The organist librarian

 Wed Aug 13. To Wibberleys to discuss changes to funeral plans. Victoria on great form. Practised at Methodists and acquired more miniature scores from Martin Ball! He had wide taste ranging to Berg. Swim it was not too busy. Malcolm from Robogas can't have shower downstairs, redo bathroom with walk-in shower £8000! Liz started new jigsaw and watched Masterchef and Destination X. I listened to the Prom Bolero and A nna Thorvaldsdottir’s cello concerto plus Rite of Spring. Read Tablet.  Thursday finished Tablet no. 2. Art and did most of the puffins. Aerobics and Liz came down. Swimming pool too busy. Liz interviewed for research into dementia and I took part in planning for Oct 2 service on zoom. We both went to St Stephen Norbury Fr Daniel and imam from Amadiyya mosque spoke very well. Executive mayor less so. Very nice food. The theme was pathways to peace. Missed the Iona print labyrinth at Swk cathedral. Bit of  Anna Lapwood's all night Prom. Animal park X 2.

 Tuesday Aug 5 took Sean to Lego course at Dunraven primary. We both went swimming. Liz had not been for 2 years! Still no call from Imran at Honda. To quiet time and interesting discussion about peace and Jan on Meryl. Liz went to get clothes changed. I picked up Sean and we had fishcakes for dinner and white fizzy wine followed by peaches. Part of Prom English music. Sewing bee Korean week. Sean  chatting about school.  Wed Sean to course. We both went swimming. To Croydon carers centre to see Laura Jones who is going back to teaching. It was very helpful (2 hours) especially on my emotional state and the impact on both of us. To St Luke Woodside and met Fr Sam. Practice on the Allen which is OK. Picked up Sean. Prom Be 5 and SaintSaens on TV. Shocked to see Masterchef aired with disgraced hosts. Interesting programme on restoring Japanese ceramics.  Thursday took Sean - he was sleepy! He spoke to Louise from NY last night and wanted both Star wars laser beams - I ...

 Chat to Ann when she was cooking. Early swim. Took Liz to bus to go to crafts class Dementia Arts. To Foreign office. TFL took me right round the block and I could have just crossed Whitehall so I was late. Met Tamkin - he had been upstairs. The vigil was beautiful and simple. Michael Rosen poem about the children hit home. A Marty Haugen song was not well lead and May the choirs of angels started too high. I sat in my folding chair and sang loudly to try and get the pitch of the verses right! We were given an olive branch. Nice to see Fr Joe Ryan and several people I know. I met Christopher Howse who writes in the The Tablet near Victoria. Met Liz at Kent House and tried to get tea (garden centre closed) and discovered hub cap was gone. Saw nurse at GPs about my ears and antibiotics ordered. ToCranston Rd and the hubcap was still there where I had noticed it! Foolishly I put it back on. Went to pick up Henry from the school Barracudas and sat in the garden and sketched a bit. He ...

 Friday July 18 woke early. Tomorrow there are at least 8 events I could go to! Crazy! To Triniti's class but did not stay for lunch as picked up Henry from school. Hot. To the Rookery and had an icecream cone which melted. Home and we both fell asleep! Liz making pudding for Adrian's party. They were here until 8. First night of the Proms Bliss, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, RVW Sancta civitas. Presenters and set awful. The Williams piece required pianist to bash keys and violinists to click fingers! Rubbish!  Saturday Adrian's 80th party was a delight and Fr Tom also 80. Nice singing and playing and lovely food. Stephen was ordained at St George's cathedral so watched it on Youtube To Mass. Shock that Fr Tomas is going to Upper Norwood. Missed the LSi webinar but watched some of it later.  Sunday up early (too early) to All Sainst Orpington whcih has 3 organs! Everybody very friendly and helpful and all went well but it is a bit far from home 31 minutes. Nice chats to severa...

 Thursday woke at 5. Art and aerobics. Hot again. Decided not to go to Mount Street for planning meeting for October service. LSi webinar threw me out 3 times so gave up. Laptop worked later. LSiUK zoom was excelllent with Emily Cahill and Salvatore. Dinner in the garden when it was cooler. Cleaned out fridge. Wimbledon  Friday hot again. Took car to LV autos Bell Green. Both saw Dr Clarke and health plan set up. Unacc lunch - missed aerobics. Future looks bleak there. Mick came. Collected car £580 - sparkplugs, tires, washer, wipers. Laughed at Rev. Saturday a quiet day as hot. Minutes done from Thursday's transcripts. Wimbledon. Treasures of NT. Mass ar Anerley. To Beck Methodist for South London singers summer serenade. Met the conductor. It was a pleasant programme but the heat led to some flat singing and some of the choir do not express with their faces what they are singing and some do not look up at the conductor. Portillo in Portugal.  Sunday  Played at Chri...

 Saturday June 28 woke late hot again. Hurtado on gifts of the Spirit - joy. Ann and Paul safely home. Michael Portillo in Portugal series. Very hot. Abandoned penguins jigsaw. Programme about getting into Oxford university organ scholarship. Corpus Christi procession Maiden lane to Warwick Street. Clarence House history.  SS Peter and Paul in the homily we were informed that Peter was a stammerer. There is no evidence for this. Also a date of death was given even Wikipedia says 66-68. His wife was conveniently not mentioned! Sunday Played at Bromley Methodist for first time and was very well received Elgar and Andrew Moore. 2 hymns new to me. This is the third Methodist church in Bromley and the organ was moved each time and stained glass. The carpets mean the acoustic is poor. SoP from Bradford. Very hot again. Enjoyed London assurance NT at home again. Organ visits with Paul Fey and the Scott brothers. Monday very hot 31 degrees. Woke late Chat to Ann who is all wrapped up!...

 Florence Wright died peacefully this morning aged 94 surrounded by her family. To St Hugh Bermondsey for SPIDIR AGM. Cherie came - she was in my class 9 years ago! Disppointed that the sub was doubled when they have money in the bank. Membership has dropped. Chris Chapman was excellent and I bought his new book but the church was hot and I dropped off! CMF zoom about survey in religious colleges n interfaith. Had a sleep and did not go to FTIC meeting. Enjoyed the rest of Emma.  Tuesday swim. Winter quilt to laundrette. Quiet time and discussed acedia. To FCJ Euston 1 hour 40 minutes on buses! Lorna Gold and everyone very friendly. A very interesting evening. Some of the figures are quite shocking. Banks are spending more on fossil fuels!  Faith Leadership for Our Common Home: Laudato Si' and the Global Movement for Fossil Free Finance. Speakers include Sr Susan Francois CSJP (Sisters of St Joseph of Peace), Lorna Gold (Laudato Si' Movement) and others from JustMoney Mov...

  An interesting day. Live radio interview on VoiceofIslam about the papacy. Funeral of our neighbour Dennis Taylor. Kings gallery excellent Edwardian exhibition. Our carpets cleaned. Conclusion of Mansfield Park on BBC4. Sat Interesting talks at Crystal Palace concert stage on history of the park, music at CP and dinosaurs. Liz went to meet Louise. Mass at Anerley. Feeble homily on Trinity from Fr John. Fascinating programme on Orthodox Jewish wedding nights. Trinity Sunday an excellent sermon by Fr John at the St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood . We sang Tchaikovsky Hymn to the Trinity. To Southwark Cathedral for a grand diocesan evensong. Stainer I saw the Lord, Brewer in D. We bumped into the Dean on his way to the retreat association conference in Derbyshire. Father's day. Monday to Brigstock Rd ear wax removed at last! Spidir facilitators zoom. Swim and aerobics. Booked RSC and Stratford September. Chat to Ann in Bergen. Red excellent play about Rothko and his assistant. ...

 Thursday May 22 we set off for Bognor Regis and found the air Bnb eventually. Very nice house and garden. Only one en suite. Picked up Ann and Paul at the station. Shopping.  Friday to Weald and Downland museum which is lovely. Bought flour and bread. To Chichester cathedral for evensong the choir on great form. Top line is mixed. Organ not used at all Parry My soul there is a country, Holst Nunc dimittis and Bevan Magnificat. Excellent 950th anniversary exhibition. Louise arrived.  Saturday Ann went shopping with Louise. To Hotham Park cafe. To Bognor carnival parade and carnival. Very white!  Sunday Sung Eucharist at Holy Cross North Bersted. Lovely family lunch at pub. Monday Dennis was late coming down. We went to Ferring Beach for brunch. It was very windy. To Northdown gardens - what grows on chalk.  Tuesday met at 9 at Hotham Park and got a photo of everyone! Louise headed for home. We were booked on Chichester shop canal cruise and it poured! To Chiches...

 Tuesday swim and to quiet time. Decided not to go to St Paul's for Sons of clergy service - too hot and too noisy beforehand. Parkinson episodes. Wed. Swim Liz to SJ. Practice and met Dave. Sion Nick King on Jonah.  Walkure from ROH at cinema was fantastic. Singing and acting. Having young singers meant that we got the childhood and lifelong trauma of Siegmund and Sieglinde and Brunnhilde as a teenager. Hunding was terrifying and Christopher Maltman as Wotan beautifully sung. Best of all Pappano and the orchestra on fire! Thursd art was cancelled without warning. Liz went to West Norwood in search of her red coat. Aerobics. Part of Cheltenham meeting. Kumi Choi played at St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood . The Bach was quite unusual with lots of reeds. She is a very accomplished player. A most interesting day in Salford. The launch of the songbook at the Lowry celebrating Laudato Si’ with the children singing in 3 parts and Sir John Rutter conducting his song. It was terr...

 To All  Saints Shirley arrived 9am got in at 9.30 a.m. Went OK and got a clap. Peruvian Gloria is normally unaccompanied in verse 2 Yvonne went up a tone or half a tone so I stopped trying to accompany. I'm not that clever!  Sadly this church will become a chapel of ease. I played Mascagni Easter hymn, Bach Christ lag, Alan Gray Easter hymn and Hallelujah chorus at the end. The organ is a 2 manual Bishop. This was also Revd Yvonne Clarke’s last service there. How disappointing that only 2 hymns were sung from St George’s cathedral on Songs of Praise and Praise to the holiest is NOT an Easter hymn! The Serbian choir were terrific! Very impressed by St Mary Redcliffe great singing especially the Neil Cox setting and the Jonathan Dove. Joe Cryan and Clare Alsop were not mentioned in the credits and should have been! Unimpressed by Canterbury cathedral radio broadcast. Lovely evensong at SJ Stanford in C and Te Deum in B flat. Ledger This joyful Eastertide. Antiques roadshow...

  Wednesday 9th April swim and practice at Beckenham. Good work on the VE painting. Vicky from Alzheimers society came for 90 minutes. We are doing all the right things and very reassured by her. I missed the Sion centre talk. SM Duncan who leads group 7 spoke very well and the group was interesting. The question of how I show Christ in my life feels presumptuous but I think when I am happiest and singing well I do show something from the heart. Thursday 10th April 2025 to art and final touches to the VE painting and finished the giraffe. To aerobics. Home for lunch and then to Twickenham via Richmond. Lovely walk across Marble Hill park to the house and the guides were very nice. Lady in the breakfast room explained about tea and how expensive it was. Cups had no handles so the slops were drunk by the staff or sold on to others! Got bus to St Mary's unversity and met Jeremy and Richard humanist. James Holland was chairing it. The leader of our group who heads Richmond interfaith w...

  Lent 4 and a baptism at Beckenham Methodist. I played Brahms Herzliebster Jesu and Bach Fantasia in. C minor also Berceuse by Vierne and Andrew Moore, Fasciating that baby is baptised first then godparents are payed for and the congregation make a promise. Methodists did not use to have god parents!. A lighted candle is given! To St Michael Beckenham for an enjoyable concert by the South East London orchestra a very competent amateur orchestra and an unusual programme. The Ruth Gipps symphony no 4 is very well written. I used to play at this church and it’s 8 years since I was there. I had forgotten how large the building is! Parking is a nightmare. Brian Newman was playing horn and I was particularly impressed by Iona the harpist. Dennis and Henry came. The Peru jigsaw is finished at last! Watched Art Fund film of Van Gogh Poets and lovers. Monday Liz set for Newcastle with Louise. Dennis saw her at St Pancras. Chat to Ann. Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem...