Monday swim and aerobics with the formidable Grace in bright red! To Crystal Palace optician and we are both having new glasses. Mine are 10 years old! Tea and cake.
Tuesday swim and to Bromley cinema to see Message in a bottle amazing dance about refugees. Got a charger for my mobile. Enjoyed Santa's book - it made me cry! Golden wedding spreadsheet started. Exc talk by Fr Rob Esdaile on the white flag comment of Pope Francis. Sewing Bee was good.
Wed nice reply from Santa. Dm Brendan elected as abbot of Belmont. He will be good. To Our Lady's for annual Mass remembering deceased Norwood catenians. Fr Keith read the names at the start. Declan and I did the offertory - no prayers this time. Best turnout so far - Brendan, Mike, Tom, Declan, Mike Belfourd. Coffee in the hall. The new Polish priest has long silences after the consecrations. Prayer posture throughout the gospel?? To St Michael's for recital by Martin Noble from Chapel royal St James' palace. Very good. Not many there. Byrd, JSB, Reger, Boulanger, Philip Ashworth Hark! Spitfire prelude. Fiesta by Emma Lou Diemer. Took calor gas cylinder from old BBQ to Penge and car wash for £20. To the Chancery for organists dinner sat with Brian, Adrian and Terence who was making good suggestions for a posh lunch out! The food was good but only one man to serve so it took for ever. Stephen Disley and the chaplain of Epsom college spoke really well but it was 10.30 by the time we left having started at 7. Speeches should come between courses!
Thursday swim and art and started new painting of red squirrel. Pauline's birthday and she brought delicious chocs. To Warlingham to collect hanging baskets which are stunning and flowers for front garden. Saw Fr John and sorted Aug 4th. Final invite done. CMF talk on Evangelicals and Muslims first part only. Dennis popped in. Hotel inspector.
Friday to Unacc and more there. To Croydon Minster to hear Mark Zang plat. Sat with Alan. Plymouth suite and Langlais Suite Francaise - he plays well. Class of school kids sat very quietly. Had to leave as Liz was due at dentist at 2.30. We enjoyed the D day events especially the floodlit one from the cemetery. Roderick Williams.
Sat set off early to Kent House. Trains to Bromley South and Sittingbourne and met Simon Gregory. Holy Trinity is a mess - lectern stuck in a corner, kids toys in choir stalls, huge drum kit in a perspex box. Organ is a Willis in a loft. Played Puccini and Moore. Victorian dust could be sold in tins to USA! Lift with Christopher to St Michael's stuck in the back! A very fine Hill Norman and Beard and a lovely church. Played Bryan and Moore - lovely horn ancd clarinet. Walked back to first church with Sylvia and at first could not find car - it was in a car park further round the one way system. Good lunch at Maypole Borden - steak and kidney pie with Guinness. Sat with Adrian and a nice pair from Gillingham. The organ is a Hunter and Andrew Cessana plays there. I played one Moore piece and Sylvia took me to the station so I was back in time to Kent House and then to Mass. Liz going Sunday for confirmation. A most enjoyable day!
RSCM Music Sunday went really well and was much enjoyed. 5 spoke about music (some far too long - we were asked for 3 minutes!) Leighton Fanfare and RVW Rhosymedre. Paul Miller played hymns and descants and Trumpet voluntary. He was great! Took a photo for CMQ and publicity purposes. At coffee nice chat to Elaine and Parkes family. LIz to messy church. I finished the Denzil Mayrick mystery. D day concert from RAH. CCC zoom was good. The Piano final was great and Brad got a special mention. All 7 played well.
Monday chat to Ann. They are touring Western Australia next month. Swim. To Superdrug re ears. Aerobics and Barbara back. To Phenix centre Wendy Moore on her book Eve-Jack. Sadly her voice was very dull and she did not sell her book. Got spanner to fix hose.Collected new spectacles. SM on Elijah and nice chat with Cath. Bakeoff Professionals patisserie.
Tuesday swim. To hearing aid clinic and realised wax was last removed Jan 2023 so booked an appointment at GP. Quiet time. Liz went to film about National Gallery. Quiet time. To Picturehouse to see for the second time Andrea Chenier from ROH. Jonas on great form. Soprano good but looked too old for the part. Bass very good but little facial expression. Production is superb. Home 10.40.
Wednesday swim. Liz had hair done. Sion was dull. I enjoyed Treasures of National Trust and Sewing Bee. We both went to Alexandra Palace - had nice pizza. Had not been there for 5 years! Richard Gowers and brass ensemble with percussion. Walton Orb and Sceptre was the highlight. Handel and Guerrero and unusual work by Schmidt. JSB and Elgar. Rachel Laurin bird pieces. Saw Graham. Thameslink was good and home by 10.45. Knee tired.
Thursday swim and more work on squirrel. There will be a gap of 3 weeks. Bruce booked RAH tea and Ben Bloor is playing for the Mass! SM motets by Ned Rorem. Liz had a meeting on zoom.
Friday no swim woke late. To Royal College of Music for James Todd's graduation recital for BMus. Most impressive Bach B minor P and F. Darke Fantasy not ideal for the Flentrop organ. Held by Asher Joyce who is Australian and at RCM. Reger was amazing - virtuosic. 10 in audience plus 3 adjudicators. Got wet walking to the bus. To Croydon Whitgift blood tests for Our Future health. My cholesterol is a bit up again. Tribute to Dr Michael Moseley who tragically died in Greece.
Saturday SM Jolley. To St Anthony of Padua Anerley for Sunith's silver jubilee of ordination. Sisley played hymns. Sunith is very slow and has a big beard. Popped in for eats (raining) then to Penge URC for organ recital - good turnout. Leon and Isabella and Francis. Bridget and Mark played well. Bach B minor again! Had a nice chat. Sarah Best was there so chatted about August. Came home to watch the Trooping. Good to see the Princess of Wales there. To Mass Fr John. Two C5 programmes on the King and the relationship between Kate and the Queen. Boxing at the ground - somebody in my space so parked across the road.
Sunday Father's Day. Up early to move car and when reversing scraped Mark's rear car door - small dent. Saw him the afternoon and he will get a quote. So stupid - I should have gone round the block rather than reversing. Checked tyres. Played Stanford on St Columba, Oldroyd Prie-Dieu and Clarke Trumpet minuet. Andrew joined the coir - he teaches drama and music at Coulsdon College and had a great chat over coffee and cake. 90% of students aged 17-19 come from one parent families or reared by grandparents. !Sarah will be away for 3 weeks. I thought somebody had taken my stick but in fact somebody had moved it and Susan found it. We sang a new hymn by Bernadette Farrell as well as Unless a grain of wheat. Booked steam train and Halle concert. We did teas for evensong. Adrian conducted and Ian le Grice played. Cantate domino, Stainer in B flat, RVW Let all the word and a splendid tune by Tommy Hewitt-Jones to Sing to the Lord. Avoided the Euro football and watched The Duke - hilarious Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. Man who borrowed a Goya of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery. Antiques roadshow.
Monday SPIDIR AGM - we are to be a charity so committee will be trustees. Excellent talk and discussion with Dr Laugharne from Cornwall on spiritual depression and mental health. Liz messaged to meet her at Science gallery cafe. Complete surprise Bruce and Emma are over! We met Louise at Pizza Express Leadenhall, Fathers day plus one. Second time Bruce has surprised me like that! What a treat! Home around 9 and watched Bake off professionals.
Tuesday swim. Read Richard Carter seven Ss at quiet time and it was well received. To Picturehouse to see Freud's Last session. Excellent Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode. Pizza. Sewing Bee - fell asleep.
Wed changed to summer quilt. To Tate Britain to see Now you see us - disappointing women artists only the moderns appealled. Interfaith group and 11 came includimg cathedral folk. Lovely to see Fr Tiziano who is going back to Italy. Sadly the conversations in the spirit format suffered from some not stopping on time and then interrupting others. Balham circle football talk is so dull! Not enough ladies at the moment.
Thursday to Beddington ERF impressive presentation but still uncertain about emissions and the lack of sorting of rubbish before it is burnt in huge ovens. Liz went to Wallington and I never got her message. To GP but nurse said two weeks of olive oil in ears so receptionist was wrong to book it one week ahead. Going back Thursday. Aldi and Sainsburys with Danny. Back to SJ for impressive James Gough from Southwark cathedral. David Bednall piece.
Friday swim and Trinity. Mick came, I met Liz at Wallington garden centre. Watched episcopal ordination of Jim Curry at Westminster - all very impressive!
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