The organist librarian

Fisher house and Salcombe.more chucking out old magazines.Figaro 1998 from the Met Bryn, Bartoli, Fleming. Zoom on communion with Daniel.Zoom meditation. Father Brown and Bake off. Painting programme , 

To Brockwell Park to help on interfaith stall. Duncan had also donated some nice pictures. The site was not as good with too big a gap in fornt of us so people just walked past. Met a nice lady from the Robes project for the homeless. It was hot! Home for lunch then up to Glyn Close to see Bruce. To Prom which was Boris Godunov with Bryn Terfel and no interval. The bells in the gallery obliterated everything else and were cordoned off effectively cutting the prom in half. Marion complained about the people on the seats as we left. 

Swam 20, mosaic and tai chi. Liz went to Mass. Told Mother Roxanne and Fiona about Caterham. The hymns for Good Friday first two hours are nearly all worship songs. I am puzzled as to how High the church is - there is no Lady statue for a start but the liturgy is Catholic! I suppose A and M does offer a wider variety of hymns.  To Croydon Vue to see Boris Godunov live from Royal Opera House. Bryn Terfel, the chorus and Pappano stunning. Quite demanding having no interval but the intensity worked. Joy and Geoff were there. Island parish from Unst.

Very enjoyable visits to organs in Long Ditton, Epsom and Ewell lunch at King's Head. St Martin of Tours has a very fine organ indeed. Only heard start of Jonathan's Durufle at Ewell as i went to get train at Ewell West.  John Scott played brilliantly at Bloomsbury Baptist. Shaftesbury Ave closed so Leicester Square very crowded! The Prom was good - Bryn Terfel in Fiddler on the roof. I was surprised how much dialogue there was and I missed quite a lot of it!    Some of the weekend pass prommers pushed past us in the queue! We heard about 2 vicars of Long Ditton who survived from Edward VI to Elizabeth and the other one from Charles I to Charles II with Cromwell giving money to the church! I played some Andrew Moore and enjoyed it. Excellent steak and ale pie and Youngs bitter at lunch. Home at 11.30. Liz at Acton having served Mass and off to Lourdes in the morning. This time she is helping feed the sick as well as serving!

Swam 24. Wrote 3 articles based on my notes from meetings. Liz went to Earlsfield for pedicure. Watched Wolf Hall, good programme on Simon Rattle and Come dine with me and listened to 2 evensongs St John's and Windsor both excellent. To Heythrop to pick up 4 books for the Jerusalem course which Larry issued for me. To Gate picturehouse and met a nice lady as I was early. I must remember not to sit in the back row as people go to the loo and a woman came in late and dumped next to me. The ROH live production was excellent and Bryn Terfel was splendid. Peter Rose, Adrianne Pieczonka and Ed Lyon all most impressive not forgetting Catherine Wyn-Rogers and Michael Kónig. Andris Nelsons quite rightly included the chorusmaster in the lineup for bows. It was quite riveting and no interval! To Acton and Liz picked me up. Wednesday Ciaran was again a bit off with me. Sean was on fine form and shouted out in the silence at music "Was that a fire engine Grandad?" Had lunch at Waterm...

To Pret a manger to meet Steve a Buddhist on his way back form Amaravati to Chichester. He was very helpful and really insightful. Then met Raheed about his post-Woolwich idea for September, To the hall on a blazing hot day and excellent pre-Prom discussion. The performance was FABULOUS but it got very hot - I treated myself to an ice cream! Bryn Terfel, Anya Kampe, Simon O'Neill all outstanding. Brilliant playing from the Dresden Staatskapelle directed by Barenboim. Home just after 11.

Liz to Heythrop so continued with reading. To St George's Beckenham for Nick Wibberley's recital at short notice - Buxtehude, Bach, Mendelssohn, Demessieux, Daquin, Boellmann - well played. Watched the rest of Tosca from Covent Garden - Bryn Terfel, Jonas Kaufmann, Angela Georgiou conducted by Pappano - fantastic singing and playing. Saw Terence briefly at Beckenham. To Balham library to collect Roy book - all pleased to see me. Confirmation candidates at Mass Royal Holloway college sang unaccompanied Canterbury Mass by Cecilia McDowell. To catechists meeting with red wine. Picked up Dennis from station - been on course.

Tidied up and then to visit church warden Cynthia's garden at 43 The Vale Coulsdon in aid of the centenary appeal. Lots of the congregation there. A beautiful garden on a slope and nice tea and cakes - she has a gardener. To the cathedral for ecumenical celebration of St John Roberts martyr. Welsh bishops and Archbishop of Canterbury preached. Hymns in Welsh to sight read tenor part! Harp. Stuart Kale sang a special piece with choir by Brian Hughes. William Mathias Toccata Giocosa at the end. We were acolytes. What a joy to talk to 2 Belmont brothers and hear Dom Brendan is off to Syria this year. They knew my SSG articles and I urged them to attend PMM! To Tate Britain to see "Rude Britannia". This did not even raise a smile and the really rude bits were oddly unimpressive. An erection is just that - funny I suppose in a way. The video of Sarah Lucas the woman artist eating a sausage and a banana was intriguing. Preferred the 2 wonderful fighter planes in the Duveen gal...

Left home at 8 a.m. and we got to Acton early so found Adan's cafe and had coffee. Coach was early and we reached Cardiff after one stop around 1.30 p.m. Rehearsal went well. To St David's cathedral for mass - unaccompanied hymns and people saying everything faster than the celebrant who was probably the Dean. The reredos is most distracting during Mass - too bright and dramatic with diamond shapes. The concert went very well and Owain Arwel Hughes on good form. Bryn Terfel was the best Elijah ever - commanding, fantastic diction "leap upon the altar" a good example. Ohter soloists very good including the boy. Jean and Doreen there and the Judds. Chatted to Christopher Allsop the organist of Worcester cathedral who was playing. Ian Ball has left to go to Gloucester, Roger Judd to Hereford from Windsor. Left 10 p.m. and with one stop at Acton by 2 a.m. and home in bed by 2.50 a.m. having slept on coach and finished "Arabesk" by Barbara Nadel.