The organist librarian

Swam and breakfast outside. 9am jeep tour to the gardens which are huge with many fine trees and Imperial palm avenues. Back in jeep to nature reserve forests and a couple of stops to see view from Chinese house and banana flowers at waterfalls. Back by 1 and read by pool and did 2 drawings from photos. Swam. To beach which was by then less crowded and ate again at Maxim's - excellent fish and bananas.

Had a swim at 7.30  and a good breakfast. Coach to go up in little cog train to Criste Redemptor - did a sketch despite all the people! Wonderful views. We had an excellent lunch at a Brazilian steakhouse Casa del fuego where the food kept coming! 2 cable cars up Sugar Loaf mountain - amazing views! Did a colour sketch. To Mass at Notre Senhora 4 blocks away 4 blocks from hotel. Missalette in Portuguese. All done by women apart from the guitarist/cantor. Some sections wer different to the leaflet. The elevation gets a long silence - more like adoration. People have sections to say in Eucharistic prayer. Sanctus was definitely different. At the end mini rosary! Watched rest of Go Between, Longleat and miniature Britain on Iplayer downloads.

Woke at 4.30 and dropped off again. Good breakfast and went for a walk to local Santa Lucia park but it was quite cool but mountains clear. Flight with LAN was fine but no window seat again. Others took photos of the snow capped Andes. 4 hours to Rio and read St Augustine. Coach to Copacabana place hotel which is very grand but we are at the back! Nice room. All went for meal nearby and had fish and octopus but far too much! Local beer. Chocolate cake for my birthday in the room!

Good breakfast and set off at 8.30 with Marco our excellent guide. Rain and stopped at Casablanca where we sampled wine! Sun came out for our walk around Valparaiso which we liked. UNESCO site but graffiti and murals are now part of the attraction! Went in steep 1833 elevator/funicular and then to Vina del Mar resort city for lunch (salad and juice for around £10). Saw an Easter Island statue and lapis lazuli shop where the card machine not working so all done by old method! We bought a penguin made of copper. Too late to go to the art gallery or the statue by funicular. Relieved that case 2 was in the room when we got back.

Thoroughly enjoyed jacuzzi, steam bath and sauna in the spa. The Singular hotel is excellent - huge room with 2 double beds. Had a lovely lunch at the rooftop bar. Marco did his best to take us round Santiago but it is basically a modern city with an older section which is not that old! We saw the modern cultural centre next to the President's office. Went in the cathedral which is dark and conservative. Not impressed but so many Chilean flags on the sanctuaries. Reception with picos and wine and nice food and we introduced ourselves. All are Australian or New Zealand of our age bracket. Unfortunately I never got half the names or details as we also had to choose a restaurant.

24 hours on the go. Car came in good time and despite traffic we reached Terminal 5 with time to spare. Ate at Giraffe. BA flight to Madrid tunred out to be Iberia - have to pay for food. It was late leaving but we made our connection. When we checked in it seems we were not sitting together on the Santiago flight so when we got to the desk that was changed but of course we were in the middle not at the window so never got all the nice views of the mountains. Food was not great and no screen at each seat so watched a bit of Go Between and slept reasonably well. We had been trying to check in all day and so had APT. Iberia are rubbish! Then the final straw was no sign of Liz's case - she was told it would come tomorrow in  a very offhand way. Marco advised going back and so I went on a trip round the airport. Information did not speak English! Unbelievable. Iberia office directed me to desk 25 where I got confirmation that the case would be delivered to the hotel tomorrow afternoon...

Swam and packed. Hope we have got everything! Unable to check in on Iberia flight and APT could not do it either!! We are checked in for flight to Madrid and going by car as weather is awful. Watched Fake or fortune which ended with a fake Chagall being destroyed! Liz's lost passport came back but of course it has been cancelled. 

Swimming pool closed because of chemicals. To tai chi - only 4 there. Started packing and making lists. Watched Fake or fortune. Dennis and AnnMarie came down. Interesting programme on Tamil Nadu temples. Leon cannot come to clergy supper. Have asked cathedral clergy - Brian cannot come. 

I played Buxtehude Fugue in C and Toccata and Fugue in F, Percy Whitlock on Werde munther and Thalben-Ball on St Bernard. A nother good day of weather for Open House. Depressing to tour Central Hill estate and Cressingham Gardens and learn that Lambeth council want to demolish these estates especially the latter which is very well designed and built next to Brockwell Park. Why should this housing be replaced by homes for the rich?  Tea and chocolate cake at the South London botanical institute which has a fine garden, visited an excellent loft conversion in Herne Hill Road using recycled materials and an archway at Loughborough Junction made into an attractive landscape architect's office and workshop the Edible Bus stop. Downton abbey is back. Antiques roadshow. Jerry Hall Who do you think you are?

Open House and glorious weather. Returned scores to Balham library then to Golders Green and the H2 bus. St Jude Hampstead garden suburb where I met Eleanor Day who used to be matron at St Paul's cathedral choir school. At the Free church I met the organist Jonathan Gregory. I walked to Waterlow court only to find it closed so had picnic on the heath extension and then saw gates open so saw the courtyard. Bus to Hampstead but a 90 minute wait to go into 2 Willow Road. I will go back as it is NT. To Fitzrovia chapel (not easy to find) in Mortimer street and then the UK supreme court which is very fine. Had tea there. Llandaff cathedral girls sang well at Mass with 3 concelebrants - had to get another priest;'s host and new organ scholar played wrong hymn at start! 3 new servers and 2 from Llandaff. William Lo oved the mosaic and had it blessed. Watched two Fake or fortune.

Swam, grouting and walked to the park. Warched programmes on Napoleon, policing London, some of the Bach solo violin Prom but not to my taste. Had trout for dinner. University challenge, Leeds piano competition round 1.

Swam, art (finished painting and started new one),  met Sr Catherine at Farm Street - she is very nice and a bit  like Campion. I shall certianly want to continue with her as my spiritual director.  Ai Weiwei and Waterloo cartoon at RA - mixed reactions! Some brilliant, some junk. Also 2 Japanese artists at Burlington House.Tea and then walked to the cathedral via St James Park. Mass in the crypt and South London Provincial President's visit. Fergus on great form. Unimpressed to not be at top tale but a good meal with lots of wine. Started reading Marcus Aurelius - book belonged to K.

Met Mary McGhee to discuss volunteering to visit schools to talk about marriage. A first visit to the Saatchi gallery which is impressive. To Westfield Vue to see Aida from Sydney harbour. Took Sean to Tamar's and he joined in the first part. had lunch at Watermans.  10 came despite heavy rain to hear Mohan Gupta's interesting talk on Vedic culture and belief. Only 3 at Conversations but had a good chat. Watched University challenge.

Swam 20 and Liz came. Mosaic and brought everything home. Tai chi - have not been for months. Returned scores to St John's. Catenian council at Kevin and wrote the minutes. Watched progamme on Longleat and Room 101. Liz had been to Costco. 

Played Jerusalem and some of the Enigma variations and Pomp and Circumstance No. 1. A most enjoyable lunch in the garden, videos and singing to remember Jean Taylor. So nice to see Simon and Jenny and Francis Herbert again and David came from Brent. Dennis popped in as well.

A good day at the Christian Muslim forum event at London interfaith centre and Islamic Centre England - good speakers including Chris Hewer and Damian Howard and an excellent lunch. Left before the end to get to singalong and Last night of the Proms. Jonas Kaufmann was amazing and the whole concert was very good. Nice party afterwards outside door 2. Great that Dennis Woodhouse came.

Swam 20. Getting ready for Jean Taylor party on Sunday. Listened to Ives Symphony No. 4 from the Prom. If I had not lugged the huge full score home from the library I would not have bothered. The second movement is called Comedy and that sums it up really - extraordinary complicated to little effect. Gu iding at the cathedral -once again too many people there and one added herself in despite this! I left at 3.15 and returned Kensington library scores. The meeting about the Proms was OK but rather the same as before. There are improvements which could be made - better lighting, better seats, more care about what is suitable for children. However it has been an excellent season. A lovely Gerontius with excellent youth choir conducted by Rattle. 

Swam 20 - the windmill knocked into me and I told her to go in circles. she said "You go" no apology. To art and did a picture only a little bit to finish off! Catenian minutes done. To dentist and a piece of filling had got stuck in a gap so that has been removed.  Most enjoyable Vienna Phil Prom Brahms 3 and Schmidt and a good talk about the composer. Nimrod as the encore. Listened to  Nielsen violin concerto with score and Ives. Finished readng The Night watch by Sarah Waters.

Galilee painting delivered to go to Bishop of Kingston's office. New watch battery (had a nice chat to the jeweller who is an organist) ears syringed, yellowfever injection at Trailfinders clinic.  Scores returned to Balham and bought ear drops. The BBC proms poetry winners were great.   An excellent Prom the St Petersburg phil with Temirkanov playing Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Elgar and Stravinsky. Wednesday Sean in good humour and he enjoyed Snakes and Ladders. We had lunch there and Liz spent the day at school. The evensong at St John's to celebrate the Queen becoming the longest reigning British monarch was great with a good sermon from Colin Boswell. Stanford, Vaughan Williams, Parry and Handel. Why we had to have Ives at the end is beyond me! Wine and nibbles - Martin was there. 40 singers. 

Took Sean to childminders then to mosaic and finished bay Jesus. Liz cleared off lots of ivy on the house.  Lovely Cadogan Hall prom Brahms piano trio and Sierra with Nichola Benedetti and Leonard El schenbroich with Alexei Grynyuk. Picked up Ciaran from school and walked home. Liz to choral workshop and 10 at Catenians. Willie Britto was there. 

Back to the pool this morning and to art, also returned library scores to Penge and Westminster.  Finally visited Carlyle's home in Chelsea - need more time there!  B Tommy Andersson portrait very pleasant and liked Pan with David Goode on the organ at the Prom. Nielsen and Mahler 4.  Bravo Alice Coote and Handel prom. Louise and Tom off to Madrid for the weekend on Friday.  A great day at Kew and we both walked a lot. Can't say the tree walkway impressed but playground, Palm house and waterlilies were great. Lunch good but pricey! Liz gone to Prom and I am listening to Shostakovich now boys are asleep! I had some red wine and was sick at 3 a.m. Saturday to Gallery Prommers picnic.    Ciaran very unimpressed that he was not going into the hall! We had a good time at Diana playground!  Bus to Acton and Liz went to the first half of the Bernstein Prom and came back so I could go to hear Yo Yo Ma play Bach. I got home at 12.39. Thought Ciaran looked a ...

Stunning Othello from RSC at Picturehouse Greenwich. What acting and direction and staging using water! Amazing and very moving.Having black actors playing Iago and Othello gave the play the whole new dimension.  Great Brahms Prom from OAE and Marin Alsop. Jamie Barton brought back happy memories of performing Alto rhapsody or rather going sick before the performance - that work seemed to jinx me! Interesting discussion about Brahms. I believe Britten disliked his music and influence. Lovly walk at Osterley with the boys.  Sean to Ciaran on high swing "Be very very careful Ciaran!" This from Mr Try anything himself!  The talk on the LSE was interesting and my question was well answered. It seems Harold Laski was very highly regarded by the Congress party members,  Messiaen at the Prom quite bearable, fine Mozart concerto 27 but what was that wierd encore? Bruckner 7! The encore was Shostakovich!