The organist librarian

To Carmelites Kensington for 11 a.m. Mass to celebrate Heythrop's 400th. Cardinal Vincent and Cardinal Cormac and Archbishop Kevin and Bishop John Sherington plus loads of priests. Michael Barnes had taken the weekend off! Simon Lloyd played and we had Byrd 4 part Mass sung by the pros which was not much to my taste. However we had 4 hymns and Karg-Elert Nun danket. It did seem really wrong to sing The king of love and This is my body and then receive under only one kind. The sanctuary is far too small for so many priests and the servers were chaotic. Alex and Larry and 5 Jesuits. They seemed to have to walk behind the altar from the sacristy every time - there was no room for them on the sanctuary! Saw Alfred Agius and Ann Moynihan. The deacon carried the book to the ambo then put it down and read from something else! The lunch in the garden at Heythrop was lovely and a beautiful day for it. Sat with Paul Clubb and Bethany. I went to Battersea Park for part of the 29th anniversa...

Monday Ciarán and Louise here and we packed up for the holiday in Eastbourne. Liz and I served at John Beer's funeral at St Mary's West Croydon with Canon Collins who is looking old. Good to see so many Addiscombe folk again. Simon played and choir of St Etheldreda's. It was a lovely funeral with a wicker coffin beautifully decorated. Louise brought the car down and we set off and had a picnic spot. Hotel Reymar is fine with parking and adjoining rooms. Had a nice walk to the pier and ate at the Marine with lovely food. Ciarán dropped off about 9.30 p.m. Good breakfast. Woke in nght and finished Julian Barnes The Sense of an ending which was recommended by Edward Gardner - a fine book which makes you think!

Liz was luxuriating all day at the Sanctuary with the girls - it was her Christmas present! To Coulsdon where Vicky was refreshed form her time in Milan. She had noted that Westminster Cathedral choir had sing a concert there (Rheinberger Mass) and it was very wet! The Bob Chilcott Psalm 23 composed last year went well and so did Statham in D so that is one setting we can manage with me singing tenor where needed. I spoke to Dudley Coates about joining us occasionally and bought my usual Fairtrade muesli and yogurt coated raisins. To garden centre to pick up more compost. I had been planning to go to the Buddhist prayers for Tibet at the Imperial War museum gardens but as it hailed I decided to have a rest and watch the last episode of "Lark rise"! and the delightful "No 1 ladies detective agency" by the lamented Anthony Minghella. Also Songs of Praise episodes which I had recorded. Simon Lloyd playing Mendelssohn No.4 which was a treat and an improvisation on ...