The organist librarian

After 42 lengths last Friday not quite so many this week - 38 Monday, 38 Tuesday. Today I had to get out after 22 as I remembered I was due to open up at 8.30 a.m. for the computer cleaning folk. The policeman came back today and took statements and another copy of the cctv. One of the thieves got a lenient sentence for the other burglary. Monday I went to Peter Wright's for RSCM committee. He sent good wishes to Edward which I passed on and said the Southwark concert was likely to have another venue. Andrew Cantrill and Nigel Groome bot made useful suggestions. Adrian gave me a lift home. Tuesday Harry Mellor gave me a lift to Sittingbourne for provincial council in a room next to a noisy bar in a club. I said one could only take on Provincial VP if retired and more are coming to the 1000th meeting. Harry had a few near misses and chats away all the time - he is 80. Wednesday to British School of Osteopathy - I dropped in to Southwark cathedral and the vice-principal gave me coffe...

Saturday was quiet so caught up on displays and admin. At Mass we had extra servers because the servers dinner followed. Victoria forgot to ring the bell the first time! Amici Choro sang really well. Lauridsen Ave Maria and Byrd 4 part Mass. Caroline was singing. Saw Vicky and Gareth afterwards with lovely baby Lydia. The dinner was a great success - 50 came and the Hinsley Room was transformed. We were sitting with Victoria's parents Shaun and Annette from the US and they are returning home. Imagine our surprise when the Cardinal joined us and was on great form talking about retirement and cooking and shopping in Chiswick! Canon Christopher, Paul and David Grealy completed the party. Excellent buffet and lots of red wine. All the chaplains joined us. It was a delightful evening! John was not at Coulsdon so I played the bass part in Tye anthem and we sang Nicholson in G. I practised and then joined Liz at King's College hospital to see Grandma who has osteoporosis hence the b...

Liz served at St Paul's cathedral when the cathedral choir sang vespers there and went to tea in the chapter house. At the ecumenical vespers last night there were some fantastic outfits - one number with silver thread! The CTE booklet this year is good.

Wednesday wrote 2 more articles on the Holy Land based on the blog whch is now complete. To meet outside Hinsley Room to go to Initatives for change UK (formerly Moral rearmament) interfaith group (7 of us) enjoyed a tour of 24 Greencoat Place with the brother of the film-maker and then watched "The Imam and the Pastor" which is excellent. Hai invited us for Chinese New Year lunch next Wednesday. Finished reading "A daughter's love; Thomas & Margaret More" by Peter Guy - an excellent book. Thursday to cathedral for Mass (lovely Berkeley setting) and ecumenical vespers to mark the retirement of the Cardinal. I served as acolyte and we had to take tapers to the 4 presidents, in my case H.E. Archbishop of Canterbury preached well although sitting at the back could not hear very well. Salvation Army songsters were excellent. Bishops Patrick and Paul very friendly. Thomas Wilson was cantor. Liz missed it as Grandma went into King's again with back pain. Frida...

Friday Molly came in good time and we did some useful work and the new anthems went well. Karen was back although still coughing. Saturday I was off and went to Our Lady of Hal Camden Town for session on Lent groups theme "Holy Spirit" 3 of us but Mark Nash is always inspiring. Liz was at confirmation class. To Vespers and mass - 6 servers! Sunday Liz summoned to Grandma's after midnight and ended up at King's hospital - compressed vertebra so she couldn't sing at morning prayer or Mass. Coulsdon went OK - we did Alan Smith's "Like the murmur of a dove". I returned for evensong - Malcolm Archer's Brightest and Best is delightful, Shera setting, Psalm 97.One lapse in Ayleward responses. Visitor from Old Coulsdon was impressed. I played Daquin Noel etranger. 2 of the choir were late for rehearsal. Antiques roadhow and Lark Rise which was delightful. Monday a foul day with heavy rain. I couldn't find front door key (it was with church keys) and ...

Thursday to Wellcome collection to see display "War and medicine" pretty gruesome but fascinating. Did not see clip of nurse Vicky Treacy in Darfur whcih we had seen on Faye's Face book. To chorus and Rachmaninov Vespers movements. The Arvo Part "...And he was the son of..." proved to be witty and fun! Edward very enthusiastic about it all. Friday to take practice. Molly making real progress, Karen back but coughing - she was chatty. The CD of the new Alan Smith anthem very helpful. Dom Brendan likes the blog!

Monday I woke late and had only done 8 lengths when the lights went off over the pool leaving us all in the pitch dark for a few seconds. Got out and changed by which time lights were on again! Tuesday late up again so only 24 lengths. Dan was there and said pool opened late any way. I have lost one pound in weight so far this week - quite a bit of walking today as train to Coulsdon was late so got one to Coulsdon South. Walked to 312 bus to get to Addiscombe for meeting at Simon's as there was a match. We have new scales and a new dishwasher. I did the floors today and cleared up.

Monday spent a lot of time on the game plan redoing it. Tuesday to Power station community forum - I flew the flag for a new library in the revised plans which are looking much better. I shall have retired long before it all happens! Liz was at servers committee where she is now taking the minutes. She got the hired hat back from Louise who sang at Gerry's wedding in Ireland on Saturday. Wednesday to choose March hymns with Vickie and Sue. To dentist Rebecca Naidoo ahs taken over form Judy and is very nice - no work needed!. To Catenian council meeting which was very long and some things never got mentioned!

Wed to spirituality day led by Eileen McDade on "Who do you say I am?" Excellent and had a choice of postcards from National Gallery. I chose Piero's Baptism and Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks also poster of Mystic Nativity by Botticelli which is a very strange picture indeed. Went to Church House bookshop as St Paul's closed for stocktaking and got calendar for Ann and Paul, plus some cards and a nice little statue on the sale of the Holy Family made of a sort of soft stone. To National Gallery to look at the real pictures! Then to the chorus party at Waterloo Warehouse which was a quiz with Jackie's excellent food. Didn't do too well in the quiz on 2008! Thursday chorus rehearsal with Edward - Arvo Part, Bruckner, Kodaly. A lot of sight reading. As I finished early to Tate Britain to see Turner Prize and quite intrigued by the winner's films. But is it art? Those who wrote on the noticeboard didn't think so! To National Portrait gallery to see ph...

Monday a.m. it snowed but I still walked down for a swim having first changed into my rubber soled shoes. I did 22 and left early because I knew there would be horrendous queues for tickets and I was right. I got the early train and arrived at the library to sort out the break-in Sunday a.m. Checked the cctv once we got it working and 3 youths drove 2 mopeds at the front door and smashed the bottom panel. In 4 minutes they got the plasma screen off the wall leaving the plug behind and scattered stuff over the floor. They moved the cctv monitor. Police came twice but found no fingerprints. There is now talk of a pull-down metal grille in front of the door. To Earlsfield for training on gameplan and raised issue of casual staff who can give one week's notice but it takes 3 months to replace one! Of course it's cheaper to employ them. Angela and I interviewed 4 good candidates in the evening and she kindly gave me a lift so I arrived early at Catenians. There was a visiting doctor...

The water feature yesterday shows how cold it is but today it is even more frozen although still flowing! Liz went up to Grandma's while I got up early to get the hourly train to Coulsdon so I had lots of time to practise. Choir turned up late and wandered around getting glasses so I got rather cross and said we must start singing at 9.20 a.m. Actually the anthem "Three kings" went really well and there were lots of compliments for John Linney. 2 buses home straight away and walked home from Grandma's for late lunch. A delicious ham and finished off the Fish Hoek white wine. Watched Songs of Praise about astronomy, a programme on the Star of Bethlehem, Antiques roadshow, Lark Rise to Candleford and a fascinating play about Shaun Greenhaulgh who fooled the art world.

A lie-in and carried on with the Holy Land blog - I have reached Galilee! Louise came over to get a hat for the wedding only to find the hat hire shop closed! She accompanied us to smoke vespers and mass for Epiphany (sadly transferred to Sunday). We had 7 servers and I went through the movements beforehand with cross and acolytes. Challoner choir murdered some items. I came home on the train - it was very cold. Liz took Louise and her presents home and unfortunately Louise caught Liz's head when shutting the boot so they went to A & E at Hammersmith and it was glued. Liz came home in a taxi as I could not get through to the insurance company to add Louise on to the insurance so the car is in Hammersmith at the pub. I watched Michael Palin revising India.

John Fulton recommended Peter Godwin's books and I have just finished "When a crocodile eats the sun" which is a harrowing and moving account of Zimbabwe and his family. Highly recommended!

Icon Church of the Nativity Bethlehem Helen Suzman was a relentless critic of South Africa's Nationalist government. For 13 years, as sole member of the Progressive Party in parliament, she was the only MP to speak out against racial segregation, at a time when only the white minority enjoyed the right to vote. Born in 1917 to Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, she married Dr Moses Suzman, who became one of South Africa's leading physicians. Five years after graduating from Witwatersrand University, she joined the staff as a lecturer in economic development. Helen Suzman's interest in disadvantaged urban Africans increased after she became a member of the South African Institute of Race Relations. She began to take an active role in politics after the 1948 election, when the mildly liberal United party was replaced by the National party, with its rigid policy of apartheid. Racial discrimination In 1952, standing for the United party, she was elected to the Hou...