Easter Day

 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. Pilgrimage a good group and lovely Austrian scenery.

Easter Monday woke to the devastating news that Pope Francis died at 7.35 a.m. A great leader and prophetic inspiration. Chat to Ann they will be setting off in s fortnight! To Bromley PC for Jason Tang's recital which was stunning and I complimented his assistant turning over and changing stops. Tunder the first part of the Messiaen Dyptique was quite bearable. The Vierne Symphony No 2 was dramatic and brilliantly played. Sylvia warns me to chase up All Saints re being paid. David had problems. Took Liz to Messy Easter. Norwich cathedral organ recital. Ashley Grote. Tributes to the Pope. Gareth's Messiah part 2. Henry Dennis and AnneMarie came. Listened to the mass from the cathedral wonderful homily from the Cardinal. Watched BBC programme on the Pope's life. Up late working on the jigsaw so woke at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Swim. Both went to surgery and then to Unacc lamb for lunch. Researcher from Holloway came and asked lots of questions about dementia. Fr Bruno spoke well at Blackfriars and interesting interview with Cardinal Vincent and Timothy. We enjoyed the screening for World Earth Day of Escape from Extinction: Rewilding at our local Picture house. Do go and see it! In the Q and A we learned that 2 beavers built a dam in the Czech republic and saved 3 million euro!

Easter Wednesday watched the transfer of the Pope's body to St Peter's/ A very long procession. Spotted Vincent and Timothy. Woke too late for a swim. To Methodists to practise - still no hymns! Had lunch there and saw David. Picked up Liz from hairdressers and to the surgery where she saw the doctor anti-biotics for infection. To Westminster cathedral to sign the book of condolence and say some prayers. Lovely flowers and picture of the Pope. Very easy just walked in. Pilgrimage part 2 was good. Webinar on Francis and where we are at the moment - Lorna and James and very impressed by Ben from Scotland. Patrick from Birmingham. Rest of Artists and models.

Thursday Liz went to Thomas's gastro. To art and started pigs painting. Aerobics. We both went to see The Penguin lessons at West Norwood. Loved it. LSiUK zoom started late but was good. Pilgrimage part 3 an excellent series. Race across the world part 1.

Friday to Frittons Wallington ended up making a hanging basket which I enjoyed despite the moss not being very co-operative! We collect them in June. Soup there. Lovely tribute LSiM to Pope Francis. Minutes of last night's meeting. SEaling of the coffin.

Saturday spent the whole morning watching the Pope's funeral. Choir were excellent and lots of organ. A fine homily from Cardinal Re. Tablet arrived with lovely tributes to the Pope. To SJ for Thomas Trotter's excellent recital which was well attended and nice reception. Liz helped with that.

Sunday Liz to Sj where the organ and new organ bench were blessed. I played at the Methodists. I got the hymn list in time (in fact the email had the wrong heading so I missed it earlier). The retired bishop of the Gambia preached very loudly. I was having troble with my left hearing aid and thought she had finished so started the Hallelujah chorus. The steward stopped me. Nobody minded in fact the minister thought I had been moved by the Spirit. Had a rest after lunch. Countryfile on dumping, Antiques roadshow.

Monday Liz to Guys. Swim and aerobics then changed into shirt and to House of Commons committee room 6 . Steward took me the back way by lift. Sheikh Ramzy and the monk from Wimbledon were there. Excellent speaker former Indonesian amabassador. Secretary of state turned up! It was on Abrahamic faiths dialogue. Important to reach the grass roots. Home to a zoom on restorative justice after the summer riots. Imam Adam is an inspiration.

Tuesday supervision group. To Cambridge. Exellent evensong at St John's. For lo I raise up Stanford. Byrd. Organ being redone.

We thoroughly enjoyed the interfaith conference at the Woolf institute with interesting talks, art, drama and poetry workshops. We created a poem! We finished at the Fitzwilliam Museum handling beautiful objects.. The Norfolk House hotel was convenient and we ate there twice.

Friday collected nets and got them up. Later on moved bedroom ones up. Unacc.

Sar 3rd May Hurtado for a bit. Excellent piano recital by 15 year old Ziwei Wang at St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood. The funeral of Mgr John O’Toole on you tube. I would have been there if I had known about it.

Sun 4th in congregation at St John's barbecue lunch. No evensong.

Monday Holiday to Bromley PC Daniel Moult on great form. Watched VE80 parade.

Tuesday to Shirley hearing infection in both ears so saw doctor and he gave me spray. Liz at Guys. To quiet time.

Wed practised organ. We both went to King's and saw Dr Bryant who was very clear. Tea and biscuits! Cinema to see Parthenope beautiful and strange anthropology in Naples.

Thursday AgeUK VE80 party danced! Very good singer. Watched the Abbey service. LSI zoom with Andrea from Cafod. Pope announced Leo XIV looks good. The evening zoom with Austen Ivereigh was postponed.

Friday Liz to WM conference Unacc and Mick came. Wars of the roses Henry VI - SInden, Ashcroft, Suzman. Liz stayed at Acton.

Sat CAFOD for JPN conference quite a few animators there. William was there. To Conway Hall for free concert with excellent tenor and soprano and pianist's son!

SUn played at Methodists. Christian Aid week but I stuck to Messiah. Liz was at messy church. Coriolanus with Fiennes and Redgrave. Climbing great buildings. Dave Allen on Parkinson with Peter Skellern. Musical a night on the town.

Monday swim. Liz had her nails done spoke to Ann who sets off tomorrow! Excellent presentation as Churchill at All Saints (moved from Phoenix centre). SM meditation. University challenge won by one point from Warwick by Christ's Cambridge! Leyton on who do you think you are.