The organist librarian

Woke at 3.30 and 6.30 so no swim. Mosaic and good progress. 7 at tai chi which was mostly exercises and some line dancing!  To Balham library.  Home to watch Island parish, University challenge, Come dine with me. Some Prommers have got the prospectus and price has gone up and family Proms are not included in the season. Still good value. Practised on piano for Sunday. Watched Grantchester. Tuesday swam 20. A lovely day but spent the time doing Catenian secretary's report, Cambridge visit plan and guide and starting reading Alexander McCall Smith. To meditation at St John's and met a Buddhist. Having trouble watching young musician paino final on Iplayer.

Both went swimming - I did 22. To Heythrop library and then to Royal Academy to see George Bellows exhibition. Had tea at M & S and then to Queen Elizabeth II centre for the faith debate. A Catenian called O'Brien from Swanley was very chatty. The debate was on whether Christians oppose same-sex marriage was excellent. Tina Beattie outstanding, Steve Chalke on inclusion, Stephen Holmes and John Milbank. I am moving my position away from the official Catholic one which has got us nowhere. I still think the word cannot be redefined but it would have been better to separate Holy Matrimony from civil marriage. The stats show most people are in favour - the strongest groups against are Muslims and Baptists. Interesting chat to Matthew Huish (the Moonie) and Siriol over wine. Watched Andrew Graham-Dixon on Dutch art and the Rijksmuseum. Proms programmes out - lots of Wagner and some great programmes. Liz went to session on theology of the body for women at Bayswater.

Monday still no baby - must be a girl waiting to make entrance! Swam 26, mosaic and started new project using clay, ta'i chi (7 there) and Tony had been on a retreat. To Balham library and chat to Jeremy. Watched Howells Hymnus paradisi on TV with score - lovely soloists, spotted several people on choruses. Why is the camera not on the semi-chorus properly? Sound not that good. Elgar 1 conducted Brabbins. My stats are 53 concerts attended, listened to 19 more on TV or radio, 39 Proms plus events plus listened to 3 more on radio. A fantastic season! The Tablet published my letter on Masses on Cruises but this week's copy has not come!

Liz to St Chad's - pretty awful! I went to St John's to pick up robes and met Kim's Dad and chatted to Terence about memorable Proms. Tricky one that - so many - Peter Grimes, Figaro, Nixon in China, Child of our time, youth and visiting orchestras ..... Easier to describe the ones I did not enjoy - Cage, Cameron Carpenter, Berlioz Requiem, B minor Mass. He liked the Bernstein Mass - had also been to see Carousel. Watched Songs of Praise, University challenge. Martin Ganeri sent through reading materials and have read 2 out of 3!

Proms prospectus online and much excitement about the operas and British music. Only spotted one clash which is Hymnus paradisi and Whitacre on the night of the opening of the paralympics for which we have tickets. Ironically I have a ticket for the Trojans at Covent Garden and it is being done at the Proms. The week we go to Eastbourne is not very exciting and we will be back for Peter Grimes on the Friday night. Good they are foing Elgar and Ireland These things shall be. Jury service deferred to November which is good. So far no response at all to my adverts about organist available so now relying on the online site and grapevine.

To B and Q to get more paint and ToppTiles for floor tiles for the porch. Watched Hungarian night from proms. Have been to 28 so far out of 39, listened to 8 more, 2 choral workshops and 5 pre-Prom talks and listened to some more of them - half way through the season. Only once have we not tried to get in and on no occasion so far have we not had seats! Really enjoyed them all apart from the dull Spanish night and the awful Simon Holt piece! Horrible histories and Human Planet were odd but interesting.

Chori last night was shorter as we had done everything. Shostakovich 5 BBC Phil on Radio 3. Saturday to Haymarket hotel for champagne brunch with John Suchet and Gloria Hunniford who are both charming. 50 winners of Classic FM/Flora online competition. Celticana string quartet a delight for the ear and the eye! What a lovely morning. Stayed at hotel as online 4090 in queue for Proms tickets. After 2 and a half hours it was my turn and site would not connect so rang Albert Hall and eventually got through and ordered full season Prom tickets for the gallery for both of us by phone. Liz went to Kings Cross to get train tickets (we had lost our senior railcards again!) and to ENO for MND tickets for June 30th. I went to Streatham liberal synagogue for Faith and gender - interesting questions. Malik and Fr Tom from Corpus Christi there. Confirmation at Mass with Bishop John - felt redundant as George and Anthony were both there plus Michael who asked about the Holy Land pilgrimage.

To Town Hall for Unison meeting about discrimination at shortlisting stage. To the Albert Hall to queue for prom. Given a numbered place so able to go to Royal College of Music for chat between Stephen Johnson, Piers Burton-Page (he used to come to Southfields library) and Rob Cowan about British music. Bax Tintagel for the Proms and Malcolm Arnold! The importance of hearing music live rather than just on CD was stressed and promming proved this. I was lucky to get a chair in the arena - pays to come early! I chatted to a nice man who had heard the Moeran Symphony performed. I did not know it but loved it! The Finzi Grand Fantasia and toccata for piano and orchestra was another unknown and ideal for the Proms. Best of all was Elgar 2 which was very moving - I felt goosebumps. Vasily Sinaisky conducted the BBC Philharmonic. On return home (452 and train straight away at Battersea Park) found only Moeran recorded on HDD!

At Coulsdon on Sunday endured "You shall go out with joy" for the 3rd time this summer and there were no children present! I played Vaughan Williams "Land of our birth" (wonderful tune) and Fantasia on Greensleeves and the beautiful Vierne Berceuse which I played 2 years ago at Mum and Dad's cremation. No need to practise so had coffee and chatted about Buckingham Palace and King Lear! Watched closing ceremony of the Olympics which was most impressive. Boris Johnson looked scruffy with jacket open and hands in pockets. Good use of London bus and wrote down lots of ideas for an opening ceremony using nursery rhymes and British things. To the Prom at 4 p.m. Simon Preston playing Bach. Met Daniel and Gill and Daniel's friend Bart. A cautious start but some fine playing and I followed most of it with my scores sitting on the floor. Halfway through some guy complained about the cushion squeaking. It was a plastic inflatable one BP issued at the ballet in Canary W...

Forgot to say that evensong yesterday was from St John's College, Cambridge and included lovely Otcenas by Janacek with harp! 36 lengths today and tai chi was good as well - Tony was back. I gave out invites to library's silver circle reading group First Fridays 2 - 3.30 p.m. Very good reaction to Saturday's reading group session and the photos. Micky brought in Fr Michael a Comboli father now at the local RC church. He is an Islamic scholar and wants to come to the interfaith group which will be great! My PRP assessment is full of glowing praise - let's hope I get the matching payment! Watched University challenge and How to build a cathedral in the BBC4 mediaeval series. I went through the Proms programme on the BBC website and was impressed as increased organ music - lots of Messiaen who is not my cup of tea. I am considering promming again. Such a shame the chorus is not singing this year. Incidentally Angela Young has a scene at the Proms in "Speaking of love...

My "day off" was a busy one. Visited Grandma (89 next month) in Mayday hospital and she is still waiting for news. To St Michael's for recital by Paul Stubbings of Ramsgate. He alternated Nicholas Choveuax with Karg-Elert's Triptych which was effective. To British Library where 13 of us were given a tour of "Sacred" exhibition by Simon. Delighted by the turnout and comments and photos were taken for Oremus the Cathedral's excellent magazine! Nice cup of tea on the piazza and discovered the Proms exhibition had closed. To Guys hospital to see Roger Snewin 70 year old organist and former head teacher. Richard Riley and Mario Pinto were there. We had to wear aprons and gloves as he has lung cancer and crushed spine so cannot walk. He is so cheerful despite it all! Home to listen to splendid Bruckner 7 from the Proms conducted by Kurt Masur on his 80th birthday! Today Thursday forgot my towel and swim stuff so found out when I got to Sainsbury's so my sw...

What a great concert! Jiri Belohlavek proved to be an inspiring conductor directing Beethoven 9 without the score. Walton Portsmouth Point overture got the season off to a rousing start and Paul Watkin played the Elgar Cello concerto with great feeling. How he perspired as one could see on the HDD recording when I got home. I was on a lot being right behind the trombones and between Andrew and Gerald both much taller than me! I saw Peter in the Prom queue and had a long chat, also John East gave me a wave from the choir. Wasn't impressed by the soprano but Rene Pape was commanding! Enjoyed the sunshine in the park - it was a pleasant evening. On the bus met a nice man who plays in an amateur orchestra and really enjoyed the performance. Like me he met his wife through music making! Liz picked me up at East Croydon so I was home by 11 p.m.

I hope to sing in Beethoven's 9th symphony on Friday July 13th and it should be on TV! It's on BBC2 from 8 to 10.30 p.m. I was at rehearsal Wed at Maida Vale and tonight Thursday) at the Albert Hall. I am sitting directly behind the trombones in the front row.