The organist librarian

Lovely visit to Christmas at Kew in pouring rain with  Louise Maher   Tom Maher Bruce Woodhouse  Ciaran and Sean. Really enjoyed it especially the carousel! New Year's Eve concert live from the Berlin Philharmonic with Sir Simon and Anne-Sophie  Mutter on great form. Massenet, Chabrier, Ravel, Saint-Saens and Poulenc. Met Sue and Brian Carroll. Good meal at Strada Clapham Common.

We both went to celebration event and lunch at Hyderi mosque Streatham to celebrate the birthdays of Jesus and Mohammed. There was a quiz and we sang We three kings. Liz went to the doctor. Watched Dambuster, The Queen, David Beckham on 7 continents and Gareth Malone choir reunion. 

Listened to Ripon cathedral broadcast (well done Tim Harper) and watched History quiz on the Tudors and Mrs Brown's Boys. Nice chat to Ann in Tasmania. We walked up to Grangewood park - railings need painting. C atching up on recorded TV - Dickensian, Carlos Acosta in Carmen, Darcey's ballet heroes. Dennis came for dinner and I played the piano and we watched Christmas lecture and Michael Palin on Artemesia Gentileschi. Brentwood cathedral Midnight Mass was splendid.

Boxing Day at Acton boys loved their presents and I now have a Sat nav! Also a fascinating book called Letters of note and How to babysit a Grandad and a lovely sketching kit. We sang carols with the keyboard and Liz and I went to Mass at Acton at 7 - recording of Silent Night after communion - why? Played Cranium - hilarious! A lovely day. Sunday excellent breakfast cooked by Tom. Dropped Liz at St John's - I won body lotion in the big raffle. They raised £3000. 15 at St Michael's and I played RVW Greensleeves, Christmas pieces and Cook on Divinum mysterium. Archdeacon Paul but he left quickly to get to Canterbury cathedral for evensong. I remarked that it would have been good to discuss the future of the church as it will be closing for 5 months in June for the improvements to the narthex. Several PCC members said they did not know this. Fr Leon never said it was confidential! The cat is among the pigeons! 

Delicious salmon and homemade chocolate profiteroles for Christmas Eve dinner. Carols from King's on TV was lovely and O magnum mysterium by Ola Gijola with cello is a real discovery!  Played for Mass at 11 pm. Noels and Bach In dulci. 41 there mostly strangers! 3 in choir sang On Christmas night, Salazar Gloria. Some discussion about last verse of O come all ye faithful - played it! Now listening to Brentwood cathedral on radio 4 while waiting for Bruce and Liz to emerge from St John's!  21 at 10 am Mass at St Michael's. More Noels and Andrew Gant's Paean on the morning of Christ's nativity. Went to 11.15 mass at Anerley. Good to see Fr Sunith and Fr Stuart - the latter celebrated and played the organ for 4 hymns (3 of them the same as at St Michael's!). Presents opened - very nice! Fr Leon gave me chocs and rioja!  Very impressed by singing from Brentwood, Southwark, Ripon and Bath Abbey broadcasts. Well done all!  Enormous dinner at Croydon Park hotel and st...

Went in the rain to sing carols at the Eucharist with St John the Evangelist Upper Norwood at Lakeside nursing home. Many were in their rooms so not so many in the lounge this year. I pray I never end up in such a pl ace losing my mind and it's so hot - I like fresh air! Thank God for the blessings we have! Christmas can now officially start having listened to King's - lovely to hear Rutter, Willcocks, John Scott, Darke and Howells and the Richard Causton words and music stunning!  Carols from King's on TV included a wonderful O magnum mysterium by Ola Gijola with cello. 

Wednesday a quiet day. Louise took a couple of calls and Seán played and watched DVDs. Bruce helped to keep him amused. Did not go out. Watched Masterchef and Christmas university challenge and finally saw the last Christmas lecture about robots from 2014! At dinner opened a bottle of Julio Gallo Rose 2014 and it was sour so opened another which was fine! Did some work on ancestry.com - Pauline Clarke no help at all! BBC archives programme interesting and Mrs Brown's Boys.

Louise went to work and Bagattis. Seán had a good day. We did go to the shop and post a letter to Annie Spain who I spoke to yesterday about John Chumrow. It was windy and wet. Bruce helped to amuse him. I went to Sydenham Our Lady's to collect rosaries to send to Mike in Halifax (Catenian) and then to St John's for Robert Fraser's excellent talk on T.S.Eliot. Benjo was there from Greece. Met Mary a Buddhist and Hilary who works at the National Gallery. Annie Besant lived in Upper Norwood!

Monday swam 20. Quiet day at home and put Christmas cards up and watched programmes on defection of Nureyev and history of modern dance. Sent Catenian circular. Excellent programme on the Queen's Christmas broadcast and Downton Abbey. Louise came with Seán and Bruce arrived from Geneva at 11.40 p.m.

To Christ Church Streatham for the eucharist to celebrate Ivor Smith-Cameron's 60th anniversary of ordination. A remarkable assembly of friends including Andrew Wilson, Harry Bramma, Siriol and Chennai trip friends. Nice lunch and met people I used to know at Battersea Park library. Met Franciscan Fr John from Bradford. Came home and then to cathedral to put out leaflets about interfaith group and deliver letter. Saw George and Jerry. George was friendly and introduced me to his sister. Saw Rebecca and I came away - my blood pressure was definitely up and I felt tightness in my chest! To Holy Apostles Pimlico - nice Italian young priest, electronic organ for the hymns, 4 servers who did not acknowledge the altar at all! Saw Maureen and Freddie. Sean and Ciaran stayed overnight. I slept with Sian who woke at 5.30 with nappy down and bed wet! He went back to sleep OK.  Just 11 in church this morning/ I played Bairstow and Statham on Veni Emmanuel, Peeters on Conditor alme and Les Cl...

Lie-in as woke at 4 a.m. still worried about Mr M. who has not replied to the email. Completed the Christmas letter and sent it off and cards all done. 65 not email! Decorations all up. Watched Sebag Montefiore on Spain. Meryl told me David Parker had died. Ann said Edith McEvilly had died. Watched Andrea Chenier from ROH (saw this at the cinema in January) and took presents to Dennis and Ann Marie who go to Ireland tomorrow.

Back to swimming! Art and worked on Cusco picture. To South london interfaith group lunch and heard from Lambeth police officer Jack. Chat to Jon dal Din. To Croydon interfaith celebration of Christmas and Archbishop Tennison choir sang including Molly and Gill Hope accompanying conducted by her daughter Felicity. Hilary Fyfe was there too. Nice eats. Watched Apprentice and   programme on saving money on Christmas food.

We both went to Seán's nursery for the Christmas lunch and the excellent magician Mr Carl and Santa. I went to Hinsley room and the end of the guides talk by Canon Christopher on the Year of mercy and eats. 18 came to hear Diana Mills and Amos Trust films and photos. Lively discussion. Got home and changed as Brendan had come. To joint Blackheath and Swanley meeting at Chislehurst golf club. Meeting about Kirkham cup and sorted it all! 

Tuesday we both went to Cav and Pag from ROH at Stratford Picturehouse and had good takeaways/ It was an excellent production with brilliant singing. Liz went to Acton and I went to Tate Modern. Alexander Calder mobiles are effective but the World of Pop was puerile and gaudy. Sat in the Friends room preparing for the evening at Abrar House  to speak on challenging a culture of hate. Lively discussion and some good points. I quoted Pope Francis and Luke 3. Nice meal afterwards and met Habib's sister. 3 of the hecklers were awful and one reduced a 22 year old panel member to tears calling her naive. 

Wrote to Paul requesting a meeting.  T o Greenwich playhouse to see the incomparable Benedict Cummerbatch in Hamlet - great cast and production. The Pepys exhibition at National Maritime museum has some lovely things lent by the Queen. I felt that it seemed very disparate and lacked clear focus but it was well presented with plenty of screens where you could read the famous diary which Magdalen college Cambridge are not allowed to loan! To Beckenham Catenians which was enjoyable. 

Slept badly.  Played Archer and  George Thalben-Ball  on Gopsal, Moore on Bread of heaven and preludes on Nun komm der heiden Heiland by Bach, Walther and Buxtehude. 15 in church. Chatter before and after service. I stopped playing and had a break - let them finish their chat. Watched Sr Rita to the rescue programmes. To evensong and sang Purcell, Played the organ (Bairstow and Buxtehude) and a very nice organists dinner in the vicarage with money going to St John's appeal and the pianola. Booked for Malta.

A good quiet Advent day with retired Bishop John Crowley of Middlesborough at Sisters of Sion Kensington. Alan Rainer was there.I prepared my talk for Abrar House and chatted to several people at lunch. Bishop had to leave at 3 to get back to Harpenden so went to see the new 1600-1815 galleries at V and A.Lots of goodies and musical instruments. Also went to see the Indian instruments. Brian on at Mass and Liam was thurifer. On the way home an email from Paul suspending Liz from serving. It's outrageous and puts us both in an impossible position. Coming on top of the unhappiness and closure at Beckenham in June this is another blow. 

Thursday lie-in again. Liz in Acton. To art and started on Cusco picture. Spent the afternoon writing the Christmas letter. To Catenian South London meeting and final 50th meeting of Southwark Group - did not stay for dinner  2 priests there. Liz moaning more had not been done on decorations. Friday to Golders Green crematorium for funeral of John Chumrow. A fitting tribute. Unfortunately Stefan got in on the act and conducted Brahms and Mahler - it was very loud and sopranos not good. Quite a few old friends there and saw Chris and David, Keith Chaundy gave us a lift to the hotel and we saw Stefan there. Keith gave us a lift to Victoria so we were home in time for Neil Molony coming for dinner which we enjoyed. Watched Island parish and Timothy West interview,

Liz at Acton and servers council dinner. To St Mary's for 9 a.m. practice tme lost by morning prayer then told to play! I played Faure, Elgar and Handel and Brahms. Fr Michael very friendly. The ladies turned up to sing plainchant mass setting unaccompanied - not bad. Fr M announces nothing and adds to the Mass all over the place particularly bad during the censing of the coffin. Louise Sage there. I got to Bandon Hill cemetery in the end having got slightly muddled. Tony was buried with Bernadette. To Wndmill pub and Felicity and Hilary were there and John Beers' wife. Met Michael Mead and 2 singers from Southwark cathedral Thursday singers - it was my email which alerted Peter Wright to the funeral. To LJS for Channukah. Paul Champain director of 3 Faiths forum spoke and the mixed-up chorus sang well, We learnt 2 songs and 4 candles were let. Met several people over doughnuts - John usher at cathedral, Bishop Michael Ipgrave, Michael Redman, Alan Rainer. Home to watch The Ap...

Another lie-in. Liz went shopping and I did minutes and returns including the portal for votes. Decorated tree. To St Paul's cathedral to hear Rowan Williams on a Christian Christmas - excellent. Watched the Great Pottery throwdown and Carlos Acosta also Dab Cruickshank in Poland.

Slept in as woke in the night. Grouted mosaic. To Clapham Picturehouse to see The Winter's Tale from the Garrick with Judy Dench and Kenneth Branagh - excellent acting and staging. The final scene had echoes of the Virgin Mary and was most moving and beautiful. Umberto said they went to the theatre and paid £60 and couldn't see properly in the stalls! Decorated the tree. To Catenians 6 of us and 8 visitors. Interesting chat to John Miller from Swanley.

Met Louise and Ciarán at Norwood Junction. We went to St John's panto Aladdin and Dennis joined us. It was hilarious and well done and we all enjoyed it. Bought a raffle ticket for £10. Saturday we went on the bus to Horniman for an excellent hands on event with old toys. Also went to the fairground and musical instruments outside but it was very windy. Bought some books for the kids and met the authors. Visited Dennis and Molly. Tree lights on and started putting decorations on. Met Louise at Victoria. Canon Christopher at Mass and Hornchurch school choir were good singing Durufle. Sunday p layed Peeters and Walther on Wachet auf, Lang on Winchester New and Philip Moore on Merton. Fr Leon appeared in the loft to see Bill beforehand and there were no announcements before service! I dashed off to get to Acton leisure centre for Ciarán's 6th birthday party. A lovely large room with bouncy castle and excellent animal presenter. Kids loved it. Went back to Shakespeare Rd for suppe...

Lie-in. Liz at Acton and going to carols at Ealing. I found details from Dad's book of Hobart City hall organ concerts but the only photo I have of Dad at the organ seems to be the 1953 one from Joburg! Watched Come dine with me and Christmas lecture! To art and Iguassu is finished. To Dulwich Indian restaurant on Bromley Hill - food good but a long wait and noise level bad. Friday Liz took car on recall for airbag at 8 a.m. I went to see Sr Catherine at Mount Street and we had a good chat. I set up a meeting with Fr Leon and Carol for January as a result. To Royal Academy enjoying the decorated Mayfair shops on the way. A lovely exhibition of Leotard and interesting architectural drawings by Chris Wilkinson RA. Surprised that friends were expected to pay for the De Wall White so did not go to it. Did not go to guiding at cathedral as the school play was on and I saw it last year. Ciaran arrived with Louise and we took him with Dennis to Aladdin at St John's hall - it was hila...

Had a lie-in - woke at 4 the St Michael's situation not helping. This will be resolved as the church will close for the improvements in June so no recitals and an opportunity to play elsewhere!  Put tree up and put foil  behind radiators. To Watermans using free ticket to see Lady in the van which was excellent. Had a half bitter beforehand. Read Monastic musicians and Tablet. Started on Monks and Mystics III. Wed to Tamar's and told her I recognised the Lalo tune she plays for the instruments  -she says she made it up! Will not see her next week as now going to Tony Potter's funeral. All day long Eddie worked on handyman tasks Liz stayed - she had been at 2 cathedral "donkey" carol services one with the Cardinal. I tripped over scooter and thought I had hurt my right wrist but it is OK. Louise has her tree up. Conversations for the soul with 4 there was very interesting and we heard about mental health issues and interfaith action to find properties to take migr...