dear and we will miss him. He sang at St John'S Upper Norwood and went to St Joseph's college in the 20s. He never spoke of how he won the Military Cross in the war! We got the train to Clapham Junction and 49 bus to South Kensington ...

The gang and knife culture: the way out Local author Alex Wheatle refuses to shy away from asking the difficult questions and his latest novel The Dirty South is a devastating indictment of society’s failures to offer an alternative to ghetto culture. 23 people including members of the library reading group joined in discussion at Battersea Park library as part of Black History month. Problems mentioned were children not knowing their parents, the lack of fear of being found out, resentment towards parents, parents not being honest, individualism, and uncontrolled access to internet, TV and computers. Kids feel abandoned and unsupported without clear guidelines. In society there is a lack of quietness, too much stimulation and kids do not interact with others. Marriage break-up can lead to an eldest son can become a surrogate parent, lack of self-worth. Respect for elders has gone. Black women can be portrayed in hip hop culture as loose. Some suggestions made by parents: take away ...

Spent Saturday morning banking up 2 weeks money as Caroline will be off for at least another week. Could not access computer records to do C and D sheets. Alex arrived early and over coffee mentioned he had been at Buckingham Palace to receive his M.B.E. 23 people came to the session on gang and knife crime and there were lots of useful comments so I will write more on this. To vespers and Mass - Fr Archer and Philip and Victoria were serving. Sunday we sang Bernadette Farrell's "Christ be our light" and Nicholson in C. At evensong we had 4 in choir but managed Rutter's "I will sing with the spirit" well. Congregation joined in chanted canticles. Psalm 142 to Blow chant - very penitential. Watched Antiques roadshow but dropped off and woke to see Stephen Fry in America.

Caroline rang in some distress - she will be off for a week and her mother has gone into hospital. Gillian has been great. Thursday I missed train at Selhurst at 6.48 but still did 30 lengths. Staff meeting still held despite Leo and Ryan not turning up! I was furious that they did not contact me. I left at 4 and after dinner, Liz and I went to the Old Library at Dulwich college for an organ recital by Norman Harper in aid of the new organ at All Saints West Dulwich. He plays very well and we knew Betty, Chris, Christian, Marilyn Harper, etc. The organ was given by Dr Thwaites (it was made by Jennings) and the donor insists that Bach's Passacaglia be played. the weakest item was "The new commonwealth" by Vaughan Williams. The Messiaen did not work well and I don't like it any way. There was some Mozart and Bonnet and John Reading's manuscript. Moel Rawsthrorne's Hornpipe Humoresque is good fun. Had a glass of wine and met a friend of Tom Creagh-Fuller's, N...

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Spoke to Ann on Skype. I was up early so posted more South African photos on face book. To Hinsley Room. 9 came for 3rd group meeting on St Paul including Andrew and Hanna. Was asked about Opus Dei! To Grosvenor hotel foyer at Victoria to meet John and Yolande and escort them to Selhurst. Liz cooked a lovely lunch - mint and courgette soup, cauliflower cheese and Lancashire hotpot, autumn fruit pudding. We had a great chat including an interesting discussion about the killing of children by police in Soweto and the relationship with militant Islam. John tagged some reunion photos for me. It was lovely to see them both and they recommended a good place to stay in New York, Leo house and a couple of books to read. They will soon return to Vancouver. Watched Gryff Rhys Jones exploring London and recordings of Vaughan Williams (Symphony No 9 and Serenade to music with the scores) and Sibelius 2 at the proms, also Songs of Praise and Last choir standing.

The chapel, college tower, Rob Baillie, Graham Saunders, Ray Lecolle-Brown, Rob Stewart, Richard Peregrine

40 lengths. Humphrey sent a message to say he and the kids would be catching an earlier train as he has to be in the office at 9a.m. I have discovered a quicker and easier way which is to take the car to park opposite Selhurst station and get the early train to Thornton Heath so I am at the pool early. On arrival at work set up as usual. I missed tai chi and was unable to go out at lunch time. Arrived home exhausted. Liz went to chorus AGM and Edward Caswell was there full of new ideas. We shall see! The council is much changed. Watched University challenge and Valentine Warner on cookery. I have finished the biography of Snowdon. An extraordinary man with a great care for the disabled and a lively sex drive. 2 mistresses at 70 and in a wheelchair! He and Princess Margaret were still sleeping together when the divorce was going through! Tuesday 40 lengths. Went into work to set up and headed to Putney for health and safety course. I chaired the meeting of the course and it went well. ...

Bananas in Natal. Coulsdon celebrated harvest festival. Molly and Ella sang in the choir for the first time. We learnt about Uruguay - there are only 1000 Anglicans in a population of 3 million. Harvest samba with the CD, Through our lives for the prayers and Rutter's !All things bright and beautiful". I played Vernon Griffiths on "St George" and Flor Peeters on "Wir plufgen" "We plough the fields and scatter". At noon sat down to a lunch for £7.50 of tortillas, chili and salad and cheesecake with fruit. To Hyderi Islamic centre in Streatham for Lambeth interfaith forum on Prisons. Ebrahim confirmed he is coming to cathedral interfaith group on 22nd although he thought it was at the Abbey. 3 excellent speakers. Ivor Smith-Cameron asked me to reserve some books for him at which point I discovered I did not have my credit card holder so I missed the discussion and came back on train and checked in the car. Tony had picked it up in the church hall so...

Cycad 36 lengths Thursday and 40 on Friday!

Protea A busy Saturday - Ryan did turn up! No email as the computer had thrown me out and no administrator available to reinstate me! To vespers and Mass Fr Michael Dunne and confirmation candidates dedication. Wesley and Harvey serving (9 a.m. lot and pretty vague). Spoke at end of Mass about the Appointed by God groups on Paul. All went well. Patricia and Norma signed up for Wednesday evening group and Connie said she would try and come on Wednesday morning - she is looking very frail. enjoyed the park at lunchtime in the sunshine!

Soweto squatter camp, St John's College between Pelican and David quad, John, Richard Else, John Fulton, Michael Matthews on the morning of the reunion Posting the South African photos on Face book has led to some great comments and information about those present. It really was a super trip. Tony Palik comments on the Soweto photos too. A house costing $100! Makes you think in the present economic climate! Been busy at work. Thursday to Age concern meeting and did minutes. Claire Kakembo was holding forth a lot about how she can fix computers! Gillian McGrandles has settled in well. To park in glorious autumn sunshine and the trees all turning. Spoke to Dennis on phone and Liz went to Bow for the national energy survey. At choir Molly and Ella are greatly improved and wearing cassocks after all! Only 4 there. Jenny cross that choir not singing at evening confirmation but it when I am away and the choir has a large workload. Watched "Beautiful people" - hilarious comedy a...

Wednesday spoke to Ann and Dennis. Ann had enjoyed the wedding DVD. To Appointed by God group. 5 came. Problems getting key - nobody in clergy house but Indra knew that there had been a leak in the Hinsley Room gents loo and John Daly let us in through the kitchen and brought the keys. Interesting chat about suffering and offering up our weakness to God. To St Michael's for part of Peter Litman's recital - Terence there. Francaix, Handel and Borowski. Train and tube to British Museum. Got student discount so hired audio guide which was very good. Hadrian exhibition is smashing - in the reading room and very well presented although a lot of people there and never saw Jewish revolt stuff. Bought postcards of Antinous and Egyptian mummy portraits. To cathedral for Opus Dei 80th anniversary Mass with Cardinal who tripped after the homily.He left out Kyrie and Gloria and said "Lamb of God" instead of Behold the Lamb of God! Communion torch with Liz - too many chiefs again!...

Thursday to Berlioz rehearsal. At the weekend it was announced that Edward Caswell is to be our new chorusmaster with Madeleine Lovell as associate. So Mark Griffiths, Aidan Oliver and Stefan Bevier are passed over. It remains to be seen how this will work out. Edward is always on about voce inarlare or something similar! Madeleine is a bit school marmish for my taste but an excellent musician. Friday to choir practice. Molly and Ella's attention span rather short but we did do some good work for Harvest. Only 4 there but John was back after his dental work. I did the November music list and wrote an article about St John's visit on Sunday afternoon. Ryan did not turn up on Saturday (again!) but Gillian was there and Francis and Urbain have made a good start. To Vespers and Mass - Fr Michael's first. Paul Clubb accompanied us to Pizza Hut for a special half price offer - enormous pizzas and unlimited soft drinks! Sunday we sang Howells My eyes for beauty pine" at Couls...

I abandoned my swim on Tuesday as had to get to South Thames college branch in Putney for first of 10 seesions of course for union health and safety representatives. 16 on course including railway workers, immigration and probation officers. Should be interesting. To cathedral for vespers and Mass and served. The boys sang Faure's "Messe basse" which was a birthday treat. To Newton prep school for wine and canapes and a tour given by one of the boys who informed that Isaac Newton founded the school! The actual founder was present and started it in 1991! He is very keen on interfaith and full scholarships are available. I see Tay and Lexa on the train most days. The deputy head said the parents are mostly media people and not posh. Home and there was a match so Liz came later having been at Gill's. A nice birthday! Wednesday to first "Appointed by God" session on St Paul - 6 came. Excellent spirituality day led by Claire on "Letting go, Letting God...