The organist librarian

 Thursday Oct 16  Art, aerobics (I can’t stand Morgana replacing Barbara) dentist. Westminster Abbey joint evensong Part, fabulous Bruckner, nice to see all the clergy and Peter played Mendelssohn 2. Then to the Globe. No wonder I’m tired! We enjoyed parts of Troilus and Cressida at the Globe. It’s a wierd play. Access host took us in the lift and the captions were great. Hot chocolate at interval as it got cold. Walked to London Bridge and home by 11.45. Oct 18 Saturday. School of synodality zoom very inspiring. Gandhi association AGM less so. At Mass Fr Joseph launched into "What a friend we have in Jesus" then drank from the chalice and sang the last line. Nobody sang. I pointed out to him that RCs do not know this hymn at all. He said "some hymns are not in the book". Also we got old versions of the Mass book so I said they should be removed. Why did they publish this with the same colour cover? Black History Momth event at SJ was not as good as last year. Piani...

 Friday picked up Liz's trouser suit which had been altered. To CJ. Liz was delayed at the dementia study in Hammersmith so we missed the earlier train.  To Catenian province 19 weekend. Journey down 3 hours wait for train incl an hour standing at Waterloo. I was exhausted. On arrival at Winchester Royal hotel by taxi in pouring rain our dinner was ready. Finished at 10.50 having started at 7.30! Saturday Visited the mill and Winchester museum. Excellent evensong at the cathedral. Stanford in C slow. The tenors top A in The heavens are telling! Boys on great form. Buxtehude Toccata. Meals good slow service. Black tie is such a bore and speeches! Skipped the disco. Sung family Mass at St Peter’s. Fr Mark very good. Cab to station and home in 2 hours. Strictly heat. MOnday Liz to research at Hammersmith. Blue badge renewal done, tried to access Nationwide. Virginia Woolf. Chat to Clare. Usual Monday fare . Tuesday swim. Good to be back. All Saints supervision session and Chris w...

 Aga Khan centre was an excellent visit. Disappointing that some did not come. The director greeted us on the screen and our guide was most interesting. There are 5 gardens and a huge library. I went to Catenians.17/9. 18/9 art and ears cleaned out Dentist need one filling. We ate at Le Pain quotidien at St Pancras and then to King's Place for the Manchester camerata concert. Sound so much better. Tariq was there. I wrote to the Prms about it.  19/9 After Unacc lunch to Croydon Minster. Stephen Disley's recital was disappointing.  20/9 to St John East Dulwich. John Webber replaced Peter Wright - a bitty programme. To St Peter Leigham Court Road the choir director gave me a tour. The recital was moved to 5 so I heard the Bach and then to Anerley. Fr Jospeh speaks well but sings the hymns far too slowly. 21/9 To Riddlesdown  The lady who let me in at 10.25 (I was there at 10)told me she could not get into the vestry. I practised and the priest arrived. He did not speak...

 Wed 10th took car for recall so we got bus and train back to Veck Meth for practice and coffee and apple strudel. Full set of hubcaps have to be ordered! To St Mary the Boltons Battersea Bridge very slow becaus eof tube strike and works. My talk was well received and Amir spoke at the end. Thursday 11th no art as sorting out appointment for right ear. Plannng meeting for Oct 2 and animators zoom. Definite buzz after the retreat! Choir practice in church 5 there Dab has a great tenor voice. Brahms - quite hard on my own! I got behind a couple of times! R and B zoom with Melanie and Barbara.  Friday listened to some Proms To Lambeth palave library Sing joyfully exhibition and then to Clergy house for Oremus reception. Met the Precentor and talked about art!  Sat Fr Thomas at Mass - he says it well but his hymn singing is so slow! Last night was good. Bill Bailey on typewriter and organ at the end. Sun to St James Riddlesdown - warmly welcomed by Grant the vicar who looks a...

 Hot again. Chat to Ann.  To Bromley parish church for an excellent recital by Katelyn Emerson who is such a joy to watch - so elegant and brilliant technique. Brahms, Bohm, JSB, Laurin, a jolly piece by Langlais, Widor. Gerge Baker evocations of Vierne and Cocherau very effective. Good audience. Chris Town had a car accident. Decided not to go to Southwark cathedral organ recital and fell asleep watching Animal Park! Interview with Dame Evelyn Glennie. Tuesday quiet day. Liz to Guys. I gave a short talk about Franz Jagerstatter and VJ day at quiet time and read 2 extracts from Hope by Pope Francis about peace and war which led to lively discussion, The Leipzig Gewandhaus at the Proms. Beautiful Part and an intimate partnership in the Dvorak with violinist Isabelle Faust. Andris Nelsons conducting Sibelius 2 was fantastic! Such insight into the music. What a performance! Saw Adrian and the German pair. Wednesday woke late. Practised at Beck Meth. Brought the rest of Martin's ...

 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. Friday 8...

 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!...