Posts

Holy Week

 Sat 29 March Cath led SM walk at St James Park. Took Liz to Anerley to go to UCM AGM at Bromley. Hurtado - just the first Rowan's sermons at the retreat and good discussion led by Alison.  Sang Brahms Requiem with South London Singers at St John’s. The Sinfonia were good. Lovely to have Emma Tring singing the soprano solo so beautifully. The Coleridge-Taylor Ballade was interesting and liked Geoff Lawrence’s Sea songs. I did find the standing exhausting! Palm Sunday Played at Beckenham Methodist. Kaufmann, Walther, Pachelbel, Bach Passion chorale and In tears of grief which was announced as being by Batch! Liz with donkey outside St John’s. Fell asleep twice catching up on Digging for Britain. Roman Empire by train. We got the time of Mass wrong it was actually 5.30. Good old days. Antiques roadshow Charles Dance on Ibsen. Monday Car to Honda Orpington for MOT and service. Got up at 6.30 am. Nice breakfast at Beril’s cafe and chat to Ann. Met 2 nice Baptists. Made the mistake...

Busy

 Tuesday March 24 Liz went to Kew and got her chain for her cross. Swam 12 - three people knocked into me. Practice at Beck Meth. Washing done. Watched programme on Ibsen and modern drama and An enemy of the people. Because our bus stop was closed I drove and parked off the main road. I went to Barclays and activated my card (at last) and got plastic bags for the old coins left by Clare. To Primark to get a black shirt for £7. One person on the tills and a long queue. What a depressing place! I decided to come home as by then I was late for the carers meeting and I just could not face the same old moans! Jigsaw finished. Liz was back late because of an incident on the line. Caught up with emails. Art Fund still says we are not joint members so could not watch Freud on screen despite my emails! They should have sorted this out back in Dec.  Wed Liz had nails and hair done.  Tired out by so many steps to get to the Tube. St Joseph Mass at St John’s ( a day early) swim , Wel...

Ramadan

 Thursday 12 March. Interview on Voice of Islam about prayer in daily life, Went well. I'm no expert on this but I do try. To art and more or less finished the Bedington incinerator picture. Just waiting for Ella foundation to get back to me and Mums for lungs. It's been well received. Swam 20. Sean came and downstairs loo needs a cap (after 40 years it leaks?) He also looked at wallpaper in lounge. Good animators meeting with Jane Mellett on Cop 30. To iftar at town hall and read part of Pope Leo's message for Lent which was well received. Nice food. Apprentice.  Friday lots of people at Unacc. It was a special £8 day.  An exhausting trip to V and A East which is amazing. When you come out of Stratford station go in the direction of Queen Elizabeth park and Westfield. TfL do not tell you this!! Eventually found the 388 bus at Stratford City bus station. Not sure I want to do this trek again! I came back via Farringdon and just missed my train to NJ. Result started zoom o...

Lent 2

 To Riddlesdown. The server who let me in announced that the Karg-Elert was too loud so in the end I played Franck instead. Grant was very friendly. I played Bach and Thiman on Slane. The baptism party took over the church with loads of cameras and they did not sing! To SJ for lunch and then home to find Bruce here. Hyderi postponed the iftar in mourning for the Ayatollah so I went to evensong. Dyson, Farrant and Brahms Geistliches lied. Call the midwife and pottery throwdown. Bill was out. The news continues to horrify with many innocent people dead and Iran retaliating across the Middle East. Trump is mad. I completed my funeral presentation except for the Elijah extract which got cut off before the end.  Monday swim and aerobics. Barbara finishing this Thursday - she refuses to conform! A lady got Brian the manager to come and speak to us. It seems across the country people are complaining and he does not like the decision either. It's the cost of the PRS license. Some have...

Lent 1

To St Pancras station.  A great day at Faithful Companions of Jesus Euston on art and ecological conversion. John Paul and Sr MaryAnne. Lovely mass in the chapel with a young Jesuit priest. He asked for our opinions on the day. I commented that Genesis 1 is very visual - it's about the eyes and pleasing to the eye. Good old days. Michael Palin. Derek Jacobi on playing Alan Turing. Beck Meth. The preacher was formerly Bishop in Ghana. She did not change the gospel reading the Transfiguration which we had last week. She suggested that we did not need to fast. Repentance never got mentioned. There was an awful lot about Moses and Elijah. The final hymn was Jesus is the name we honour. The tune is naff with silly syncopations in the verse. They did sing it. Played Bach Preludes for Lent and Toccata in D minor which was descibed as "magnificent". A lovely prelude by Andrew Fletcher on Mannheim and Willan on St Peter. Private passions architect Asif Khan. I have written again t...

Sunday before Lent

 Feb 15th  At Beckenham Methodist we heard about the Transfiguration. I played Thiman and Fish on Hanover, Rosalie Bonighton Ordinary time - more or less, Stanley Vann Cantilena and Andrew Moore Light of the nations. Lovely evensong at St John’s Howells My eyes for beauty pine, Brewer in D, Jesu the very thought Bairstow. Call the midwife, Pottery throw down. Finished the sweets of the 1980s 1000 jigsaw. Monday 16th to ENT at Thornton Heath soft wax in right ear hadld to whistling, wax in left was harder so came out more easily. Chat to Ann Evie had first violin lesson. She had enjoyed my short videos. Swim. Liz got passport photo. Woolf Works from the Royal Ballet at West Norwood picturehouse. Max Richter’s music thought Act 3 very beautiful and moving. Puzzled by Act 2. Delicious lunch at Sole Luna papparelle and Liz had rabbit. Nice Italian food store next door. Liz went to UCM. Hedda Gabler with Ingrid Bergman, Ralph Richardson, Michael Redgrave and Trevor Howard 1963. Gre...

Paintings

 Monday 9th Feb chat to Ann. Liz went to a new research project at Hammersmith hospital and had a bad journey. To aerobics only to find Morgana was taking it so I walked out and complained. Saskia rang and the new painting is agreed as long as I take out the boy jumping into the sea which I have done. Contacted everyone about the change of painting. To Phoenix centre John Talking about South Norwood plaques. I dropped off! Patrick chatted about my art. CMF forum on converts. SM letter. SDEN on Lent. Call my bluff, Face the music, Father Brown.  Tuesday Liz to Guys and had a bad day. Kings did not ring her. Swim and then supervision group at All Saints. Meditation discussed the vision of God. To Picturehouse H is for Hawk is a lovely film with great photography and music and Claire Foy. Liz met me there and drove home as Whitehorse Lane is blocked where the roadworks are. Trevor Eve and Julet Stevenson discussing Ibsen A Doll's house and Roy Clarke on his comedies.  Wed or...