The organist librarian

Frank Martin Le Vin herbé from Welsh National Opera. Strange oratorio/opera on Tristan and Iseult. Family tree on Liz's side to Lindsey Suffolk John Greene born 1615. On my side to John Woodhouse (!) 1736 Ripon cathedral . Now back to Christopher Hebden born 1605 on my side. Sawley Ripon! The Woodhouses were firmly in North Yorkshire and York, South Africa and Australia and the Worleys in Daventry. The Codlings in Norfolk. On Liz's side the Carlyles in Scotland, Newcastle and Canada the Farthings in Newcastle, Suffolk and Denmark. Also several in London St Pancras, Kensington and Norwood. Fascinating stuff!  Watched The skating rink by David Sawer from Garsington opera. Gareth Malone does it again! Bake off and Alan Bennett.

Fisher House at 8 for a change, St John's at 10 (SS Peter and Paul). Zauberflote from Met - I think I prefer the ROH production although it's clever. Excellent Catherine Ennis recordings from St Michael Cornhill Widor and Elgar played at Munster. Sad to hear Uncle Tom died aged 92 married for 66 years to Flo. Ravel L'heure espagnole and L'enfant et les sortileges from Glyndebourne 2012. Art of Persia excellent series. Alan Bennett's Talking heads are remarkable. Opera Italia with Pappano a delight.

 According to New York Times Simon Rattle was going to conduct Chineke at the Proms with 4 outstanding Black singers. The work? Beethoven 9. Maybe 2021?St George's cathedral, zoom Caterham and much about reopening next Sunday, Fisher House. Upper Norwood and some of Caterham on you tube. Cendrillon from Met saw it at the cinema. Joyce DiDonato and Alice Coote superb. Finished reading Necropolis by Catharine Arnold about London's burials. Highly recommended. St John Caterham back to worship next Sunday 10 a.m. No singing. Started to think about prelude and postlude. Thinking joy and pieces I know well as I have not played since March! Nun danket Karg-Elert as postlude. Ode to joy is tricky. Watched 2 Nelson Ferreira sessions and a live one. Excellent |Ensemble 26 concert on zoom featuring a good tenor Alexander Arsen. Not so impressed by the soprano. Spring sonata accompanied by lovely photos. 

The Bridge theatre Midsummer Night's dream was highly inventive and funny with Olivier Chris as Oberon falling in love with Bottom. National cream tea day so we had an excellent tea from a local firm with prosecco. Woolf works from the Royal Ballet. Saturday Up late. Last night I was watching a fascinating interview with Andrew Scott about Hamlet. I was also looking for Present laughter and found the you tube with Donald Sinden and Dinah Sheridan. Fisher House. I was not expecting to watch L'elisir d'amore from the Met but with Pavarotti and Kathleen Battle it's a delight! Live from Royal Opera house featured 2 dances and young singers who were very impressive. Ian Knowles on Jesus in icons very interesting.  Up late. Last night I was watching a fascinating interview with Andrew Scott about Hamlet. I was also looking for Present laughter and found the you tube with Donald Sinden and Dinah Sheridan. Fisher House. I was not expecting to watch L'elisir d'amore from...

It's hot again. Horrified to see half a million on Bournemouth beach. What are people thinking if they think at all? Fisher House and Salcombe again. Manon from the Met - interesting to see same production with different singers engaging Lisette Oropesa and the dashing Michael Fabiano. Very sad to hear Canon Christopher had died. He was often very funny gently teasing us. Who could forget the incident when Hannah died and I misheard? It's sad that I had to leave that Saturday evening at his request but he did tell Liz that I was very welcome to return. He loved to sing and would try out a tune in the sacristy.  e  Lo nnyandinventive!

Sunday Liz at virtual Alpha retreat. St George's cathedral hard to access so surfed and saw Upper Norwood, bit of Kennington and Caterham. Zoom at Caterham. Fine sermon from Fr Chase at Fisher House. Windrush Sunday. Akhnaten from Met mesmerising. Henry came with Father's day cards and Vienetta so we had a bear hunt! Small Island from National Theatre excellent. Monday C of E St Alban, RCs St John Fisher and St Thomas More so Fisher House. Satyagraha from the Met excellent mesmerising. Jeremiah Bach form memory St Michael's audience.3 zooms SPIDIR committee, Faiths together in Croydon Black lives matter (why no BAME RC bishops in UK - there is a Keralan) Upminster circle was interesting - appeal for Nazareth well supported. Tuesday  Fisher House celebrating St Etheldreda. Nice chat to Ann Lennox . Watched part of Met La Traviata. Only saw bits of Glyndebourne Vanessa by Barber so maybe I am too late? Back to ROH Magic flute. Zoom meditation. Zoom Croydon circle short and sw...

Up late. Liz at Alpha retreat. Fisher House Mass. What a joy to have all three grandsons here. Henry and Sean played track and in the garden. Ciaran took all the books I ahd put aside for him! Rimsky-Korsakov The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh has wonderful music. Dutch national opera conducted Marc Albrecht. Long chat to Bruce Woodhouse. He sent delicious chocs and a book on the liberation of Jersey for Father's day tomorrow. Lovely cards. Royal Opera House live. Vadim Muntagirov beautiful in Gluck. Das Lied von der Erde chamber version with Dame Sarah Connolly. Royal Opera House Live concert Va

Fisher House Mass Sacred Heart. Liz's plants arrived having been held up in the mail. They were ordered in April! New freezer arrived. Had to move one chest of drawers in hall to get old one out but all done.  Leontyne Price in La Forza del destino at the Met 1984. It stopped several times. Could be Internet problems but I have noticed this happens with older recordings. Could be buffering problems on the site? Zoom with Mick. Watched second part of Midsummer Night's Dream from the Globe 2013. The play was the funniest I have seen. Alexander Armstrong in Greenland and Iceland. Dutch and Belgian modern painting with Andrew Graham-Dixon. Weight has hit 11 11 highest ever. Henry rang. 

Bible study with Caterham on Mark 4 Jesus quelling the storm, John Parkes talked too much. |Fisher House Mass. Met Gluck Iphigenie en Tauride (new to me) with Susan Graham and Domingo.   I am reading Necropolis about burials in London. The chapter on the great plague of 1665 is highly relevant. A second wave occurred because lockdown was stopped too soon. Dame Vera Lynn died aged 103. Father Brown x 2, Art of Persia, excellent Hastings circle zoom meeting with contribution from Nazareth where Christian schools are under threat. Shirley Brown sent material for family tree. Day bedan with a bible study on Jesus ending the storm Mark 4 with Caterham folk, Fisher House. 

Who ever heard of an opera requiring 6 tenor leads? Rossini Armida with Renee from the Met. Lovely ballet. Did coronavirus survey. Fisher House Mass. More photos found! Father Brown, Come dine with me, started Globe MND 2013. Lovely dinner chicken. Peach and amaretto dessert. Bake off and House through time was excellent.  Semiramide from Met (Facebook trying to change this to demoralize!) Great costumes and bel canto. I would love ROH to stream this with Joyce Didonato which I missed. Meditatio session a good break.  3 zooms, Israel and Palestine talk, mass from Shanklin with Anna Johnstone singing beautifully. Isle of Wight 600th meeting. Put on a tie for first time in 12 weeks! Felt very odd!  Day began with a bible study on Jesus ending the storm Mark 4 with Caterham folk, Fisher House.

Fisher House mass. We were up late and Ocado came. Today's Met opera is Rodelinda with Fleming, Scholl, Davies and Shenyang conducted by Harry Bucket. Wonderful to have such great singers together especially Iestyn Davies and Andreas Scholl and a beautiful production. But the presenter calls it Roadalinda! An excellent Listen with Audrey on the Eucharist with Mgr Mark Langham. Catenian Chorley circle zoom in Lancashire 53 there and Brother Brian 50 years. Lovely that the wives and family joined in after the meeting.  Catching up on TV programmes on Bressingham and Pompeii. Cardinal and Archbishop Welby photos at reopening of the cathedral and abbey and what do we get? Stupid conservative Catholics calling him a layman. 

Radio 4 Mass from the cathedral with the Cardinal giving a great homily and Fr Daniel reading. Byrd and Victoria. It's been good to read how others have dealt with this weird time. The clear out is still going on here including books I have never read or am never likely to read. The next task is cassettes and videos (remember them?) I have done some painting but a lot of time has gone on watching operas. The Tablet comes a week late at the moment (probably the Post Office as the mail seems to come in batches) so I am reading it online and sending in the crossword by email. The online Mases have been good. St George's cathedral with Lauda Sion and an excellent address on yearning for the Eucharist  by John Wilson and blessed the diocese. Andrew Carwood has urged us to write to our M.P. about singing and its future so I have done so, Zoom with Caterham. Upper Norwood had hymns and organ as usual and a well-considered sermon on homily from Fr Daniel Trott, The church opens tomorro...

St Anthony of Padua Fisher House mass then Salcombe. The trooping from Windsor was most impressive. Enjoyed London Live programme Opening the Soane which is part of a 6 part series. Britten and the BBC had some historic footage of the great man. A lovely recital from the Royal Opera House with Louise Alder, Gerald Finlay and Toby Spence and a new ballet. Watched most of La Fille mal gardée - a delight! End of Fruhlingsturme. Art of Tommy Cooper.The Catenian Mass on Wednesday was recorded and put on their website. Canon Christopher retiring.   of Padua, Salcombe, now watching Queen's birthday parade from Windsor. Very impressive.House Mass St Anthony of Padua, Salcombe, now watching Queen's birthday parade from Windsor. Very impressive. House Mass St Anthony of Padua, Salcombe, now watching Queen's birthday parade from Windsor. Very impressive.

Fisher House Mass. Zoom Upper Norwood celebrating St Barnabas who we remembered yesterday. Transferred because of Corpus Christi. Claire is 80 today happy birthday! Hoping she will come to our gate as we have still not gone out unlike some of our neighbours! Strange how some call him Barnabus.  Met Ghosts of Versailles by John Corigliano 1992. A huge cast including Marilyn Horne. Renee, Hakan Hagengard and Graham Clark. A strange mix of tragedy and comedy. Hair cut and cleaning shelves lots of dust. Put aside books for the boys and book sale. So me duplicates.   The madness of George III from Nottingham Playhouse was most moving. Mark Gattiss and Adrian Scarborough were briliiant. Enjoyed Father Brown and Animal park. Watched An Everlasting secret family about a secret Oz gay society and the exploitation by a politician of a young man who than takes up with his son. 

Fisher House Mass St Barnabas. Sung Mass at Upper Norwood Corpus Christi where there is usually a carpet of flowers. Tonight I would have been at Caterham for Corpus Christi. This long eucharistic fast is hard to bear but we have faith that it will end.  A delightful Hansel and Gretel from the Met conducted by Vladimir Jurowski with Alice Coote, Rosalind Plowright and Philip Langridge. 2 Father Brown and Andrew Graham-Dixon on Dutch art,  Zoom Faiths together in Croydon agreed on a zoom Black lives matter Faith talks June 22 5 p.m.  Zoom from Yachad about the annexation of the West Bank which is very worrying. Britain's best parents series very interesting. 

Salcombe and an interesting reflection from Daniel French. Long Skype with Ann. Fisher House. Now La Clemenza Di Tito from the Met. Music and Liturgy has much food for thought about now and the future. We have been immersed in Shistiel and Allen Morris shows our deep links to Jewish tradition. We too should study the Word of the Lord and pray. There are so many similarities between the Abrahamic faiths which we forget too easily. The value of family and community cannot be forgotten. Why do we go to church, synagogue and mosque? We can agree it is for worship and sharing with each other. Zoom Swale circle meeting 18 there including a brother who has been unable to attend for years!

A good start with organ and Holy, holy, holy from the cathedral and Fr Daniel 's homily. Zoom discussion at Caterham remembered Penny Veness who had Covid and sadly died. Also travel and racism.You tube Upper Norwood The God of Abram praise. How shall I sing that majesty.Beautiful reading from Isaiah. Anne-Marie Garton excellent sermon. You tube St John Caterham. Posted piano pieces on Vater unser and Bach. A most stimulating homily from Mgr Mark at Fisher House. Looked up reviews of Otello from Met. It definitely detracts from the drama and Shakespeare if Othello is white. There have been black tenors who have sung the role. Death Cafe was very good but  smaller group. How good to hear the organ at the cathedral after Vespers St Anne fugue.An excellent lesson with Nelson on painting a nude, More episodes of Shistiel.  Monday Salcombe and Fr Daniel gave us an interesting translation of "Blessed are the meek" those who keep their sword in the scabbard and never use it...

St Norbert so Fisher House. We have a working boiler again! Thewhole thing cost £500 with 3 visits. The exterminating angel by Adès from the Met. I saw this at the cinema and it's extraordinary! How nice to see Henry and family. Pity about the social distancing. He clearly wanted to come and play! Later Dennis brought us beer and ice cream, etc. This computer came back!Pearls of Cleopatra by Oscar Strauss you tube and Weinberger Spring storms Komische Oper light relief followed by Jonas and Dmitri singing Pearl Fishers duet

Spent the morning painting listening to Fisher House and Salcombe then Bellini I Puritani from the Met. 7 wall baskets installed in garden. Charterhouse 1200th very well conducted. Before that zoom with Lourdes friends. Friends of Westminster cathedral quiz. Did well on composers but did not recognise some London landmarks! Fisher House, St John's and Blackfriars. Met is observing Blackout Tuesday. I was not looking forward to Lulu! Recorded choral evensong from Warwick. The spirit of the Lord beautifully sung. Meditatio and yestersay's wuiet time sessions were good. Ian Knowles on hands very good. Repair shop, Sewing bee, Come dine with me. Animal park. 

Fisher House and Salcombe then Salome from the Met. Karita Mattila was amazing and pretty horrific. Yachad zoom with the Israeli ambassador. One is left thinking again the situation is so complex. There are no easy solutions. Mgr Mark Langham gave an excellent clear explanation of justification. Nelson Ferreira on drawing and Ian Knowles on hands.