The organist librarian

Unpacked and Ocado delivered so put all that away. Washing on the line but it rained later on. Liz went to take Henry swimming as Dennis hurt eye and AnnMarie had an infected insect bite but it wasn't happening so they went to Crystal Palace park. Fr Rajiv at Mass and he requested quicker moves as he has to cut his homily every week! I said we were obsessed with the length of Mass whereas in India time was not important!  Michael Butterfield has gone to Truro as acting assistant director of music. Watched Sheku play Elgar superbly and with great feeling and Steinberg. Also Stephen Hough playing Mendelssohn and Prince Albert on a gold piano from Buckingham Palace. Excellent prom for Sir Henry Wood 150th including Ireland and Grainger. On Proms encore they used the footage of us crowning the bust! 

To Mass. Went to Battersea to get mosaics but found room locked as flower arrangers not there. Contacted Pat and she will let me know when I can go again in the morning. Home for lunch. Played for 2.30 funeral at Caterham. No coffin! We were told very little about Carole apart from her love of travel and arranging trips through the Miller centre! I played Faure, Vierne, Moore and Handel. To preProm talk on Sargent - he was a Christian and stayed in England during the War working incredibly hard. First conducted at 14 and Henry Wood allowed him to conduct his composition. He saw himself as the music not the musicians for whom he had little empathy denying them contracts and pensions! No wonder they did not like him!  I first saw him when I was aged 14 when my Dad arranged for both of us to sit in front of the huge Johannesburg Town Hall organ. Harry Stanton played the organ for The Planets and was shown how to do the glissando with both arms! For some reason we wore evening dress p...

On underground yesterday young man wearing shorts and tank top which revealed most of his chest. He was with young woman obviously been doing something sporty. But I rather think he should have put a T shirt on. So many people are wearing flipflops and scant clothing these days!  Swam 20 and wrote my Catenian Provincial president's blog. Painted a picture of flowers at art and started an angel picture. To see the doctor and mole must come off and knee to be Xrayed - it is much better thanks to icepacks and rest! Watched Proms Extra and a bit of Bake off. Took car to Battersea Park for parking. Enjoyed the Proms poetry entries very much although one fo them bore no relation to Dukas that I could hear!  2 Proms. Beethoven violin concerto seemed rather too confidential in places. Reger and Strauss and Wagner encore from Dresden Stattskapelle all enjoyable. Why no big Reger organ work this season? The late night prom featured Handel coronation anthems. The altos trills made me la...

To St Lawrence Jewry to hear Catherine Ennis play - interetsing programme includign Delius and Durufle. To St Stephen Walbrook for walk round city churches. Chose St Bartholomew the less, St Sepulchre, St Andrew Holborn and Tony Tucker who is outstanding took us also to St Etheldreda's - quite a walk but lots of fascinating detail including an unusual clock and garden near St Paul's Greyfriars where queens are buried. Henry Wood's ashes at St Sepulchre, windows to Nellie Melba and John Ireland and Sargent memorial. St Andrew's has lovely icons and organ Handel played from Coram foundling chapel. Served at volunteers mass and to the Abbey to hear Margaret Phillips play Guilmant, Alcock, Bach and Fredrik Sixten. Had an excellent seat so could see her at the console. Wed last music session until Sept. Very nice soup at vegan cafe in Bethnal Green and Liz took Ciarán to the museum of childhood. To London Buddhist centre and 8 came - excellent guide and beautiful Buddha pain...

To Coulsdon and 4 in the choir. We sang "Day by day" by Martin How and "God be in my head". "Praise to the holiest" and I played Angel's farewell from "Dream of Gerontius" to mark Newman's beatification. Waited in car for Liz and listened to a programme about Miss World 1970 and Just a minute. Dennis had sorted his books out so we took those he is keeping up to Glyn Close and they saw Martin next door. We ate in the garden in sunshine probably our last chance this year for that! Mark Elder conducted a prom of the Last night 1910 which featured a new work based on the slow movement of a cello concerto by Vaughan Williams written for Casals called "Dark pastoral" and Elgar Pomp and Circumstance No. 4. Songs of praise was from South Africa. Ulster orchestra prom in tribute to Sir Henry included Bliss and Bax and Rachmaninoff. I was watching on Iplayer the last in the series on British writers and the broadband went but later saw th...

Woke early so looked at the Proms prospectus and commented on the BBC site about no Henry Wood sea songs on the Last Night. Instead we are to have Gerard Hoffnung and Ketelbey - which is funnier? To Coulsdon and went well although I think I could have played better. Haydn Mass, Thatcher Come ye faithful, This joyful Eastertide and Howells Saraband. Terrific noise of bells and gongs and organ before the hymn version of Exultet to "Woodlands". Coffee and sherry afterwards and people raving about the singing on Friday and today so that's great! I practised afterwards including Mendelssohn 3rd sonata.