A lovely Sunday

 Two Sundays when I am not playing. To St John Upper Norwood Jackson in G, Bainton And I saw a new heaven. Marilyn Harper played Bach Prelude and fugue in G. What a treat! At evensong we sang Noble in B minor and Te lucis Balfour Gardiner. Ian le Grice was playing. Bruce came and Dennis and co brought pizza. Strictly and Antiques roadshow. Matthew Bourne on Swan Lake.

Monday chat to Ann woke late, Cancelled swim and aerobics. To Wickes Wimbledon to look at bathroom options. Chat to Claire. Copying for interfaith group. Northern dioceses envirnmental group addressed by Sister Joan. Liz to UCM so transported her there and back. Henry came for dish which I had already taken to his house so took them home. Call my bluff, Face the music, University challenge, Only connect.

Tuesday Liz to Guys and it was a shorter ession. Swim. Enjoyed The Estate NT at home. To carers meeting and some new people. Back home for a bite then to Bernard Weatherill House for first Croydon climate forum which was a good start. Celebrity masterchef. Played Elgar on the piano.

Wednesday 19th Nov practised at Beck. Delivered cheque from organists association. Bus and train to Victoria. Dame Fotiny Gudela came late to interfaith meeting which gave us time to discuss the 2026 programme. She showed us some alarming footage and stats about trafficking of women and children and interfaith meditation on all of it. Bus to Trafalgar Square but traffic was bad so abandoned the idea of the National gallery and got bus to St Georg'e cathedral only to find the ACN Mass was at 6 not 5.30. Read Tablet. Choir sang well, servers were pretty awful, Bishop Nicholas. Nice reception and chat to Fr Stephen. Bus home. Ruth Wilson on Jane Eyre. I bent over to do up my shoelace and lost balance. A man did up my shoe and 3 people helped me up at Victoria station. People are very kind. I was a bit shaken.

Thursday aerobics. Liz to UCL. Found her Art fund pass! Wrote interfaith group annual report and terms of reference updated. LSiM webinar was a tad dull. Cheltenham was much more interesting! Wrote interfaith group annual report and added to terms of reference. Washing all done and dried. Choir practice was very good. Liz was late. Celebrity race around the world. C and W rang on my watch and wanted me to come on the 26th which is the worst possible date!

Friday Unacc beef for lunch. Too late to get to Croydon Minster organ recital. Working on Christmas letter. Hoovered and washed floor. Retrograde NT at home brilliant play about Sidney Poitier’ s big break. To Tate modern with Louise to see Picasso and the theatre. Very nice eats at The Doggett arms next to Blackfriars bridge. Kingdom.

St Cecilia's Day Nazareth community online retreat from Canterbury and Crichton lecture on Benedictine music given by Peter Stevens - excellent. Humility a Benedictine virtue. To Mass. Grumpy again! Christ the King started with Majesty a nasty recording impossible to join in. Celtic Alleluia was again dreary and slow. How lovely on the mountains was depressingly slow and just plain dull. I think Hail redeemer might have been more joyful! Strictly.

Christ the King. Oldroyd Mass of the quiet hour - the tenor soloist was not good. Stainer God so loved the world. Why did we sing "O love divine"? Baptism of Immanuel who read the prayers beautifully who ended up on the altar. The boys sang the Angelus well. Straight home as I had lunch and waited for train at Selhurst. At St Mary’s university Twickenham for choral and organ recital by Ian Coleman and Mark Underwood. The two sopranos were good except on high notes. IN such a reverberant building no need to push them. The chaplain is Fr Peter Newby and he remembered me! Another long wait at Strawberry Hill station and rugby fans at Twickenham. Antiques roadshow, Strictly, Clive James postcard from Rome, Matthew Bourne's Sleeping beauty, LIz baking. Cold but sunny. Missed playing Crown Imperial for Christ the King but I did play it when practising.

Monday chat to Ann, Liz to Du Cane Road all this week. Swim and aerobics Eric is back! I am now booked Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! Planned Cambridge visit. Wright of Derby exhibition at National Gallery is very good and saw Fr Michael Barnes there. Sketched Caravaggio and Van Honthorst. Excellent Here I stand lecture at St Martin in the Fields by Caroline Lucas and she signed her book for me. Great to see Richard, Jolley, Duncan (who led my Lent group) and Michael. I asked a question about our broken parliamentary system and commented that people need to vote. I also quoted the Abp of York. She said our stories must combat the far right narrative.

Tuesday Liz had temp and infection so could not go to research. 3 hour journey to Cambridge train delayed and then taken out of service! Polar museum is fascinating especially Scott's letters and possessions. To Rudy's neapolitan pizza restaurant had festive pesto rosso and tiramisu. Sedgwick museum of earth sciences - Paul would love it. To Woolf institute saw Leo and Anna. Excellent lecture by Prof Philip from USA and brief reply by Ed Kessler. Gave Leo Nostra aetatefor the library. Got bus to station and caught train to Blackfriars. Second train was late so home at 10 after a good day and the weather was clear. Face the music.

Wed a bad night Liz has a temperature so cancelled lunch at Sisters of Sion, Arabella at the Gate and David Lean NT Mrs Warren's profession and I swear tomorrow Got full refunds! Washing done Watched Becoming Dominic, Call my bluff, Only connect. Bruce arrived. University challenge was great Warwick beat Bristol in the end. LSi prayer lectio. Took Liz to Thomas's at 9 and I was home 9.30. Hopefully her temperature will come down.

Thursday woke at 6 Bruce and I went on same train. Blackfriars to St James Park. On arrival at Central hall eventually got the security to take me down to the toilet. We were asked to be there at 8, actually went in at 8.15 and it started at 9. Nice chat to Bishop John in the queue. Met several people couple from Virginia, York councillor, small business enrepeneur. Chris Packham and lots of profs and a retired general. The figures are deeply disturbing. Lots of MPs and Lord there. Food security and water are both a major concern. Finished at 12 and got bus to St Thomas's and saw Liz. Home so that I could pick up Henry. He was fine and played with trains and Quack quack! Lsi zoom lively. Bruce back late - animals on the line. Railway walk with Julia Bradbury.

Friday woke late. To Beck Methodist to practise quietly as ladies setting up quilt show. Unacc and nice lunch. James had had a fall. Christine 72. Mick came. Fetched Liz from hospital. Railway walks. Adrian Sutton's funeral lovely and moving. Advent 1 at Anerley. Hark a herald voice started out like Merton but went elsewhere! Come thou long expected Jesus not to Cross of Jesus but Hyfrodol and for some wierd reason Fr Joseph repeated the words of each verse to fit the 8 line tune. This completely confused us and he ended in the middle of the tune. I laughed with him about it and asked him if he had had my email about playing for his induction - he said he was waiting for John to reply to him and he had been very busy. Margaret Dormer unimpressed! Strictly was good and nice chat to Bruce at dinner.