The organist librarian

Delicious salmon and homemade chocolate profiteroles for Christmas Eve dinner. Carols from King's on TV was lovely and O magnum mysterium by Ola Gijola with cello is a real discovery!  Played for Mass at 11 pm. Noels and Bach In dulci. 41 there mostly strangers! 3 in choir sang On Christmas night, Salazar Gloria. Some discussion about last verse of O come all ye faithful - played it! Now listening to Brentwood cathedral on radio 4 while waiting for Bruce and Liz to emerge from St John's!  21 at 10 am Mass at St Michael's. More Noels and Andrew Gant's Paean on the morning of Christ's nativity. Went to 11.15 mass at Anerley. Good to see Fr Sunith and Fr Stuart - the latter celebrated and played the organ for 4 hymns (3 of them the same as at St Michael's!). Presents opened - very nice! Fr Leon gave me chocs and rioja!  Very impressed by singing from Brentwood, Southwark, Ripon and Bath Abbey broadcasts. Well done all!  Enormous dinner at Croydon Park hotel and st...

Woken at 7 by Ciaran who was in our bed and Sean had slept OK once I got him down again at 10. Dennis came to look after them. I played Elgar For the fallen and the adagio from the cello concerto and Karg-Elert Nun danket. 3 in choir - Debbie was ill and the sound was good. I got Rachel's email. No carol practice as dashed off to Victoria and arrived at the cathedral for the Gospel. 6 Provinces Catenian Mass was at 12 noon for a change. Bishop John Sherrington gave a a good homily but got the Grand President's name wrong and Canon Christopher called us a society! Liz was mitre and crozier. To Croydon Park hotel for a lovely lunch and Claire joined us. 

Great hymns at Coulsdon including O thou who camest and The church's one foundation. Had a chat about choirs with Ann and Jenny. Gary Seiling taking on CODA singers. Maybe we need a choir which does new repertoire? Mass at Purley with Fr Gregory - he changed 2 of the hymns on the board and we sang unaccompanied The Church's one foundation. Car to Selhurst and train back to East Croydon so I could have wine at lunch at Croydon Park Oscars with Liz and Dennis. Lovely food - beef and pork, chocolate cake and bread and butter pudding. To pre-Prom talk with members of Polyphony and London Sinfonia trombone and cello. The Britten variations on a theme of Frank Bridge beautifully played (score). The Colin Matthews No man's land a world premiere. Lovely singing from Ian Bostridge and standin baritone but diction not good. Mozart Requiem disappointing - group of soloists not a choir tenors and sops too loud, Basses excellent. Soprano solo too much vibrato. Stephen Layton has a great...