The organist librarian

Back to the pool after a long gap and swam 20. Collected Dennis's car tax disc from the house. Sorted out the Sebo - the new bag and found the pipe was very blocked so now it works fine. Sadly Sayed cried off for our morning meeting but I have offered him some other dates.

To Clapham Picturehouse to see NT live direct from New London Theatre of War Horse which was brilliant and moving!

Tuesday to Swanley for meeting about membership with Bernard Noakes. It was quite useful. Got back at 11. 15 too late to go to Acton so got up early Wednesday and got there by 8.20. Sean really enjoyed Tamar and played the drums - he loved walking about. Played dinosaur game with Ciaran and he knows so much! Left at 2.30 to get home by 4 for Brendan to pick me up. Bill drove in his Jaguar. The Canterbury meeting at the Kent cricket ground went well and the meal of lamb and profiteroles was good. It was £25 plus I paid for a round and raffle for Bursary fund. Kirkham cup standard of speeches was high and Maidstone won despite Dulwich's funny speech. Home at 12.30. Once in bed realised I had not put rubbish out so up just in time to do it. To interfaith lunch which was delicious! Watched Come dine with me and film music programme.

To mosaic and tai chi with Hendrika. Train and tube to Brixton for visit to SGI-UK Buddhist centre. There were 8 of us and we were made very welcome with a tour and a talk by Richard an artist and a demo of chanting. Lots of cake and biscuits and a lively discussion which I hope will continue. Adrian gave me a lift to Peter Saunders for organists committee meeting. Oxford visit postponed to 2015! I went to St Matthew's to rescue my pitch pipe and ordered an address label rubber stamp. Tuesday to St Edmund's Lombard Street for delightful concert by Patricia Hammond and Matt Redman on guitar and banjo of music from WWI. Liz joined me after the osteopath and we ate at Marks.

Watched the mass concelebrated by the 17 new cardinals and the Pope from St Peter's. Nice brass and the choirs sang well especially the Westminster boy who sang the psalm beautifully. Liz went from Kent house. I played Webber and Gade on Lobe den herren and Willan and Hurford on Song 24. Practised some Faure. We took the Sebo to John Lewis because it keeps cutting out - turns out we had the wrong bag! Evensong from St Alban's an archive recording directed by Barry Rose. Watched programme on Sicily, Blandings and Call the midwife. An interesting programme on Lutyens and Castle Drogo and the impressive closing ceremony of the Sochi Olympics.

Saturday watched the consistory ceremony direct from St Peter's. Great to see our choir singing with the Sistine choir and they sang Stanford Beati on their own quite beautifully. Cardinal Vincent got his red hat put on the wrong way round! The  Pope seemed rather low key and quiet. The English commentary was unimpressive but there was some good brass. To Hampton Court on bus, tram and train for visit to the organ which has been well done by Harrisons. Carl played some Haydn and Bridge and I was third on and played Walton Richard III. Dorio played badly. I went looking for tea and enjoyed the exhibition on Henry VIII's early life. Got tea at the station. Fr Michael Q at vespers and Mass - half the clergy are in Rome! Watched programme on Israel and One born every minute. Liz was furious about Rebecca and Jess serving in Rome at the Mass at Sopra Minerva but I say it's up to Paul.

The indexing of Alan's music is I think complete. To St John's for celebration of Catherine's life which was very different! Lovely poetry and Jane Austen and Mr Pooter, glorious Saint-Saens Le Cygne on cello, Benjo playing Beethoven and best of all Mozart adagio from the clarinet concerto. Pope Benedict XVI described him as the greatest theologian and he was right. God was there. We also sang Count your blessings, Yield not to temptation and Cym Rhondda, Jack was there - his daughter is Benjo's girlfriend.

Drove to Coulsdon for Catenian Indian meal at TRaj. It was good but actually too much to eat with rice and nan bread! Chatted to Bill and Christine, Brendan, Kevin and Clare. The new guy didn't come. Woke at 4.50 - my phone alarm had been changed somehow. Nick came to service the car. The email still not working despite calls to India so I am using Heythrop one!

The interfaith group meeting with Hugo Clarke of the Curzon Institute went very well. 11 came. He went to Worth Abbey school! Liz returned from Milton Keynes tired but happy and all seem to have enjoyed. it. To Greenwich on tube and DLR to go to Greenwich theatre to see "Cat in the Hat" which was excellent and then to Heap's sausage restaurant for lovely food. Liz too C to Cutty Sark and home and I took the opportunity to visit St Alphege's - a fine church with good organ - somebody was practising. I got DLR and bus home. Got TV connected to computer and changed Sebo filters. Have missed talk on art in Christianist and Judaism this week but no matter. Enjoyed being with the boys!

Tuesday we discovered the joys of Kelsey Park which has a large lake with lots of birds, a café and an excellent playground. Ciaran got to the top of the jungle Jim and slide! We went to Clapham picturehouse to see Lego the movie. It was very clever and rather loud and very American. C enjoyed it. He got a big welcome home and Tom made fajitas. We watched Great Sewing bee. Wed went with Liz to Shepherds Bush to see them on to the train to Bletcheley near Milton Keynes to see Sally. I drove the car over to home to get bag and car seat and razor which I had forgotten. Email still not working right.

I forgot to mention Sunday's evensong where we sang Haydn's splendid Invanae at curae and Walmisley in D minor. I read a passage from Ephesians 5 - stirring stuff! Tuesday woke at 5 but up at 7.30 playing the shopping list game.

Woke at 6.15 and Ciaran was awake after a good night's sleep. We went to eXtremes at Horniman Museum and joined as a family member. There were interesting displays about extremes of temperature and climate and how animals and people cope. I missed mosaic and took the key for tai chi which Hendrika took so I was able to come home. Ciaran watched Alice in wonderland, Yogi bear and Thomas and enjoyed playing games and the piano. I played some Eric Coates's scores Alan had. Just after we skyped Lou and Tom he sobbed away but then played games again and ate his supper before happily going to bed asking me to sit with him as he dropped off. University challenge, Food and drink and Britain's Great War with Jeremy Paxman all excellent. Liz dropped off exhausted!

Thursday Liz went to college. I swam 20! First time for weeks - been sleeping badly, waking up and dreaming. To church to get my pitch pipe and also returned indexed scores and picked up some more. To Notting Hill Unitarian church for a most interesting film about Orthodox spirituality. It was pointed out that it was very male in focus covering Sinai, Mt Athos and Russian monasteries. I came home to get my senior railcard and to East Croydon on the bus. Just caught fast train to Crawley  -then a cold wait for bus to hospital. Philip was pleased to see me and is making good progress - still cannot walk. He liked the small chess set from the Christmas cracker! I left at 8 and had a cold wait for first train but then changed at Three Bridges onto a fast one. Friday to St Matthew's and Margaret spoke well on Celtic spirituality. I had prepared Celtic evening prayer and it went very well especially St Columba. They liked Ciaran's sheep. The theme was Psalm 23. Unfortunately I misl...

Monday to mosaic and tai chi - Hendrika was good. Home to eat. In the evening to confirmation. Fr Paolo was great on the good news but left us doing nothing! It would have been good to go into groups and discuss the resurrection! Mark was there  -great to see him again. Tuesday completed booklet for prayers on Friday and draft notice for conversations for the soul. The minutes from Saturday were very well received. To Clapham Picture house for 12.30 to 4.30 for Rusalka from the Met. Renée Fleming was gorgeous with a very strong cast and so much better than that awful Covent Garden production. Lovely playing too. I went to Acton and while Liz and Louise went to IKEA Tom cooked sausage roll and watched Bright young teachers. Wednesday to music as usual and joined up at Watermans. The river was very high and flooding is now a major problem everywhere. The boys behaved well and Liz went to see the private specialist. On radio Philharmonia Chorus in Poulenc and Ravel conducted by Du To...

Dennis came to lunch which was nice. At evensong we sang Noble in B minor and Ireland's Greater love. Watched some Winter Olympics and young teachers. Call the midwife was quite sad. Come dine with me was good. 

Saturday to St John's Wood to take minutes for SSG trustees which is much appreciated and we get nice eats too incl panettone and chocs from Allen. He and Caroline look to be finishing in November! I cam back on the bus with Caroline. Tea at M and S. Fr John at Mass and he was in a good mood! Home to watch more of the opening of the Winter Olympics and a programme about Torvill and Dean. Also Birds of a Feather and  Island Parish. Sunday played Whitlock originally harpsichord suite incl Ralph Downes' Dream and Tabblatura pieces, also Peeters on Abends and Bonighton on St Denio. Phillippa nearly read wrong 2nd reading and dashed down to read after the psalm! If she had not asked me about pronunciation, she would have read the wrong one! Did more indexing. 

Set off to go to Whitechapel idea store to be interviewed by Zara but she cancelled so the plan to visit the boys fell away. However I really enjoyed Richard Hall's playing at Wallbrook. He included Walton, Parry, Vaughan Williams and Howells with Vivaldi, Handel and Vierne  - an excellent programme. Prepared Celtic prayers for next Friday and watched Australian Come dine with me. To Brook Green for annual servers dinner. We sat at round tables with no top table so we enjoyed Fr Andrew and Fr Philip's company. Archbishop Peter Smith spoke well especially as lots of youngsters there. Good meal too. 

Drove to Brixton Hill for interfaith breakfast for Harmony week. Had bagel. Arranged mosque meetings for April and May with Mr Ijaz and Sayed had seen the Pope last week and is coming on the 28th for a chat. We heard from Lambeth's Topaz service and Mark of the anti-hate crime campaign supported by the council, also a new project to get kids walking to school and winning points so they get their parents on side. Watched Australian Come dine with me - not as good as the UK version! 

We both went to Acton Tuesday evening and watched Call the midwife on Iplayer on the TV. Took Sean to Acton playgroup and he enjoyed it and Ciaran is doing really well at swimming front crawl. Louise ran to work because of the tube strike. Bad storms in the West country again. Saw the end of the BBC Interior design challenge - Sarah won. 

Dreaming again and woke late. Walked to station and overground to Shoreditch High St for a good lunch at Papadoms with Michael Redman and a good chat. Returned his books and gave him mosaic which he liked. When I got home Daily Mail reporter rang bell asking about Richard Harris who used to live opposite. Is he the man kissing Sally Bercow in the Sun? I doubt it. Last night watched Fake or fortune on Chagall, University challenge and Great British rail journeys.

To tai chi - 7 there. Took the keys as Tony is away for 3 weeks. Crib and small tree put away. Liz went to confirmation and I went to Catenians - only 8 there plus 10 visitors and no visiting gents.

It was a pleasure to pick up Jill and Levantha from Croydon Turnpike link and we enjoyed a chat and looking at the wedding album. Dennis came down too. We drove up to the cathedral and took bedding and shoes to the Passage so missed Vespers. Fr Michael Q was on at Mass and saved the day by lighting the congregation's candles! It wasn't in the instructions. St Catherine's Twickenham girls sang sweetly and Anna was cantor. Family Eucharist and we did Farrell Share the light of Jesus. 29 there. We had Colours of day and Shine Jesus shine but we did sing What child is this to Greensleeves. Crib was put away and I carried on indexing Alan's music. Keep finding treasures! Watched Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand. No wonder she won an Oscar! 

After some clearing up and cleaning drove to Basildon in rain.Took about an hour. Leisure Inn very nice despite some building works. To Stock Brook country club which was not signposted at all for Upminster circle 1000th meeting and dinner. It was well organised but bug gap between courses and finished 11.30. p.m Saturday excellent large breakfast on a fine day and easy drive to Bromley south. Mitre and crozier at mass for the religious for Candlemas and nice lunch. Met Sr Mary from Ware who of course knows Sr Jean.