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Showing posts from January, 2021

Vaccination

 Woke 6.30 up at 8 Blackfriars, St Martin's morning song. Both vaccinated at St Paul's Thornton Heath short wait in the rain - whole thing took about 30 minutes. Then picked up easel and board from Brenda. RSCM talk with John Harper on the Chapels royal of Charles I and Henriette. Mick for over an hour. Father Brown, Come dine with me, Supermarket food secrets,  Saturday woke at 10.30 dreaming. Blackfriars. Listened to Kate in the rain around Parliament square - St Martin's while taking off tree decorations. Sefarid a most effective film about Oporto synagogue. Lights off tree. Gandhi foundation zoom but it was rather long and most of the items needed subtitles. NT at home Medea brilliant. Sunday Caterham, Blackfriars beautiful singing of the Chant and a great homily from Fr Bruno. Zoom with Caterham folk. Big tree put away. Belfast radio 4 service. Thanks to Blanaid Murphy for telling us about the lovely RTE broadcast mentioning RSCM. Lovely singing. Evensong from St Paul&

Zooms

 Woke 9.30. Blackfriars. Checked tires. SLIFG meeting with Victoria Keen on Death cafes. Interesting discussion. Committee several people missing. Rizwan came in late and covered stuff we had already done. LSi's animators was good. Gresham lecture on radio 3 early years. Zoom about saving South Norwood library - leader spoke too much. Come dine with me, Father Brown, Churches trust on St Oswald. 

St Paul

 Problems with sound at Blackfriars. Conversion of St Paul and end of week of prayer for Christian Unity. St Martin's, Upper Norwood. Lots of cleaning. Louise ordered freezer meals and Dennis collected them. Historic organ recordings Darke, Marchant, Thalben-Ball from Cornhill. Zoom with Colette and lots happening this year CAFOD. Started on St Paul's cathedral assembly - seems appropriate. Father Brown. Liz finally got home at 8 after a long wait. The retreat came to an end with Bishop Egan. Only connect and University challenge. Blackfriars, part of St Martin's, excellent talk by Jonathan Gorsky at Sion centre on Mother Maria Skobstova. District nurse did not come seems they discharged Liz when I rang last week to say she was in hospital! Liz spent the day in bed - we were both grumpy. I did a survey of food in the fridge and chucked some items. Faiths together in Croydon steering group heard about vaccinations, training and the census on March 21. Watched Martin Clunes o

LSi retreat

 Heavy snow here. Blackfriars, Upper Norwood, Caterham and Fisher House. Over 8 at Upper Norwood. Fisher house remembered Fr Mark and there was singing but it might have been a recording. Lots of young people there! How nice to have a family zoom! Went to part of Death cafe and then Sr Margaret gave us a terrific talk on creation as gift. Listened to Carleton Etherington playing at Tewkesbury while I was doing my retreat task - ideas for greening the parish. Choral evensongs from Merton and Ely. Another great session at the LSi' retreat. I sang psalm with Sr Margaret and it went well, Great pottery throw down. Fr Dennis Touw OP on Don Giovanni and Jonah. 

Hacking

 St Martin's morning song and Blackfriars St Vincent. I posted a card to Mary O'Sullivan - nice sunny day. Interviewed Ebrahim Rashid for SLIFG and all went well. RSCM lecture Claire Allison on Parisian 12th century polyphony. I was horrified to find that the bag I had made up for Liz had been stolen from the porch. I got some things together for Dennis to take. On top of this my email was hacked and a very strange message had been sent so at 1least 11 people rang and others messaged. Changed passwords. All very upsetting. The main things lost were leads and watch charger lead. Luckily her new glasses were not in the bag. Rosemary reminded me that a bag was taken from the porch on the party day. Father Brown was good. It wasn't a theft - it was a mistake. A new volunteer from South Norwood community kitchen took the hospital bag instead of the food bags. Paul brought it back and was very apologetic. It was upsetting - in fact I felt quite shaky. I changed passwords and answ

New president

 Slept 8 hours which is great! Blackfriars, St Martin's (late), St John's Mass at 10. Sarah said the Marsden were taking people with high temperature in for protection. Faith action on child poverty and foodbanks. The problem is much bigger than I realised and something must be done about minimum wage and more support. Father Brown. Inauguration of Joe Biden who gave a great speech. Samuel Bristow playing Mendelssohn at St Paul's very impressed. Vespers from Brompton oratory a bit dull. Year at Kew. Royal Scot visits North Yorkshire railway. Evensong for Epiphany from Ely beautiful.  Thursday St Martin's, Skype with Ann, Blackfriars, Clare Chalmers. Churches trust Jon Cannon on mediaeval styles. Father Brown. Natural history museum. Gresham lecture on Scriabin. Watched the rest of The Cherry orchard NT at home. Zoe Wanamaker led a great cast. KCC Unity service on zoom - the music was dire, one reader in the dark, another out of focus, echo at St John Holland Road. Very

Owen Wingrave

  Watched Owen Wingrave Grange Park opera. Jeremiah Stephenson recital via Cornhill. Father Brown.  NHS SELondon briefing on vaccination. It seems a lot of BAME do not trust the vaccine but it is important that they are vaccinated.  Sung vespers from Belmont Abbey always so calming. Very interesting programme on boosting our immune cells and on keeping fit. Only connect, University challenge. Clare took bag for Liz. Julie NT at home excellent.  Tuesday a quiet day no post or parcels. Phoned Liz and Dennis and Henry. Watched Father Brown, NT at home Three sisters set in Biafra - brilliant acting. La Passione of Simone by Saariaho from Sweden with Sophie van Otter. The afternoon was a long zoom with the Interfaith network and it was interesting to get some ideas. Liz moved to another ward. 

Andrew Marr

 Another late start. Some of morning song from St Martin's. Interviewed Alan Gadd and posted the video. Backfriars. Very sad about Mgr Mark dying. He had the cancer since 2008. A most interesting RSCM lecture by Andrew Gant. Father Brown. Happy birthday Mr Bean. Sicilian railways. New Elizabethans with Andrew Marr. Liz had a foot bath. Grand party hotel not to my taste.  Saturday woke at 8 but got up late. Liz woke me in the night - she could not sleep. She rested today. St Martin's prayer walk in St James Park in the rain with Richard Carter, st John's, Blackfriars, interesting illustrated talk on Whitlock's sonata by Stephen Brafield. An outstanding retreat on Mark's gospel at Belmont Abbey. Vespers from Belmont. Come dine with me, Yorkshire dales in winter.  I created a new interfaith group email list from the cathedral group visitors book and sent details of the Lent course to them.  Sunday another late start. Liz downstairs moaning I did not hear the personal a

Martin How

 Tuesday I had just got up when the district nurse came! Blackfriars and St Martin's (late). Watched 2 Father Browns and Come dine with me X 2.  Injection OK. Quiet time. Bidding room  St Paul's excellent talk on mental health John Swinton. Chris's recordings included Martin How on the piano.  Wednesday up at 10 St John's Mass, Blackfriars and later on St Martin's - 3 unknown musical items and no details again. Liz had eyes checked. I did bed and towels and washing. Faith action discussion on hope. Meditatio with Jim Green which was different. Cathedral website being updated so sent interfaith group details. Louise sent lovely flowers including tulip bulbs. Watched Father Brown, Come dine with me, Happy birthday Mr Bean, Tower Bridge and Tony Robinson on the Thames. Laudato Si planning meeting on zoom went well.  Thursday another later start a bit of St Martin's and Blackfriars. Zoom with Jane and Cliona from GCCM. Washing away, made up plastic boxes for Liz'

Baptism of the Lord

 Caterham, Upper Norwood both with organ and no singing, Blackfriars, a lively discussion with Caterham folk. JP as annoying as ever. It seems St Mary's are having public worship! Astonished to see Southwark cathedral live streaming a Choral Eucharist whereas Wells was pre-recorded. So much inconsistency - at least the Bishop of London has been clear. The virus is now at its worst and we should not be finding ways to get round the rules. African waterhole series fascinating. The Sunday broadcast featured Martin Palmer on the environment but I wish there had been more practical advice. Songs of Praise from Stirling which we visited in 1964. The top of my left leg is hurting so I am resting it. Great pottery throw down and sock factory both good. Webinar on green schools project. Monday woke 9.30. Alarm batteries changed. Zoom Spidir committee I have not taken anything on! Liz did first injection OK. Tried to get into zoom on Catherine Ennis but it was full. Zoom Laudato Si' Lond

Jan 8 and 9

 Liz to Guy's. She was fine this time. St Martin's morning song was beautiful. Chat to Ann. Funeral of Theresa Giwa livestreamed from the cathedral.  Tony Robinson at Battersea Power Station (I visited before it closed) and Cliveden. Gules Brandreth and Sheila Hancock on the Lee canal. Father Brown, Come dine with me. A relaxing afternoon. SLIFG get to know you only 5 there. Four in a Bed. Terrible shock George across the road died at home on Thursday morning we heard the ambulance come. Took a card over and to post box. Card to the O'Sullivans who both have Covid. Saturday 9th Mosquitoes Lie-in St Martin's walk in Victoria Park, Hackney. Blackfriars. Checked tyres and used leaf blower to clear half of garden but my knees were complaining! NT at home a remarkable play and brilliant acting. Google maps says my all-time data is I have visited 11 countries, 100 cities and 672 places It seems according to them that I have motorcycled 360 miles in 2020. That's amazing as

Epiphany

 St Margaret's (late) which included Harris I said to the man at the gate of the year. Blackfriars including Fr Bruno singing the proclamation beautifully. Liz went to Guys. I was not best pleased that she did not message me for 3 hours. She will go 3 times a week every 28 days with a blood count test in the middle. She saw Nichola, registrar and briefly the consultant Dr Rich. Dennis went on and on on the phone and I did a written update. I tried Meditatio for a bit. Watched Uncle Vanya which was excellent. I won a Tablet crossword. Father Brown is back! A year at Kew. Had a lovely family zoom. Cheetah family very well done.  Thursday Liz went to Guys. She came home exhausted and got her to bed. She had a long wait for patient transport. I chatted to Clare and caught up on St Martin's and Blackfriars. A good recital from St Chad's Birmingham. Father Brown. Lovely programme on Julia Donaldson the children's author. Natural history museum and Hope the blue whale. Bridger

Jan 2 to 4

 Richard's walk in Greenwich was inspiring, chat to Ann, Blackfriars and Hurtado centre meditation on peace. Enjoyed Gangsta granny by David Walliams and enjoyed his film about getting Chitty chitty bang bang flying. Marvellous Phedra from NT at home with a great cast headed by Dame Helen Mirren. Military Wives is a great film, Sunday long lie-in awake in the night. Up for 1! Bridget brought scones and card from Walsingham which was very kind. Caterham sound intermittent. Come dine with me. Blackfriars homily. Enjoyed this morning's radio 4 broadcast service. Ewell and Upper Norwood organ only. My inner left thigh is better - I think I pulled a muscle but the Do Terra embrocation worked. Excellent radio 4 Sunday worship with Angela Tilby and Stephen Shipley and lovely music. Paul Carr in the Midlands and Ashley Grote at Norwich cathedral organ a delight! Read The Tablet. New Year bake off won by Rahul, A perfect planet with David Attenborough.  Monday another lie-in. Wierd drea

New Year's day

Last night's St Martin's programme, Durham and Southwark cathedral morning prayer, Blackfriars. Enjoyed Vienna Phil New Year concert no audience. Muti is 80 this year and has conducted the orchestra for 50 years. 10 women players. Lovely interval with countryside Haydn, Goldmark, Bella, Liszt. Watched Dara which is excellent on Indian religion and Islam. NT at home another email from vimeo support with suggestions as to what I can do. It works fine on the TV but on this laptop after buffering I get "Sorry you are not authorised to watch this video". Well sorry I have paid my money so I am authorised. Bridgerton another implausible episode. Only connect, university challenge, Torvill and Dean in Alaska and melting glaciers. Liz baked some cakes. Daphne's sister died aged 69.