Good Shepherd Sunday

 Lovely day. Played Harold Darke's Meditation on Brother James's Air which we sang and Worthy is the Lamb and Amen from Messiah. Coronation anthem rehearsal went well. Kevin Scully on form. 3 candidates for the vacant post. To St Lawrence's church to see icons by Hannah. Beautiful. She knows Ian. Picked up Liz and got her to the train to go to Aylesford in time. Programme on Peter Sellers. Death cafe. Made in Japan silk and ceramics. Dance in Liverpool.

Bank Holiday Monday. Bromley Parish Church excellent recital by Olivia Amar. Moffat, Buxtehude, JSB BWV 548 very Musical playing, Litaize, Alain Litanies very fast, Lebrun and Tournemire. Enjoying updated version of Tartuffe from BBC4. Birmingham.  Muslims. Blues for an Alabama sky NT at home brilliant production. Isle of Wight. Liz got back safely. Ant Gear phoned. He and Rosemary are here for a wedding and the Coronation. So nice to talk to him. 

Tuesday swim. To Guys and Giovana set up new hearing aids which are so much better! I might end up saying I can hear too much! Henry came and we made crowns. Sent letter to Valentine with a couple of changes. Connected hearing aids to my phone. Laudato Si chapter 4 with Sisters of Sion. In the Ambrosia factory. Nasty chest cough in the night.

Wed slept late. Sent invites to May 17 events. To the National theatre on buses. Dancing at Lunghasa tickets from Louise. It was packed and very well done. The loop works really well. End of zoom with Faith for the climate. 

Thursday swim. Art and finished the violinist painting. Nice Coronation cakes. To David Lean cinema to see Little English - very funny. Subtitles and hearing loop. Gresham Dr Alice Hunt on history of coronations. SLN on abuse was a bit dull. 

Friday swim and had slow lane to myself! To St Edmund's Beckenham for Mass to pray for the King. We sang I vow to thee, Jerusalem and National anthem. Choir with piano. The Holst was bit quick! Priest speaks well and a good homily. To Unacc and very surprised to find they had a full Coronation lunch. We never knew about this and it was not mentioned last Friday! SM Parry programme was great. Jonathan was singing. Clare Phillips came late and brought coffee cake. She does talk a lot! To Mount Street Most interesting discussion on Catholics and the coronation at Farm St with Catherine Pepinster, Mary Kenny and Jon Crudas. A bit odd to have 4 Catholics talking about an Anglican service. I asked about the anointing and volunteering theme of service. I had a chat to Catherine afterwards. Colette and William were there. A lady asked if I was a Jesuit priest! What is this nonsense about anti-Catholicism? If it exists it's a small minority. It is time to start calling ourselves Christians not kust Catholics.

Saturday What a day! SM and S. To Adrian and Terence's. Mary, Margaret and Jerry were there and a delcious lunch of coronation quiche. Loved the Coronation - the music was stunning and the spectacle. Parry, Walton Te Deum and Elgar Pomp and Circumstance No 4 at the end. The new works were effective Mealor with Bryn Terfel, Roderick Williams was fantastic. Not so impressed by the Lloyd Webber or Carl Jenkins. Gospel group did well, Roxanna Panufnik Sanctus. Came home quite tired and watched the start with the Monteverdi choir singing Bach and Bruckner. Pappano did a great job and the choirs were excellent. Did not go to Mass - nothing back from Valentine!

Sunday the special Coronation service went very well despite a tardy start to the rehearsal. 6 in the choir. The anthem worked well and was much appreciated. I played a Bliss Fanfare and Crown Imperial. Cake and bubbly. Evensong marked Bob and Tina's 20th wedding anniversary. Philip Moorse Tewkesbury Abbey setting in F minor (I quite liked some of it) Mckie We wait for thy loving kindness Blessed by the God and Father. To the vicarage garden for cake and chat. Saw the end of the Coronation concert and caught up with it the next day. Coronation choir with Gareth Malone were brilliant. Bryn and Bocelli but why not a proper duet instead of You'll never walk alone? Certainly a spectacle. The Romeo and Juliet section was lovely.

Monday to Interfaith picnic FTIC at Park Hill. Both Mayors and chat to Cllr Andy who is the arts person about Fairfield Hall organ. Lots of food and nice chat.To St John's vicarage tea party wearing our crowns and flags. Loads of kids there! Nice chat to Jenny Atkinson. She is on Deanery Synod. Watched Queen Charlotte part 1 - nonsense!

Tuesday slept to 9.30 a.m. so no swim. LMP zoom with Sophie Branscombe and Sarah Freestone. Quite interesting that the Croydon culture event was put together in 12 weeks! To Toby Carvery for pub lunch and Vincent Spink was there. Always good to chat to him. Garden centre and petrol. Some of Gemma Simmonds on women in the Gospels in art. Gresham Women, Islam and prophecy. Life drawing with Don. Faure and Ravel piano trios on radio.

Wednesday Liz had a bad day at Guy's. Transport never came so took her to the station. MRI and bloods but she has to go back for injections. She met Louise for lunch. Swim. Somebody came into the disabled change room when I was in the shower so I reported it straight away and sent an email. Met Karen Jewitt. Art and Christianity Ayla Lapine on Fruits of the spirit. Started new jigsaw 1940s foods.

Thursday 8am retreat post the Big One, swim (the notice is on the door of the disabled changeroom!)and art starting the South Norwood lake painting. Liz went to gym. Cheltenham prayer. Chose Proms. LSiUK meeting and second part of retreat. Peter was pretty forceful about the name! End of Laudato Si' institute talk. SLN on Loudfence.

Friday swim curtailed as there was swimathon in the middle lane and a class in the fast so 9 people in the slow lane. Apparently 11 are allowed! I only did 10 lengths and complained. Both to UNACC and paid our annual fees, Trinity is back! Liz to get jab and haircut. To West Norwood to see "The 8 mountains" a beautiful film aboout friendship and fathers and sons. To St Bartholomew Norbury for Ensemble 26 concert sat with Frances and met a nice man who spoke to Friends of LMP and got no thanks! Mendelssohn Octet is a wonderful piece. Ysaye violin sonata No 2. Carolne Shaw and Edward Finnis and Schubert.

Sat SM from Lincoln with Cath. Booking Proms and we got them all even Mahler 9! To Whitechapel to meet Louise and Ciaran (hair cut off!) marbling with Nelson which was easy and fun. To Whitechapel gallery for lunch delicious. Nothing to see as galleries being rearranged so came back on Overground to Crystal Palace bus and walk home. A match. Liz had been at UCM Mass at Virgo Fidelis. The match meant we were late at Mass at Our Lady's. Fr Jackson has a rather irritating voice. We went to Triptych singers 50th anniversary concert. I had forgotten the St Mildred’s Addiscombe acoustic and their new West End organ a rescued Lewis will be great! Richard Mander played and 2 excellent soloists. Vivaldi Gloria, Byrd, Purcell, Monteverdi, Weelkes. Jim is not a good conductor. We joined in Zadok the priest. Eurovision but only Italy and Czechia fielded people who could sing!

Sunday Baptism during Eucharist so it was long 1 hour and 20 minutes. Played Ridout and Thalben-Ball on This joyful Eastertide which was the anthem and Michael Fleming on Noel nouvelet. Mascagni Easter hymn went well. Cleared up garden but had to rest. Britten Midsummer Night's dream from Royal Swedish opera. Ten pound Poms started. Antiques roadshow from Ulster.

Monday swim. Saw Dr Gray and have to do a sample and blood tests next week. She could not find anything. Half of Colette's meeting on my phone. Ten pound Proms the start. Liz to gym, aerobics and swim. The tragedy of Macbeth from the Almeida - a modern version. Liz went to UCM.

Tuesday swim and delivered sample to doctor. To quiet time in the Lady chapel with Tom. Good chat to Clare. Liz was at Guy's for injections. Chris Whitty Gresham lecture on diseases of the heart.