Twickenham

 

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 was pretty useless at reflecting our opinions back. I felt the humanist view that we don't know about creation got the lion's share. The Vedic interpretation was interesting. I felt the Catholic speaker was too much about science. Only in the second session did she mention Laudato Si', the psalms and the Gospels. The problem of Genesis was not addressed. And what about the Creed? I left at question time so did not see Amir. Nice Quaker in our group and a supercilious Tory councillor!. Trains back after a tiring but stimulating day. Apprentice and Jordan got Lord Sugar's business card for the future. Chisola's plan was rubbish which was a shame. 

Friday 11th. To UNacc and an excellent lunch. Liz went to surgery to chase up referrals. I went to Design museum to see the swimming exhibition. Who knew there were so many different costumes? Transgender, oversize, even menstruation, gay. Speedos banned by Alton Towers as not family friendly. Surfers against sewage display. Tom Daley's trunks and a jumper he knitted. Had tea and came home viz Shepherd's Bush. It was hot and I carried my coat. Sat in the garden. Bruce back from good Peterborough course. Un Giorno di Regno by Verdi from Garsington. Act 1.

Sat Liz went to Corpus Christi Brixton for Fr Heaphy's funeral. SM Clissold Park lovely place. Wrote report on St Mary's symposium. Jesuit centre zoom on literature and theology. Heavy going! Emma on mysticism in the secualr university. To the lake to meet the Green party candidates. Parveena was there and met Michael and Carol. Antonio Spadaro on new book. Rest of the Verdi a fun production.  Another glorious day. Magic Flute from Met. Mark Oakley and Kenneth Williams reading Bible stories most effectively, Jigsaw. 

Palm Sunday The Luke Passion was beautifully read by Jackie at Beckenham Methodist, The accompanying pictures did not work but we had the whole thing. Lovely chat to Revd Helen Verrier chaplain at Farringtons school about South Africa and the views of young people today. The girls talk about careers and travel not children, the boys want to be footballers, lawyers or doctors like their parents but no mention of a career of service. I played Thiman on Winchester New (a famous Methodist organist), Kauffmann on St Theodulph, Bach Passion chorale and Tears of grief from St Matthew Passion. We sang "Jesu, Jesu" quite an attractive Ghanaian song new to me. On the way home Love unknown and When I survey from Blackfriars. Fantastic boat race won by Cambridge again. SM passion play excellent. Jolley as Peter. Evensong from Southwark. Unimpressed by the bishop's address. Penguibns done on jigsaw. Ice and sky are going to tricky. Finnish performance of Bach St John Passion part 2. BBC singers singing Casals and Roxanna Panufnik. Munich Liszt Via crucis with piano and David Lang Little match girl Passion. Scarlatti Stabat mater from Denmark, The Piano is back on Channel 4 but it's just as irritating as before! Why do we have to have singers? Surely it's about playing the piano?

Monday chat to Ann. Jigsaw. Liz went to get nails done. Swim and both of us to aerobics. To Phoenix centre large audience for Nigel on the Life of John Betjeman. Excellent talk. To Penge to collect the nets. SM meditation on Van Honthorst Christ before the High Priest. SJ lovely Mass of healing with laying on of hands and unction. University challenge, Restoring the roof of Notre Dame.

Tuesday no swim as got involved putting up the new nets which proved to be very time- consuming. Nice chat to Clare. To first carers meeting at Croydon carers centre. Lively and interesting. To Braithwaite hall for Sikh celebration. Sadly it was rather dull and difficult to make out what people were saying. The music groups did well but it's all a bit samey. To SJ Lady chapel for penitential Mass with Fr Andrew. Having trouble ruffling the nets. Welsh chapel dream, Mastermind.

Wed on SL6 Meeting at Euston about the June event, lunch at cathedral cafe, stimulating discussion on Dilexit nos at interfaith group (Fr Hugh was great) finally to St John Waterloo for this exhibition

Cloud of witnesses. Back on SL6. Liz to tenebrae at SJ. SM excellent reflection by Pat and the last of the Lent groups. Zoom went down but group 7 was spared! Missed Catenians.

Maundy Thursday SM and S. The saga of the nets continued with 3 trips to Penge. First they quickly tightened up the strings on the volles which had taken us hours! When we got home Liz had left her bag there. I went to swim and gave the Easter eggs to my ginger bearded friend and Barbara was delighted with the little gift and gave me a hug. Then took Liz to get her bag. Started putting up the nets only to find they were too short. We had left the old curtain at the shop for them to measure. We still had the other old curtain in the bin and the new one sare 8 and half inches too short so back they went to the shop! Tenebrae from Blackfriars. Royal Maundy Durham cathedral. Tenebrae from Blackfriars. Today has been a day of mishaps but for the first time my feet were washed. This happened to me once when I was in hospital during Holy Week after my knee operation and once at Society of St Gregory summer school. I am usually using my feet to play the organ pedals. The music was beautiful especially Byrd Ave verum. a moving experience. God is love and where true love is, God himself is there. I mislaid my car keys and of course the church was in near darkness when we left. Fortunately Liz jad her keys. Earlier she had left her phone at the corner shop. Dean won the Apprentice.

Good Friday Holy Week services. Tenebrae from Blackfriars Oxford. My keys were found thank Goodness. St John Passion David Price Sanders Reproaches. St Matthew Passion conducted by SImon Rattle. Stephen Cotterill on Radio 3 In tune with Petroc. Blackfriars liturgy with Fr Bruno. Christian art and WIntershall stations of the cross. Artists and models Ingres. Sea bream for supper.

Saturday SM Jolley in Waterlow park. Tenebrae from Godzdogz. To All Saints Shirley - the organ is a Bishop. Revd Yvonne Clarke shocked me with her story! Gareth Malone's Messiah part 1. Artists and models. My brain after the rupture Clemency Burton-Hill very moving. To SJ for vigil. Psalms were sadly said but we did sing Thorne and 2 hymns. The font overflowed. Rob preached and sang well. Lionel played Vierne Carillon de Longfort at the end - splendid. Blackfriars Vigil.