The organist librarian

I got a thank you and Happy birthday at the service and the Polish cakes went down very well in the hall! I played Sidney Campbell on Grafton, Tambling on Slane and Brewer Marche heroique. It is good at 72 to be playing new music like the Brewer (well a first for me) and it is a great piece. By chance the hymns included favourites Father hear the prayer and Brother sister let me serve you plus that great tune Grafton and Jerusalem at the end! The choir of 4 sang Rutter A Clare benediction well. A delightful family lunch at the Rosendale. Claire came. Had beef. Nice cake at the end. It was noisy. Had a chat to Louise and Tom in the playground. Watched Antiques roadshow, Vanity Fair and programmes on the history of York and Belfast.

Quiet Friday - sent off rules for public speaking John Rayer had supplied them. Listened to Prom of Tallis scholars and skimmed Last Night from the parks cutting out the awful pop singers. To Gloucester Road for lovely dinner with Ginger, Philip and Jenny. To South London Liberal synagogue for Shabbat for Sukkoth and a second barmitzvah by a gentleman who grew up in Yeoville Johannesburg. Saw the transformed flat and this will be ready for a refugee samily in 2019. Visiting rabbi gave a good sermon on continuity and change.  I do like an organist who conveys his own joy in the music and Geoffrey Morgan did so at Bloomsbury Baptist in Bach, Elgar, Bridge and Parry. Liz did not get to Mass. Canon Christopher and lots of servers - the processions were too fast and a mess so practised it again. 

Swam 20 despite sore right thumb. To 12,30 funeral of John McManus at Anerley. Tom, Mike and John Joyce his son-in-law. Lots of family . Stuart played rather muddily I thought. Sunith very slow. John resigned from Catenians for some unknown reason - he could not remember why himself. Did not go to crem or the golf club. Liz to Acton as Lou at theatre. To Blackheath black tie. Pork for dinner very good but cost me £46 as had to pay for Liz's. I stayed off the booze. Thursday slept in. Art and finished the lake oil as Julie wanted it for the display in the hall on Tuesday. To interfaith lunch and a peace Succoth had been built in the garden so we sat in the sunshine. Spoke about US visit. To Gasworks near Oval for first time. 2 installations by American James N.Kienitz Williams.

An odd day. Slept in having woken early. To Mass. Looked up car seats and met Dennis at Halfords. AnnMarie insisted on coming despite having got spots from Henry and being off sick. There was no need for them to come. 30 minute wait at Halford so went to Mothercare where the young man eventually fitted the seat in the car. It is now on order -  it swivels.  It all took far too long. To quiet time. Ann was there. To Caterham and looked through carols. The Grow meeting was much more cooperative as AnnMarie was there. Home at 9 as trains not great. Watched Queen of the World.

Up at 4.20 a.m. to get Bruce to Selhurst to return to Jersey. Back to bed. To mosaic and they liked the chocolate bar. Completed the trees. Tai chi and Tony talked a lot. To National Gallery for the Richard Cole exhibition - interesting to see early paintings of America and the influences from Constable and Turner. Watched Great British bakeoff. To Beckenham Catenians - South London and Norwood closing.  

The large choir of King Edward's school Witley sang well at Mass. Schubert, Bruckner and Bainton. Wettest day so far missed bus so train and replacement bus to Caterham. We sang Campion Never weather-beaten sail and I played Griffiths on Regent Square and Andrew Fletcher Impromptu. Great final evensong for Adrian and lovely party. Great to see so many from the past. Stanford, Bruckner and Elgar Great is the Lord. It was all rather loud and lots of timpani from Paul Brough.

London open day in the rain. 5 churches in the East End. Zena Woodley was the guide at St Dunstan Stepney. Tour at Bow Church and bought some poems, sermons and leaflet on George Lansbury. St Paul Old Ford brilliant wooden pod inside the building used by Into University and a gym. St Paul Bow Common tour with Bernadette the vicar. Organ at German Catholic Church impressive. I had been there on the interfaith walk. The young organist had us all in the gallery but I did not really get his organ demo. He played Buxtehude and Bach well. Good to be back at the cathedral. Liz and Bruce went to Sean's party.

Mass, to Glyn Close - Henry not well and Dennis in strange mood so meeting and car seat purchase delayed. Enjoyed the tango prom on TV, Berlioz with Joyce Didonato, Proms extra, Antiques roadshow. Uploaded first lot of photos from trip. Watched Versailles and University challenge. Bruce arrived.

Enjoying Handel's Theodora from the Proms. Louise Alder and Iestyn Davies on great form. Schmidt Symphony no. 4 impressive and the pianist played 2 encores! Great British bakeoff. Loaded photos from trip onto computer. To St John for Carl's recital - all unknown music and quite enjoyable apart from the Demessieux. Cross with John who criticised Belmont Abbey organ as too loud. 

A good day in the school library clearing up the mess and listening to the Last Night of the Proms (TV version). A great concert! Now catching up on the TV versions of the Marin Alsop and Edward Gardner concerts. RVW Dona nobis pacem a great work unjustly neglected. Sophie Bevan like an angel. Watchedprogramme on Princess Margaret and Great British bakeoff. Thursday to Mass and Noel came to the car to ask about the trip. To Dr Ojo for ear clearing and checked wrist and said nothing broken. I fell over in Glyn Close. 

Sunday to Mass at Anerley and heard John MacManus has died. Dinner at Harvester using voucher - I had gammon. Monday a.m. Marshall Graham's funeral at St John's - a great sendoff. Stanford, Faure, Kontakion. Body had been in church overnight - he was confirmed at Westminster Abbey and they attended St Peter Eaton Square. Ann is his widow. Nice eats and good chat about the trip and the new choir director. Told Adrian about the Musical museum. To St Martin in the Fields to hear the wonderful Rowan Williams on encounter. Alan, Ivor, Brian Pierce, Rita there plus 2 others. Met rabbi Stephen at exhibition which I did not like much. Our conversation was interrupted by an American Jewish lady who I have often seen at the front of PreProm talks. She announced she did not celebrate Yom Kippur and could not get to the synagogue in Greenwich. When asked why she became very aggressive - said we were asking personal questions - she had visual problems because of a brain tumour. I apologise...

A long day on the coach. Robbie behind us again so have asked to be moved.what was funny 2 days ago no longer is! Photo at Utah capitol. Cycle race. Logan. Bear lake and lunch at Garden city.Ice cream at Jackson, bar saddles labyrinth outside St John's church. Mass at wrong times. Jackson lake lodge very nice cabin.Bison burger and beer with Ash and Judy from Florida. 9.9 river trip on the Snake river large inflatable. Saw eagles, osprey, swallows, great views of Great Teton. Quite hard to get off. To visitors centre, lunch picnic at Dormans, church of the Transfiguration. Peter's falls, pronghorn. Yellowstone Old Faithful Snow Lodge. 4 course dinner. Chowder, saussges, pheasant Liz's too pink. Sundae. Early night knee tired.10.9 a wonderful Day in Yellowstone park. Left at 8.45 Grand prismatic spring amazing colours from the microbes. Gibbon falls. Artists paintpots are continually changing. Saw bison. View of caldera volcano basin. Lower falls and Artists point Yellows...

5.9 breakfast was buffet .We bought salad meals which were pricey but nice. Saw the rabbit again. Stop at Little Hollywood museum Kanab and bought a sandstone magnet and hats for the boys. Many Westerns were filmed in Utah. Lunch outside Ruby's Inn and got ice cream pistachio, huckleberry, rocky trail and grasshopper. Walk along rim of Bryce canyon was fantastic and thunderstorm held off thanks to Mother Teresa whose feast Day it is! Stop at Fairyland canyon. Flash flood. Great ride to Zion national park through tunnel with spectacular views. Definitely the best so far. Lovely lodge and a nice celebration dinner as 5 are leaving at Vegas. 2 glasses of wine, trout. Had to get help to open safe. 6.9 after breakfast team shuttle tour with headsets, photo with organpipes rocks, shop then walk along Virgin river and did a sketch. Lunch at St George Panda express Chinese and ice cream. Arrived at Vegas and saw Golden Nugget. Mankini and bare breasts! Photo at welcome sign 100 degrees....

Left 8 a.m. Good driver with a nifty way round Tooting. At terminal 3 9.15. Full English breakfast. Left one hour late problem with communication system. Watched Peter Rabbit, Fake or Fortune, documentary on Senator John McCain who has died in Arizona, finished A brush with death by Ali Carter her first novel and a Suzy Mahl mystery. Let's hope for more. Listened to War Requiem conducted by Noseda with Ian Bostridge and Simon Keenlyside. It will be interesting to see how ENO stage it. Arrived long wait at passports then 20 minute walk to super shuttle. Went past Phoenix zoo and botanical garden.very hot and dry. Hotel Valley Ho very nice. Liz went exploring. I got to bed. 2 am London time 7 hours behind. Woke twice and watched Simon Rattle Ravel from Prom a delight.Prokofiev from Edinburgh Victoria Mulkova. 1.9 swam at 6, walk round arts district and found All cafe. Lovely waffle fruit boat. 3 ubers. Musical instrument museum fabulous. Had salad lunch. Mass at 4 Blessed Sacrament...