The organist librarian

Swam 30 and Liz came too. Grouted my mosaic Maltese cross and then to St George's hospital and Edward fitted and set up new aids which are brilliant. I can hear higher frequencies again and I kept them both in all day. Public transport is noisy and I had to adjust car keys as I could hear them jingling. It has a loop facility and a mute as well. May be too loud! To Vickie's to do January music. A bit deflated to find PCC have discussed advertising for a director of music for every Sunday but this will depend on choir showing more commitment. I pointed out that the children were making excellent progress with me and that I would love to play in the Catholic church again. But why now when so much is coming up? To pick up Caroline who wasn't at the agreed place so to Orford House and Woodcote Grove house for Lights of life carols -  4 choir came. Last year is was under snow! Mince pies and tea provided.

We started with I look from afar by Palestrina and sang the Wood in the Phrygian mode setting and Martin How's Advent message. I played Peeters on Conditor alme and Lloyd Webber on Helmsley. Baptism well attended - even people in the gallery! Bought some cakes. Kids singing well. To lunch at Exhibition Room Crystal Palace - lovely beef and chocolate brownie. Bit annoyed by service charge being added on but lovely food and good to see them. Advent carols from St John's included Giles Swayne and Jonathan Harvey. To Southwark cathedral for carols - candle burnt right down! Wesley The Wilderness, This is the record of John and Boyce Where shall wisdom be found. The new Maxwell Davies Advent calendar written for the Queen's Jubilee choir book is effective. The 2 choirs were joined by the choir from Richmond, Virginia. Great hymns and super Bach Toccata in F at the end. Liz went to Advent carols at South Norwood baptist church. Antiques roadshow.

Friday to St George's Beckenham for Norman Harper's recital. Super Liszt BACH and Wachet auf then hilarious hornpipe by Noel Rawsthorne and Departure of the Queen of Sheba by Paul Ayres - great jokes. Gave Mass music to Dorio who is still having problems with bullying priest and bishops have been! Liz went over to Chiswick and to Enfield for Swavek's induction. To St John's for recording of superb evensong by King's London - Vittoria and Bach. At choir Tony Trent came but no Karen or John. Janet went home sick. Oh dear. Saturday to Heythrop for Advent retreat Prof Richard Price Heythrop prof of theology on Augustine - I commented on the words from the Cross. Met Liz and she came for tea int he convent. Sr Hilda gravely ill. Talk on Marie Eugenie Assumptionist founder - a remarkable woman. To Vespers (late) and Downside Abbey school choir sang well at Mass - Bruckner, Christopher Tambling conducted by Edward, Byrd. Farewell party for Sr Bridget with some Irish singin...

To Streatham for the South London lunch and Jon Dal Din was there. Turns out Fr David has retired to South Norwood! Good meal and information sharing. The Bexley book is all wrong! Home to do some reading. Served at mass for 25th anniversary of Cardinal Hume centre and Archbishop Vincent gave an excellent homily. 3 monks of Worth were there so greeted them. Liz had first confirmation meeting with Fr Paolo. To Red Gallery in Shoreditch for interfaith exhibition and party sponsored by 3 Faiths forum. Art disappointing although there were some nice silkscreen prints of calligraphy. Good Jewish choir singing but downstairs noisy and hot so came away. Watched Rev. Symphony and The Slap - all excellent. Friday am to Addington for scan for aortic aneurysm - all clear. Liz panicking about Powerpoint presentation so showed her how to do it.

In my discussion with Rabbi Julia she praised Cardinal Cormac but admitted Archbishop Vincent was an excellent speaker but she is not impressed with him about the Big Society. In another restless night I dreamed about meeting the Cardinal after cleaning the floor of his room. He offered me a tip which I refused. My point was that he took a while to get to know whereas Vincent knows names! Swam 26 yesterday and 22 today and Liz came. We were given a day off by Louise!

The family returned safely from Ireland where Ciarán enjoyed the farm and slept in a bed! To Heythrop on Tuesday and 4 for chat before lecture - Ben seems very odd indeed. Damian was amusing. On return home found I got 60 out of 100 for my first essay so happy with that. Wednesday to serve at the St Cecilia service for Musicians Benevolent Fund. The 3 choirs were stunning - Victoria Ave Maria, Ronald Corp's Laudate dominum with a perfect boy soloist, Croce and Elgar Great is the Lord. We had a perfect seat on the sanctuary to watch Martin Baker at work. Dame Felicity Palmer read a section from Pope Benedict perfectly and the Archbishop gave a wonderful address on music - love and adoration, communion, maybe music is the answer to the losses on our society? To M & S for tea and toasties. Excellent evensong from Windsor. To Streatham liberal synagogue to hear Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger launch her book "Is that all there is?". She spoke about caring, dying, volunteer...

Gareth is a National Treasure - the final programme of the choir was most moving with the military wives singing at the Royal Albert Hall. Also watched Frozen Planet (amazing) and Young Apprentice HarryM escaped again - he must go as he is a pain! My first Christmas cake smells gorgeous. Spoke to Lyn and Rosemary. We are now on BT Infinity.

Thursday to London boroughs interfaith forum - not so many there. It was held at London Fire brigade HQ and we had a free tour of the musuem with some fine engines from the past. Liz to Douai abbey until Saturday for course retreat. She took the car so used buses. Served 5.30 mass with Bishop John Arnold for Catholic union - I was book. Watched Rev and Symphony. Friday to Ealing Abbey on X68 and tube. 25 mass settings and salmon lunch. Visited the abbey garden with Fr Alban. Sr Jean did a good job and sisters wanted to know Liz was. On tube with monk from Worth and home briefly before buses to choir practice. Saturday more reading and to Coulsdon to practise and 6 p.m. Songs of Praise which went well. Acting archdeacon Barry Davies dedicated the new furniture - the last time I saw him at interfaith forum he was going to lose his post! We sang the Greek chant Beatitudes and Barry's introit although he was not there. Fish and chips and a difficult quiz - I got 7 of the paintings r...

9.30 a.m. eucharist and 10.45 service with a good bugler. Played Elgar, Bach and Walford Davies much inspired by Simon Lindley's playing on Friday. Did not get to Mass. Noble in B minor at evensong. Monday to mosaic and tai chi and returned books to Balham library. Linda back from Mexico and god progress on the cross. Tuesday to Heythrop and essay went in last week OK. 4 of us for coffee before the lecture on Charles Taylor. Liz's birthday and to dentist and she had her hair done. To Acton and on Wednesday Ciarán who is chatting so much cried when I left to go to interfaith group. Excellent talk on Korea by Matthew Jackson who showed 6 films and gave us a book on art - amazing nation. Back to Acton and Bruce came which was nice.

Friday train to Leeds and walked to Jurys Inn - fine view from 8th floor room which is very comfortable. To Leeds Parish church for lunchtime recital by Simon Lindley for Armistice day. 11am marked on the train. Harris, Elgar, Coates, Walford Davies and Thalben-Ball, A fine church and a fine recital. Enjoyed the art gallery and library and had tea there. A quiet evening but noisy people next door in the night. Saturday to the SSG AGM sung Mass in Leeds cathedral directed by Martin Barry. Nice to sing Greater love and the new Klais organ is impressive. Chris the organist is moving to Liverpool cathedral and wears hearing aids. A fine Crichton lecture by Father Daniel O'Leary - more of a talk on the heart of liturgy. After compline to station and we waited for train and changed at Chesterfield. Nice to see people again and home about 11.30 p.m.

I am way behind on the blog which is unusual! We got the train to Manchester on Monday and tram to Salford Quays to the Etap hotel - clean and basic but fine. Dennis did not see us as he had to go to London after work! It was wet! Went to the Lowry centre. Gill and Chich Hewitt picked us up and we had an excellent Italian meal - lovely to see him again - last saw him at school in 1963 and he was Dean of Grahamstown and is now losing sight. Tuesday to the Lowry centre and had salad lunch there. To RNCM for Howard Skempton celebration - free concert of string quartet Tendrils with an outstanding cellist. A new guitar work played by the composer David Futers. To the Manchester museum and an interesting collection. In the evening had Harry Ramsdens fish and chips at Lowry centre and to Journey's End at the Lowry theatre. Very moving play especially the curtain call with the Last Post. Very powerful! Wednesday to Clare's for a lovely lunch - she is married to John who plays cla...

Both to cathedral and went to morning prayer. Met Jim on train. Liz has served at this mass several times but this was a first for me and I was consecration torch. 6 Catenian connection servers! Bishop John gave a terrific homily without notes. Choir sang Monteverdi Mass and Bruckner Os justi and Locus iste. Friends of cathedral music presented a cheque for £20,000. Coffee eventually in the hall. Lots there I knew. To lunch at the Rubens hotel and it was excellent - carvery took a while. Home for tea and a sit down - had drunk a lot of white wine! Gorecki on The Choir and end of repeat of Wednesday's Victoria requiem mass. Spoke to Graeme on skype.

Interesting chat to Liz's teacher at lunch where he compared starting study of philosophy to going to dance. Tea and chocolate crepes at the French patisserie near Heythrop - very nice! Served at Confirmation mass with Bishop Alan Hopes. I was cross then book. Catching up on TV University challenge, National treasures, Symphony part 1

To Heythrop and read at Mass for the second day running - met organist from Wanstead on Liz's course. Finished essay and it's ready to submit.

Spent the afternoon at Heythrop library and now at 1800 words. Went to 1.30 Mass and only 7 there Fr Dominic was celebrant and I read. Choir practice worked on new carols - choir do not like Patrick Hadley I sing of a maiden! Watched QI.

Swam 20. To Heythrop and have lost about 400 words of essay and written another 300 so not so bad. William James is interesting and clear. To college Mass at 1 p.m. 2 guitars we sang Bodley setting, We come to share our story, lovely Haugen Psalm 23 and a silly Appleford song about turning the world upside down. Priest from Oz. Fr Rocco and Sr Isobel very chatty at coffee in quiet room - Fr Rocco keen to start interfaith group. To M & S to get new dress shirt and to sacristy to get my black shoes. Home and changed and Liz wore her new outfit which is lovely. Picked up Matt Oliver at East Croydon. The meal was good but I was not best pleased that brothers were not looking after our guest Matt. We sat with Gerry and Eileen, Fr William from St Chad's who was fascinating on interfaith in Nigeria and Fr Maccarthy from South Croydon. 2 others on our table did not show. The meal was good but service slow. Sr Sheila very friendly. Speeches were dull but Matt was excellent on More th...

Took Ciarán to music - he now walks rather than use the buggy and chats away! To spirituality day with Mary Lean on self-control which was excellent. Got lunch at M & S. I served at 3.30 broadcast Requiem Mass of Victoria. The singing was superb. I was cross, acolyte and bell. Home and then to St John's where we were to sing the Vittoria but in the end only did the introit. Tuning was disastrous at the rehearsal but it came together. The rest was plainchant. I think St Andrew's non-Eucharistic service works better as there were so many names read out while candles were lit. Susanna Martin was there - nice to see her. Picked up Liz at Thornton Heath.

Went to Heythrop for Mass for All Saints day at 1.30 p.m. with a delightful priest smiling all the time - literally being the gospel he was preaching! Had a nice lunch. Did some more work on William James for the essay. At 5 met 3 others in the dining room including Michael the ex-diplomat. To Rahner room at 5.30 to find out how to submit essays. Looks straightforward. First lecture on the dreaded Charles Taylor A Secular age and it looks a huge tome so decided to buy it - got Amazon discount with student card £22. Chat to other students revealed that insider/outsider is not acceptable for the essay so spoke to Damian who apologised and confirmed it so all that work for nothing! Not a happy bunny. It seems that we are fortunate to have lecturers posting on Helios as some older lectureres will not use it so if you miss a lecture you have had it! I cannot understand why we do not have a tutorial before submitting the first essay especially for thsoe returning to study. Met Jordan in stre...