The organist librarian

To the hidden community garden at Norwood Junction and learnt of the excellent work with schools by the British Transport Police resulting in a drop in trespassing. Apparently East European adults forget and try to go home on the tracks. Really worrying. To Boots to see optician and ended up getting 2 pairs of new glasses. To Central music library and found all the scores I wanted. Life drawing at National Portrait Gallery - did 8 sketches in 2 hours. Quite tired and also carrying 2 bags of scores! Deleted video of KCSP Mass - should have been told not to take it! Liz here. A quiet snack in one of Liverpool's museums,,,,,,,this following from a train carriage full of a stag party and much cheer flowing, it was only Friday morning!!! However I did have two cans of G and T which was nice. Looking forward to some nice singing at Evensong and then in the morning a big altar server's Mass in the wigwam..

To Anerley for Mass of SS Peter and Paul. Saw John MacManus and the Bradleys. Gerard is going to Old Coulsdon after many years at the seminary.Art and submitted pictures for library exhibition - cut down to 6 mostly drawings. Started new painting. To interfaith lunch at Brixton Hill and a lively discussion on Prevent. To Putney library to get scores. Many CDs and LPs are being sold and scores are under threat. With Dennis to see South London Theatre RSC production at Stanley Halls of Love's Labours Lost. The wartime theme worked well. The wordiness and wit of the play does not help but some of it was very funny indeed Enjoyed it.

A long day. Coffee at Austin's and picked up leaflets. Having his house painted. Drove to Aylesford 74 miles in all.  Catenian posters and leaflets about bursary fund given to 5 secondary school groups and teachers with 800 kids. Great publicity with banners up. We want money to come to the South! Mass was fun Bishop Paul had been there earlier so we had Fr David one of the friars - kids enjoying it. Danny took Marcella and Peter home. One banner fell down another is broken. Now have 4 in car. Tea and cake and bought ordination cards. Pouring with rain so sat in car and read Tablet. To Swanley in rain and early. Bowling centre did not open so to The Bull for chips and lively meeting of PEG. Tony very outspoken. Home at 10.30. Washing wet through so spinning it. Liz in Acton. 

My leg wounds have healed enough for me to have a shower. Excellent SPIDIR AGM and day with Rev Barry Preece most stimulating. Bought his lovely book. Watched Versailles. To Beckenham circle. 

2 choir members in Walsingham and we sang Ave Maria by  Simon Lindley . I played Parry on Melcombe and Hurford on Song 34. Rehearsed L.J.White Prayer of St Richard first sang that as a choirboy, Andriessen and Mendelssohn 6. After Fr Daniel Trott's first mass with 2 baptisms BBQ.  Linda Baker  and I sang in the Caterham Festival evensong at St Mary's. The walk up the hill is exhausting and I rested in the cemetery and delighted to find tea and delicious walnut cake at St Lawrence's. Brewer In D, Ouseley From all that dwell, Rutter The Lord bless you and keep you, Justin Thomas responses. 3 good hymns including Thy hand O God has guided. Chris Buck at the organ. I asked about the future of evensong in the area and combining like this say once every 2 months makes a lot of sense. It was all a bit on the loud side and some more softer singing would have been good. Lift to station. Had to change at Purley and get bus from Norwood Junction to Selhurst. Antiques roadshow. Pold...

Birthday of St John the Baptist big day in Florence. Prayers for all being ordained today.  Daniel Trott , Carlos, Micky, Gareth.  Excellent session on radicalisation with Rashid Ali and  Damian Howard  at Hurtado. William Rhind was there. At Whitechapel gallery a film about a marble column rather intriguing. Rest of the work unimpressve. Had caperberries in tomato salad.  Jeremiah Stephenson played well at Bloomsbury Baptist but modern piece very weird and one registration fluff in Alain.  Fr  John at vespers and Mass for Birth of John Baptist who is his name saint. I am John the Evangelist.  At big iftar Hyderi mosque Streatham. Adrian and Diana Mills spoke well, also a Jewish journalist and deputy from MCB. Less impressed by Palestinian woman on Prevent. Met Rupert Sutton again and William was there, also David Sutton. 

Woke in the night - it was muggy. Thought I was going to see elephants! To Mass and then to Beckenham. Just under 2 hours and saw Richard. Hopefully in 2 days plasters off and I will not need to go back - hurrah! Ice cream in park. Liz with Ann Marie to dentist. Much correspondence on Bursary fund and Aylesford on Tuesday. Liz baked delicious fruit loaves for tonight;s recital. Henry came to visit and full of chat. Beautiful mosque in Mosul destroyed by IS.  Adrian Gunning played at St John Upper Norwood, He included Te Deum of Langlais which Dad played for his FTCL, Vierne, Ireland, Tournemire and Buxtehude. 30 there. Took Martin Ball home and had a chat to David our neighbour. Friday to Mass. Lots of emails and started putting holiday pics on Facebook -Liz took some really good ones. Watched Antiques roadshow and Japan art.  JTo Chislehurst Golf Club. ust back from Province 7 Catenian dinner for new presidents. Launch of Casper project to help young people and excellent ad...

Caught up with stunning Australian tenor Kang Wang at Cardiff Singer final. What top notes! Very hot, quiet time at St John moved into the hall as Adrian Gunning was practising for Thursday's recital. To the cathedral for mass with combined boys and Palestrina choir from Dublin. Beautiful singing Franck and love the end of the Langlais Mass almost Britten will it end in major but no it is modal. District line train did go on to Richmond in the end. Boys loved tshirts, cards, drinks bottles and books from Africa. Sean said he had missed me and Ciaran was telling us geography details about the Falls.  Retired librarian postpones taking grandson to library. It must be hot besides I can only find 3 books.  Marius Twomey  postponed coffee meeting re getting Poles to join Catenians in South London and reading out to university students in London. Happy to relax at home and pulled some ivy off! Sean saw ants in front of fireplace.  State opening of Parliament. Must be...

Very hot in the night so got up and did Trip advisor comments. Stayed in and had breakfast in the garden. Spoke to Ann. Watched more Cardiff singer. 

Unpacked and watching the Trooping - good old Britain. It's hotter here than in Botswana and Zambia. Good flights with SAA apart from the muddleup on the flight home. As it happens I needed 2 seats so I could elevate my leg. I grazed it getting off the safari vehicle so had to have treatment at the Avani hotel. We met a lady from Florida who said she normally came to London every year but not this year. Understandable but sad. The LMP concert attracted a good audience no doubt attracted by community choir singing Adiemus. Ken Burton conducted Vivaldi Gloria. Good for all to hear Poulenc and Mozart. The ensemble in the organ concerto was remarkable. Hot and trains replaced by buses so going whole way on tfl buses. We sang Day by day by How and I played Ronald Watson Elegy in memoriam Herbert Howells and June Nixon improvisation on Adoro Te. She signed my copy when I played it at Melbourne cathedral. Happy 50th birthday to her. Super concert by the London Mozart Players at St Joh...

Pentecost. After the awful news I practised the Dorian. There is a God of love. I played voluntaries on Veni creator by John Cook, Alec Wyton and Eric Thiman. 2 of the school choir joined us and they sang well. We sang Like the murmur by  Alan Smith . One of the songs asked for s second Pentecost - dodgy theology?  To St Paul's as usual to hear Anthony Teddie speak on his book Is God colour blind? Answer No. Home for lunch,  Rather than waste 45 minutes waiting for a train probably delayed I drove to Caterham. Enjoyed evensong from St David's. 5 at Caterham for evensong played Pachelbel and Bach and we managed the psalms. Watched Versailles and Met police. Driving meant that I got home much quicker. 

Sorting out clothes. Bicentenary Mass for Sisters of the Assumption with Fr Robin and Roy playing, Chapel looked lovely with orchids.  Had wine at Milleret House reception and some lovely chats. Sat in Kensington Gardens. Fr  Andrew Gallagher  at vespers and Mass for Pentecost vigil - great homily but could not see why we sang O Jesus Christ remember at communion - surely Come down O love divine would have been a better choice? Watching Broken on TV and Versailles. g out clothes and Liz went to replace one bag. 

Swam 20. Nice chat to Ann. Took Catenian posters to Fidelis and met Fr Clark who told me about the Knights and confirmation age. Henry is adorable  - lots of smiles. Guiding at cathedral boring. British library exhibition on the Russian revolution excellent. National Portrait Gallery lots doing drawing and I did two sketches. 

Swam and Mass, Took old Catenas to Anerley. To art group to plan future events including exhibition in July in the library (I have a lot of work for that), life drawing and garden party at Julie's.  Wrote minutes of the Skype meeting. To St Mary at Hill for evening prayer sung by the quartet Seraphim including an unusual item by Saint-Saens. Lord Paul Boateng spoke about Pentecost and globalisation. Considering he is a Methodist lay preacher he was sometimes hard to hear. To Malet Street for the Ramadan Tent Iftar which had the largest turnout ever. Sat with SOAS students including a Turkish Erasmus student from Cologne. Neil Jameson of Citizens UK spoke well. He does look like Jeremy Corbyn. Home by 11.