The organist librarian

Unpacked and Ocado delivered so put all that away. Washing on the line but it rained later on. Liz went to take Henry swimming as Dennis hurt eye and AnnMarie had an infected insect bite but it wasn't happening so they went to Crystal Palace park. Fr Rajiv at Mass and he requested quicker moves as he has to cut his homily every week! I said we were obsessed with the length of Mass whereas in India time was not important!  Michael Butterfield has gone to Truro as acting assistant director of music. Watched Sheku play Elgar superbly and with great feeling and Steinberg. Also Stephen Hough playing Mendelssohn and Prince Albert on a gold piano from Buckingham Palace. Excellent prom for Sir Henry Wood 150th including Ireland and Grainger. On Proms encore they used the footage of us crowning the bust! 

Dubai really is an extraordinary place. Las Vegas, beach resort, skyscrapers, if you have money anything is possible. A seven star hotel where tea costs 200 dollars. Obscene!  We visited a carpet shop on our tour and ended up buying a beautiful wall hanging same thing happened in Jaipur! Yesterday was a very expensive day!  Swim and jacuzzi, substantial breakfast. Rest and watched again Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant.tour was for 3 but turned out to be 4 so we could have gone out but it was 35 degrees! Complete silence on drive to desert reserve. I was tempted to ask if we were going to a funeral. Toddler down and convoy of 10. Saw gazelle and oryx. exciting dune drive. Did not go on camel. Excellent meal and dancers. Unfortunately did no t get Liz dancing. Back at 9.15 so swim and jacuzzi in the dark. Still hot. The inconsistencies a belly dancer and wives completely covered. No gay rights. Not seen beggars but have not been in souks. Huge expat a...

Wedding. We packed up at Camberwell at 11 and had a good drive to Healesville. The driving was so much smoother as I had looked up advice on the automatic. The air bnb is a loft at the back of the property.on the Marrondah highway. Very comfy I parked in the carport. We went for a walk into the town initially looking for Coles and found a good jewellers where Liz got garnet ear studs to.match her dress. They are heart shaped. Tammy and Michael Robinson picked us up at 3.45 and we were at Zonzo winery at 4. The ceremony was lovely with Ann and Paul reading the Irish blessing. Sarah looked stunning. We met Lennoxes and the Greek family. I videoed a lot on my phone. The.crowns ceremony was nice. The mothers witness the wedding and Clare had the rings. Then canapes and champagne and an Italian sitdown. Antipasto, pizza, lamb and desert. 140 there lots of Lenoxes and Greek family. Good speeches and great  dancing. Particularly loved Mark's speech and the dance. Finished by 10. Lots of ...

Mendelssohn SaintSaens played by Jian Wang Bach encore .Symphonie fantastique brilliant. Strings are excellent. Conducted by Molokai Szeps-Znaider. Home by 11. £76 well spent! Surprised by lady behind us with huge Alsatian she is autistic. Few noises but audience which was large very quiet.

Christchurch. 1 hour flight from Auckland clear views there but rain on arrival. Malcolm met us and we recognised many roads on the way to their lovely home. Liz went to the concert dress rehearsal but I slept. Ursula, Emily and Bernard were all on great form. Ursula's paintings really make the house. We laughed at The secret life of Walter Mitty on their huge screen. N Z beat Australia in the rugby. Slept well. Sunday to mass at St Peter Beckenham.went there 2 years ago. Music group did well Haugen, Gather us in, Farell, Christ be our light, Overhead projector Mass setting easy to sing. Old words for Gloria. All not many. Bishop Paul Martin who is very tall gave an excellent homily on divisions in families and suffering. He wants to close churches and cathedral and rebuild elsewhere not popular. Brunch then to The Piano for Canterbury Philharmonia concert which was very good. Verdi, Mussorgsky, Babar and SaintSaens. Mozart Sinfonia concertante. Malcolm played oboe and is chair...

Excellent time in Ubud  Liz not too good during the night with tummy. Staff very concerned and Pudu sent special rice pudding to the room. Packed and pleased bill was not as  much as expected. Driver took us to royal temple which we missed on tour 2 and it is lovely. Arrived at Samaya Seminyak. It is even more luxurious than Ubud Samaya. Afternoon tea and swam twice. Dinner overlooking the beach and sunset. Had duck. Watched Bohemian rhapsody. Breakfast overlooking beach. Lazed around pool best in early evening. It has jacuzzi nozzles. Mini bar included! Drink very heavily taxed here. Restaurant costs more here but sunsets are stunning. Watched Catherine the great on Kindle. Over the 4 days established a pattern of early morning dip 9 a.m. Full breakfast smoothie bowl, morning star drink, tropical fruit platter, poached eggs on avocado. Waffles in takeaway box for later. Rest and read on bed  swim afternoon tea in room, dinner and sunset. Movie choice limited despite ...

Louise and the boys kindly took us to Gatwick. Watched Red Joan and Dumbo. 5 hours at airport watched first night of proms. 9 hours to Denpaysar. Slept 3 hours and Shostakovich. Man next to me was large but he did open the gin bottle. Met by Trailfinders lady and 2 hour drive to Ubud. Samaya Ubud is luxurious and Puyatha the manager and team made us so welcome!  Our own pool and 2 dinners included. We soon settled into early morning swim, buggy uphill to breakfast. Relaxing by pool or in villa. Met Dono local painter in evening and 2 sessions painting. He is disabled with 2 kids. Of course we bought the canvas and I will finish it at home. He paints sitting on the floor mixing oils with turps on the lid of an old can. On  Friday met guide and driver. Ubud  wood carving shop  and bought elephant. Rudana art museum traditional and modern art. Sacred monkey forest and temple we saw lots of macaques. One grabbed my arm because I had the camera battery in my closed fist....

45 years. Where did they go? Quiet day checking post, emails and unpacking some of the items we will not need. Haircut. Fr Rajiv at Mass - just 3 of us serving. Very pleasent meal at Indian restaurant Bromley Hill with Dulwich Catenians. Sunday played lots of Elgar and Nun danket. Family came for lunch brought by Lou - beef lasagne and prosecco. Great fun. Prom on BBC4 Shostakovich 11 Rachmaninoff and Midnight sun variations. Enjoyed Monday sunshine at Kelsey park and Punch and Judy. Packed. 

PART 2. In Alesund visited the old pharmacy which is an Art Nouveau museum and Kube modern art gallery. Quintet played Beethoven and tangos, Not amused by Scottish comedian. 2 days at sea crossing Arctic circle and getting colder. Spa, swim, finished Elizabeth Buchan Consider the Lily and Fred Gallienne who we met in Guernsey. Mass. Spa. BBC film extreme worlds. Supper for congregation in dining room every pleasant..After a day off the quintet returned with ballet and Russian music. Lovely cello solos. Saturday in Longyearbyen . Airport bus to husky farm presentation and slides about polar bears. Waffles and syrup drink. Wood fires. Austrian guide. Svalbard museum very good and stopped to see polar bear sign and geese but we missed the most northerly church in the world which did not please. Mass and we both read. Quintet played Shostakovich and Sibelius and Rebecca Clarke. Stayed up for Philipino show. Woke early and read at mass. Fantastic Liefdeldjord with 3 glaciers. Haydn, Bach...

Part 4. Arrived in Reykjavik at 8. 8 hour Golden circle tour. Ancient parliament site, law rock and drowning pool fissure where 2 plates meet. Geysir unimpressive having been at Old Faithful. Salmon lunch. Very windy at Gulafoss waterfalls but impressive. Hydroelectric plant geothermal energy. Few at Mass. Evening trip to Blue lagoon amazing silica very good for skin. Plasters over wedding ring as cannot take it off! Back at midnight. Coach to town expensive. Culture house excellent national treasures. Tour of Harpa concert halls very impressive. Walked to Hallgrimskirkja in time for superb concert by Schola cantorum. Coffee and chocs afterwards they should sing at proms impeccable tuning and we 'll presented. We were lucky to hear the organist most rehearsing on the huge Klais organ.Bought CD. Left at 3 and 3 people missed it. Swam and spa.After Mass for Ignatius Loyola parish dinner was enjoyable. James from St Louis is very nice. Quintet Chopin, Dvorak, Clarke,Bach_Tchaik. W...

Part 3. Finished David Sedaris Calypso. Quite amusing. Clocks back again. Up to go to stretch to find it was just finishing! Programme for the day was wrong. Seydisfjordur Iceland some sun! On a fishing boat to bird cliffs saw gulls and puffins. Enjoyed it .the blue church is lovely. Spa and sauna. Mass for St James. Dinner in the upstairs of restaurant delicious beef. Comedian and sax in show. Two piano quintet sessions Debussy, the Swan, Chopin, Bach. Friday rained solidly in Akureyri.Coach trip botanical gardens started by housewives in 1952. Laufas parsonage and church fascinating. Godafoss waterfalls worth the trip. Abandoned wet walk to church and museums. Spa and sauna. Deacon Gerry preached well at Mass. Planet earth 2 with I've music excellent. Great to read Tablet on kindle. Saturday walked round Isafjordur after visiting Westfjord museum. Old town and garden.swam and short sauna. After lunch excellent tour to Sudavik coffee and marriage cake and film about the 1995 a...

11 /7 Ea st Croydon to St Pancras. 4 hour Eurostar to Amsterdam. Nice to see Francis Herbert. Tram to Zuid and Marc picked us up. Air bnb very nice. Supermarket and sat outside and drank wine. 12/7 exc breakfast. Tram and metro into town got I love Amsterdam card for 2 days. Rembrandt house fascinating and exhibition of work influenced by him.Portuguese synagogue is huge and very well presented. Jewish history museum exhibition. On Kabbala and modern versions are interesting. Loved the presentations and the children's museum is great. Lovely fish and wine at Alexandros. Supermarket. Watched Federer defeat Nadal. 13/7 to museum Van Loon which is a fine house with garden and coach house. Walked to Rembrandtplein to get tram. Coffee at Cafe Waterloo. Delightful organ and violin at Moses and Aaron church Rheinberger, Kreisler and Boccherini and Durufle well played. Hermitage museum impressive collection Velasquez and Van der Leyden. Group portraits. To Norris botanical garden. Pasta...