Bournemouth

 We set off on Monday and drove via Romsey to visit Mottisfont (not been there for years). All I remembered was the Whistler garden room which in fact looked different. We walked up to the walled garden and enjoyed a coffee in the basement. Lovely gardens. Mosaics by Boris Anrep. Degas and Bonnard.  Arrived at Hotel Collingwood about 5 and delighted with the bigger room (the £30 was well spent). The food proved to be as good as ever. The sauna has been completely renewed like the bathroom (wet room) in our room. The pool could do with a rail to help you get in! Tuesday we drove over to Lymington and loved the St Juste museum which had an excellent film and exhibition about etchings. Had coffee there then to Midday prayer and Mass at St Dominic's priory. 2 of the nuns chatted. To St Thomas Lymington - organ looks good and lovely stained glass. Drove back via the coast Milford on Sea and Southbourne. 

Wednesday to Poole to check the route and Poole park - swans and coffee at the Ark. Lively arts centre. Had a delicious afternoon tea at 3 after another swim and sauna and back for fish dinner (whitebait and haddock) ad drove to the Lighthouse centre. Nearly full! Bournemouth SO conducted by Alexander Soddy with James Gould played Lark ascending beautifully. Leonora No 3 and Mahler 4 - lovely Moldovan soprano. What a treat! 

Thursday drove home via Hinton Ampner (house Georgian reconstruction after 1960 fire) and a lovely church with stained glass by Patrick Rentiens. Then to Uppark - amazed at the work since the fire and the kitchen is fascinating. Home by 4.30. Gresham talk on portraits of the Queen. Scottish Laity network Lent course on the common good. Revd David Coleman much better than last week's speaker. I have read quite a bit of the SM Lent book Christianity rediscovered. Apprentice. 

Friday Swim and UNACC - Trinity will be in Senegal until 31st. Sang Faure requiem at St John's for Don Martin's funeral. Took Liz to the station to go over to Acton. I prepared the Triduum copies.

Sat Liz at Flame where she saw bishops and the Cardinal. To St James the Great Petts Wood. Police closed Whitehorse Lane because of a double stabbing at 10 p.m. last night in Egerton Road. I did get to the church 5 minutes late. Had one person wanting guidance - hard to hear her in the church. I enjoyed Creative prayer using wool, stone, a nail and a picture of Jerusalem. Lectio on Exodus and the burning bush. A very well-organised day. At Mass Fr Vipin from Kerala - his first Lenten sermon. I pointed out how to pronounce Elijah and he was grateful. Watched The Mormons are coming - scary. Streatham Hill is in The Tablet. 

Lent 2 Played prelude on "Aus der tiefe" Hendrik Andriessen and Fugue in G minor Lasceux. We sang Lamb of God by Webbe. Meeting with church wardens - a point made about asterisked verse but as I said the service of the word is short so might as well sing it all! Can I choose hymns the children know? That's tricky as we are confined to A and M. Lent group at St John's - found it very hard to hear what people were saying. It seems the PM wants to send refugees to Ruanda. Quite shocking. Evensong Gibbons and Farrant. Best of all Like as the hart Howells. Pottery throwdown and Antiques roadshow from Cornwall. The commentary for my film in the chorus talk is now taking shape. 

Monday Liz did the washing and I changed the bed. Swim and chair aerobics. To see Broker - an intriguing film and one's sympathies moved between the characters even the baddies! Well worth seeing. Music list for April done. Mastermind, Only connect, University challenge. CCT on Taiwan.