Saturday

 Jolley led a lovely reflection at Abney Park cemetery. The Booths and Isaac Watts are buried there. To Shabbat at South London liberal Jewish synagogue. Rabbi Nathan gave an excellent sermon and gave me the talk by another rabbi. Bishop Christopher read part of the Torah and Archdeacon Jonathan and a Muslim were there. It was well worth going and nice eats downstairs. To Blooomsbury Baptist to hear Stefan Donner from Vienna. HIs Bach immaculate. Heiller short partitas are from short. Dupre and Reger. Horrid journey home. I would like to know why police closed the lift entrance to Tottenham Court Road station. There were so many people trying to get in I walked to Leicester Square in the rain and eventually got on a train and again large crowds trying to get the Jubilee line. Still I rise a concert to mark Black History month at St John's. Maureen Braithwaite has a lovely personality and glorious top notes, Joshua Gordon lovely soft singing, Yolanda Grant-Thompson, Ronald Samm (he was in Peter Grimes at ENO as the vicar) and Michael Rose piano. The Lakme flower duet was a delight.

Sunday played Willan and GTB on St Anne (started late again). We sang Lead me Lord SSWesley. St Anne fugue in E flat of Bach went well. Practised with Imogen again and offered to time the hymns for Remembrance Day which I did for Jaimee. Theology session with Tom at SJ was not satisfactory. It was on creation theology. Very upset by December music list as my suggestions were largely ignored. Worship Today is hopeless for Advent and the items chosen appear to be about joy and that's it. 5.30 mass at Beckenham. Endured a folk Mass with a screaming baby. Basically a concert a song I’m only human by Stephen Church and an awful Lamb of God to a jolly tune! Their book includes Paul Simon. Why isn’t the church full of young people?As you like it with Helen Mirren on BBC4. Planet earth III. Antiques roadshow a repeat.

A bad night but a good chat to Ann. Wait until have seen knee surgeon. Swim and aerobics. Robert Leach available to play on Dec 17 (I have only had 4 Sundays of and I am entitled to 6 in a year). Jaimee wants me to have my holiday even if it means no organist available! We three kings at Midnight mass changed, Henry came and did drawing, reading, duplo and TV. He is taller! Sam Wells lecture at SMITF. Here I stand. Only connect. Masterchef.

Tuesday swim and spoke to the guy who does butterfly. He said he comes at 9.30 and stays until at least 11 so I commented "No way of avoiding you then!" More work on church incl St John's day. Decided not to pursue St Mark Woodcote. Organ sounds dodgy. To quiet time and Liz stayed at SJ for Halloween event for kids. Excellent CMF zoom on Islamic creation themes chiming with LSi. Sounds like another good book to read! Started on carol service. Wrote My Story and powerpoint for school visits.

Wed swim. To National gallery to see Frans Hals - many lovely paintings. It was not too busy and being in rooms 1 to 8 plenty of room. World Ballet day on You tube. Liz to dentist. Evensong for All Saints from Portsmouth was excellent. It included O what their joy by Harris. Hollow crown Richard II with Ben Wishaw very Christlike. Henry IV part 1 with Simon Russell Beale, The war in Gaza gets worse. Storm Ciaran hits Jersey.

Thursday very wet. Swim and di not go to art as I went to Westminster Abbey Cheyneygates for Dignity and Atrocity. Nice sandwiches and a pear. Bishop Peter was there. James Hawkey introduced me to the Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda who I have met before. At the end spoke to Tim Livesey from Embrace the Middle East. He is a fine speaker and I agree with his analysis of our failed political sytem, the private sector and civil society. Who really governs the country? Dignity needs to be the foundation of everything. Met a nice Muslim lady Rabela who had heard Farhana speak at the cathedral. King Henry IV parts 1 and 2 excellent Hollow Crown. To St John's for All Souls Faure Requiem. We had 10 names on the list - such a sad year. It was lovely having the string quintet. Terence read Romans so well and Fr John gave an excellent sermon. I changed My story for schools as a result.

Friday Music and liturgy arrived and Tony Hemson died in June - sad news indeed. Swim and Unacc. Trinity was very late (again!). Started the Lift 109 jigsaw. King Henry V excellent. Zoom from Sabeel ecumenical theology liberation centre near Jerusalem. What to say about the terrible situation? We must pray and work for a ceasefire and peace.

Saturday wet and windy. Liz went first and I followed and read The Tablet on the bus. Just had time to visit The Cult of Beauty at the Wellcome collection - a rather odd collection of objects! Played at St Aloysius Euston for Guild of servers annual Mass. One of the hymns Fr Keith had asked for had been changed so it was unaccompanied. The AGM was straightforward and Liz got the Waitrose sandwiches. We came home with quite a lot but they went to St John's and I had some for my lunch on Sunday. We were too late to go to Beckenham so went to St Chad's. Fr Ambrose preaches well. 3 hymns accompanied competently by flute. Strictly and caught up on Bake Off.

Sunday All Saints at Caterham. Played Howell Sine nomine and Jackson Fantasy on Sine Nomine. It's a tricky piece to bring off. We sang I sing a song of the saints of God. Peregrine was there - we will not see him again until Dec. There was supposed to be a procession during For all the saints but it was forgotten and we had the wrong Eucharistic prayer for Together@10. Also flashing lights on the altar? Met Marie Jaimee's Mum . She has a brother called Jack. I had my lunch in the vestry and cleared up. Found and stamped congregational copies of Thorne and Greening settings in folders. Also got carols copies out. Long chat to Alan. The service of grief and loss was kind of odd. The words of Be still my soul were given but we were not expected to sing it just listen to the organ. Names read out and lit candles. Recording of Angel which I did not like. Silence is better. I played Albinoni Adagio and at the end Vierne on the piano but I was blinded by the sun. Noel rescued me and put the other light on. Came home for tea. Good to listen to the Portsmouth evensong again. Chat to Louise.

Monday. A most interesting day. Spidir training with Chris Chapman on supervision groups. Courtauld gallery has been rehung. National portrait gallery. Toasted sandwich at the cafe. St Martin-in-the-Fields lectures on death and dying first rate. The postcode lottery must end. 61% of hospitals do not have palliative care teams. 100,000 people in the country have no access to palliative care and by 2040 there will be another 100,000! Spoke to the speaker and asked a question. Met Jolley and Fiona, 2 ladies and a lady from NZ.

Tuesday swim and 3 guys in middle lane one getting too close to me. Only connect and University challenge. Quiet time on hope. Not a good discussion. Clare. King's speech. Tom Holland Gresham lecture on pilgrimages and pandemics. Wrote to Steve Reed about palliative care. Bake off. Read the reports and watched the service from the OJ reunion Sept 30th.

Wed we both swam but it was busy. To St Michael's in the rain for Eleni's recital of Muffat, Alain, Stanley and Reger. Not many there. Sisters of Sion Prof Jill on the Beatitudes from a Jewish viewpoint. One lady insisted there should be an ultimatum about Gaza but that will not happen. Useful comments on mourning. Listened to OJ reunion speeches and promotional film for the college. At Royal Albert Hall Rpo and Philharmonia chorus with Petrenko Tchaikovsky Iolanta and Nutcracker Act 2. What a treat! Home at 10.45 good value for money.

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6Dennis Woodhouse, Ann Lennox and 4 others