The organist librarian

Breakfast and met girl from Cambridge. Train to St James. Thomas Wilson greeted us as we arrived at St Mary,s cathedral for Mass. Surprised to see Fr Dennis there also Michael Butterfield was cantor. Ended up chatting to them all and juice with Fr Dennis. He is national director SSG. Thomas put in a ref to I was glad at gospel. To art gallery loved Oz pictures, Rubens self portrait, not so keen on modern stuff and videos. Liked aborigine and calligraphy and we both had a go. Botanic gardens lovely and to Circulae quay past opera house. ChristChurch st Lawrence Epiphany carols and benediction with bidet as and incense. Choir good but 2 sopranos singing at us and forcing high notes. Of the father!s love too slow and same for last verse of Cruger. Rachmaninov, Bennett, Gardner. Saw sister Rosamund and priest who reached at Mum and Dad,s funeral there 10 years ago. Saw Peter Jewkes and whizz kid assistant. Ann came with us on train. hot.

Tuesday we went to Taronga Park zoo on the ferry. It turned out to be a lovely day. We saw reptiles including a snake being handled, giraffes, baby elephants from Thailand and an elephant play show, Liz saw a gorilla baby. Binturong, deer, got the little train to see Tasmanian devils, platypus, wombat and nocturnal animals like echidna. To St Mary's cathedral for sung Mass by the boys and saw Thomas Wilson. He had been in Bunbury for opening of the new cathedral. Clare cooked. Wednesday to Manly after I had a swim and Liz went shopping. Had Copenhagen icecream and came back on the ferry. Ann met us at St James King Street for evensong sung by the St Mary's boys. They did well. To Circular Quay for meal with Thomas and met Mark Fisher at the opera house stage door. Took us up into the organ which is the largest mechanical action organ in the world. I played 3 pieces including Dad's march. Mark knew Mum and Dad. Thomas played Bach, Gershwin and Widor Toccata. Went right up i...

To swim on Tuesday and staff meetings including a training session for casuals. Liz went to Chiswick and when I left the house to go and pick her up my back really "went". This meant I spent 2 days on a chair watching TV and reading. All movement slow and awkward. The medicine the doctor prescribed last Friday contains opium so had to be ordered specially! It is a powerful painkiller. I caught up on "The Tablet" and watched Covent Garden Prokofiev "Romeo and Juliet" with Carlos Acosta, an odd programme about Jesus in Kashmir, islands with Martin Clunes, The seasons from the Proms and the history of the English Bible. I missed Norman Harper playing at St Michael's, Thomas Wilson playing Dupre at the cathedral (Liz went) and most annoying of all "Peter Grimes" at ENO which Liz went to.

Photos MMazur/CCN I was honoured to carry the cross! Liz is in the middle of the row of servers. Wednesday 40 lengths. Cleared up garden and took the wheelbarrow back to Kathy's. Liz went up early to clean crosier, thurible and boat. I watched a touching programme about orphaned South African children singing in the U.K. Arrived at the cathedral at 2 p.m. for the full dress rehearsal. We now have a big monitor to watch and the colours are terrific. Fantastic Widor at the end with brass and organ. We rehearsed the consecration torches again! Good thing interfaith group was cancelled. We had a call from Louise to say that the scan was fine and the baby is due December 6th St Nicholas day. We are delighted and at last we can tell everyone! We had a delicious meal at a Turkish cafe in Wilton Road and returned for Vespers attended by the Cardinal from Los Angeles. I was crucifer and it was a long slow procession. Choir superb and a long litany to come in. Thomas sang really well especia...

Only 3 in choir at Coulsdon so we sang the unison Rutter setting and "We love the place O God" from A & MR. Words are good! The girls seem to have assumed that if there was no Sunday school there was no choir too! There was a powerpoing presentation about planned giving - not good timing! The church needs another £267 a week! I have now done my tax returns showing my expenses for 3 years - I cannot claim for travel from home or for another pair of trousers! To Royal Hospital Chelsea. I was early so visited the excellent National Army museum - good art gallery with some famous pictures of the Boer War! Very well presented for kids especially about Waterloo. The chapel at the Hospital is very fine and Gabriele Damiani plays well. Denis Bedard's Suite Romantique is very like Suite gothique in structure and quite delightful and amusing. Corelli Concerto grosso OP 6 No 10 and John West to finish - not quite to my taste. Met a member of the library reading group. The dining...

At long last Thomas came for dinner and we had a delightful evening. His wife Madeline was unwell so could not come on this occasion. Thomas is from Wellington, New Zealand and is the first lay precentor at the cathedral. He is a fine organist and musician with interesting views about the liturgy which makes for a stimulating evening!

I missed my swim today as I woke up late - no wonder Ed considering my programme! My boss came to set targets for the year and I was able to suggest some I have already achieved like getting 4 authors for the reading group - Louise Tondeur comes Saturday. To serve at Mass at the cathedral for the middle Mass of the Quarant'Ore (40 hours devotion to the Blessed Sacrament). The flowers are stunning and the Mass was very beautiful with Mgr Mark. He gave a fine homily on love and the Sacred Heart (not a feast which has appealed to me very much) and I felt a real sense of prayer and forgiveness. The full choir sang Haydn Missa St Johannis de Deo (we sing it at Coulsdon) and it's delightful. In fact it's the setting we sang when I brought the choir to sing at mass and I'm very keen to have it at Louise's wedding. Saw Thomas Wilson and teased him about coming to dinner on Sunday (they couldn't make it in Lent because of his duties as precentor - see the cathedral blog ...