The organist librarian

A very interesting day at Age UK with St Christopher's hospice on end of life and death. I spoke about my painting of Mum and Dad and their funeral. Light lunch and the drove to St John's school where I only got 30 minutes and was at one point left in the room while Stacey went to try and photocopy! The second part was choir karaoke.  The clear message of the Parents for Peace event from both the Palestinian and Israeli parents who have lost children in the fighting is that taking a pro-Israeli or a pro-Palestinian position is not helping in any way in the progress towards peace. There must be reconciliation and forgiveness.   Forgiveness means giving up the right to take revenge - a powerful statement indeed. Hampstead synagogue is beautiful. Nice eats and met Philip's parents. To Acton. Had an enjoyable day. Lou took us to lunch at Llawellis and then Sean played in the sandpit at Chiswick and I did some sketching. To Euston Square to meet Alan and Berna Foden, John Thin...

Tuesday finished at 2 p.m. Liz at Good shepherd Mass and hospital and then to Bedford Park for Rossini rehearsal. She made a delicious cake and Alan and Berna Foden arrived from Cambridge around 4.30. We sat in the garden and enjoyed Earl Grey tea and cake. Alan was in my schoolclass and has just retired. Berna is Catholic and we had such an interesting chat. She takes her housekeeper's daughter to the same school that her children went to. But the mothers will not take their children to the school where their servants children go because of sport and nothing to talk about! They went off to for a meal on the way back and I went to the hospital. Grandma making slow progress. Wednesday to Croydon to NHS centre and coffee afterwards. To Interfaith group meeting with Rabbi Mark on "Christ through Jewish eyes". Very interesting - 2 of the newcomers were out of order and had to be told politely not to try and convert the rabbi. Jon Dal Din very supportive and the rabbi was ver...

Saturday June 27th after Mass there was a Taize vigil to mark the end of the year of St Paul with Archbishop Vincent giving an excellent homily. I felt the Taize went on just a tad too long although the msuic was well done. One of the cantors was not so good. We left before the end as I had not had any dinner! Sunday Liz was at St Michael's Bedford Park Chiswick for the Haydn Harmoniemesse for St Peter and Paul and lunch which she enjoyed although her name was not in the service sheet. Alan Foden from school days had indicated he might visit me but could not come in the end. Tuesday June 30th the end of the Wandsworth heritage festival which was a hige success and to York library for Jon Newman's talk on the history of Price's candle factory. I bought his book and after reading it donated it to the library. I was fortunate to go on one of the last tours of the factory.

Soweto contrasts from squatter camp to Holiday Inn and World cup stadium Friday we saw Rob after breakfast and Bruce our mini coach driver arrived to take us on a tour of Soweto. Much had changed since 1970 and we saw no libraries. We walked round a squatter area and visited a home - the family from the Cape. Bought a green stone carving of the eye looking at everything. The tour ended at the Pietersen museum on the site of the Orlando student demonstrations. It was a moving experience and a harrowing one too. Very well done with all sides represented. Bruce returned us in time for lunch. We visited the new college shop and bought a hat and 2 books. We had already met Jean in the school library (my favourite haunt) and I presented the book I had read on the plane "South Africa; how are you?" to the library. She took us to see the museum which is fascinating and we enjoyed a walk from the prep along the Long walk as the sun set. The reunion of 1963/4 was a...