The organist librarian

Monday up early and swam 20. To mosaic and left early to get to Sunbury. Liz went to funeral of Lourdes patient at Shepperton. It poured when I left the station to walk to St Paul's school. We sat in on a session with another couple and then agreed to answer questions from a large class about our marriage. They were very polite and interesting questions. Mary took us to Whitton and we had tea and food there. Liz came home and I went to the Festival Hall to hear David Titterington. There was an interesting interview with him and Sally Beamish about her new work with William McVicar. I sat the side to follow scores for the Brahms and Franck. Buxtehude and the Nielsen Commotio made up an interesting programme. Saw Andrew, Chris Town and Adrian.

Swam 20 - the windmill knocked into me and I told her to go in circles. she said "You go" no apology. To art and did a picture only a little bit to finish off! Catenian minutes done. To dentist and a piece of filling had got stuck in a gap so that has been removed.  Most enjoyable Vienna Phil Prom Brahms 3 and Schmidt and a good talk about the composer. Nimrod as the encore. Listened to  Nielsen violin concerto with score and Ives. Finished readng The Night watch by Sarah Waters.

Back to the pool this morning and to art, also returned library scores to Penge and Westminster.  Finally visited Carlyle's home in Chelsea - need more time there!  B Tommy Andersson portrait very pleasant and liked Pan with David Goode on the organ at the Prom. Nielsen and Mahler 4.  Bravo Alice Coote and Handel prom. Louise and Tom off to Madrid for the weekend on Friday.  A great day at Kew and we both walked a lot. Can't say the tree walkway impressed but playground, Palm house and waterlilies were great. Lunch good but pricey! Liz gone to Prom and I am listening to Shostakovich now boys are asleep! I had some red wine and was sick at 3 a.m. Saturday to Gallery Prommers picnic.    Ciaran very unimpressed that he was not going into the hall! We had a good time at Diana playground!  Bus to Acton and Liz went to the first half of the Bernstein Prom and came back so I could go to hear Yo Yo Ma play Bach. I got home at 12.39. Thought Ciaran looked a ...

Met Grainne and co at the lake and enjoyed the chat and walk. Liz took Ciaran swimming. I  enjoyed the prom conducted by Edward Gardner - Britten, Nielsen flute concerto and Janacek even the commission by Raymond Yiu was listenable! The discussion of Nielsen was most interesting and the flautist Emily Beynon looked and sounded stunning at the talk and on stage.

To mosaic. Once again I have paid for 4 sessions 2 of which I will miss. Progress on Madonna's face very good.  Liz took Ciaran to Kidscape at Purley which he enjoyed. Very heavy rain. The Cadogan Hall prom was Jeremy Denk playing Scriabin, Bartok and the last Beethoven sonata. His introduction was excellent and his playing brilliant. Got very wet walking from bus stop. Ciaran went to see Molly.Li stened to the Philharmonia's Prom at home - Bartok, lovely Mozart and Shostakovich. Enjoyed Haydn Symphony no.90 (the audience fell into the trap!) and Barber from the Boston Symphony orchestra on Iplayer with scores. V ery impressed by TV broadcast of Nielsen with the Danish National Symphony orchestra conducted by the splendid Fabio Luisi .

Art jolly by my group from Thornton Heath AgeConcernUK - did 4 drawings at Tate Britain. To Southwark cathedral to walk the labyrinth. The organ was being tuned which is not conducive to contemplation!  Royal College of Music museum to see Ben-Uri pictures and met  Tak Chow  !  A super prom from Danish forces of Nielsen and Brahms with the Winchester cathedral choristers. Excellent discussion about Hans Christian Anderson - it seems we need a good English translation of his tales!

Swam 20, art and worked on Galilee painting, interfaith lunch, delivered some letters reminding neighbours to return the form about getting a back lane gate, joined Kensington library to get scores (which they keep in store) Got a nice card with koalas on it! Lovely prom Debussy, Vaughan Williams and Elgar 2 - Mark Elder conducting the Halle. Annoyed to be told not to use the torch to follow the score. I shall complain to the hall. Watched Nielsen and Hugh Wood on TV recording.Also went to mosaic workshop in Norwood and got tiles and posted BT parcel at post office. Liz's ring to be fixed - insurance does not cover it.

Swam 20.  Lovely Nielsen and Mozart from Northern Sinfonia wind ensemble. Sat next too aena prommer of 23 years and briefly saw Simon Surtees and Mary Smith. Mosaic going well but now need to buy glass tiles. Tried to get battery for smoke alarm - no luck so far. To see Dr Ojo. Keep an eye on knee, bloodtest as prostate needs checking and prescription for malaria tablets. Delicious pasta with butter. Talk on film music with Stephen Price. First half of Prom awful, Boulez too loud and scores impossible to follow. New violin concerto notmuch better. Planets god but choir too loud. 

Swam 20. To Bromley library and Marks for mints and WHSmith for torch batteries. Liz went to Sr Audrey's funeral in Salford. John enjoyed Measure for measure at the Globe and the first night of the Proms was a joy especially the Mozart and Sibelius. Belshazzar well done! Sat with Marilyn and Adrian - nice to see everyone again. 

Dennis and Ann-Marie came while I was watching Dalai Lama interview and we watched Mehta conducted Vienna Phil from Schonbrunn - Nielsen, Grieg and Sibelius. I got it in the neck because i suggested Dennis might phone first if coming round. To King's a and e - all 4 of us and waited 3 and a half hours. A grim place with drunks. Doctor very good and X rayed it. No osteo arthritis or sepsis so powerful painkillers (2 lots) and home by 3 a.m. 

Thursday woke early but slept late as we got home late last night. Ann Marie got a job at Shirley hospital. To art and progress is slow. Lunch at cathedral cafe and welcoming. There were 3 of us on and one of them kept hogging people! To Tate Britain to see the Victorian sculptures which are beautifully made and the silver and salt photography. Tea and banana loaf in members room and then to Alexandra Palace. Organ and RCM forces.Crown Imperial with thrilling brass and percusssion. Toccata and fugue in D minor very well played. Nielsen flute concerto with Claire Wickes. Planets - loved the tambourine and bells player. Home at 11.15.

Swam 16. To St Matthew's and Hilary Johnson chaplain at St George's discussed ethical issues with us and we worked through 3 examples. Shared lunch and lots to eat. I drove to Kent House station but the lady on duty will not be there next Friday. I see no reason why I cannot plug in the keyboard. Returned scores to Central music library and went to Burlington Gardens to see Allen Jones RA which did not impress and lovely large prints by Hirashi Sugimoto. The Santa Lucia service was lovely. The cathedral choir sang Howells, Bruckner and Mouton and the Ulrika Eleonora church choir sand Nielsen and Adam among other things. The procession out hit the crowd! 

Swam 20. Cleaned the floor and found at least 20 dead flies - yuk! Bruce on Skype. To Cadogan Hall for 1 p.m. prom - good seats. Janine Jansen and Sakari Oramo playing Prokofiev and Schubert with Itamar Golan who I thought could have had more pp. The encore was Shostakovich. None of the composers in typical mode! The 2 violins were most effective. To Central Music library where I returned by mistake the Strauss Burleske score need for the evening concert (and after all that trouble!) Still I got 4 more scores I wanted. Roast dinner at cathedral kitchen and acolyte when the body of Fr Michael was received. Vespers of the dead was simple and moving. Good to see Nick and Stephen from the choir there and lots of friends. To Prom (thunderstorm and hail) BBC National orchestra of Wales conducted by Thomas Sondergárd. Strauss, Mozart and Nielsen 5 in which the side drum player walked past us in the gallery. Francesco Piemontesi was the pianist. Home by 11.

Listened to proms recordings Delius violin concerto with score played by Tasmin Little and Nielsen 5. To pre Prom talk with Dutch violinist, English flautist and French cellist both studying at the Royal Academy. The audition for the orchestra is daunting playing to a camera! They re audition every year. The Prom was conducted by Daniele Gatti who came up to the gallery to be interviewed for TV. Superb strings Wagner, Berg violin concerto with a lovely encore (Bach) Strauss and Ravel and Wagner encore.

Unpacked. Listened to Delius Eventyr with score and first movement of Nielsen 5 then Bruce and AnnMarie. Watched episode 1 of Parade's End.

Woke late so no swim. Washing done and cleaned lounge and changed bed. To tai chi - Tony back and 7 there! Balance not so good this week. To Sanderstead to discuss David's funeral with Rene, John and Jill. A joyful event so different music needed. To the church at Selsdon to try organ which is a one manual with pedals and in reasonable tune - not been tuned by Martin Cross since 2009! I last played there for Marcel's first Mass in 2001. To St Andrew's to find Ode to Joy copy and some Mozart. David loved Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and Shostakovich none of which cna be played on the organ but I did find a Stravinsky Ave Maria! Sandwich and to RAH for Prom by Stockholm Philharmonic Sibelius 6, Grieg piano concerto and Nielsen 4 all with scores. Pianist played Liszt La Campanella as encore. She was excellent. Worried by riots including burning of Reeves corner and West Croydon station - why must ask why? Edwina Currie is right - this immoral behaviour is destroying the...

To St Michael's for a rather lacklustre performance by a British organist who has settled in Bjornholm. There were slips in Finlandia and the programme was Scandinavian. Nielsen's Commotio rather outstayed its welcome. Bus to Couldson to see Vicky and we finished October hymns and half of November. To Coulsdon South - oddly Vicky caught the same train but she was on her mobile walking ahead of me to the station! To Royal Academy to see Anish Kapoor's extraordinary scultures. I loved the mirror ones - there was one where I appeared to become a single blue line! Also a magnificent pile of silver globes in the courtyard. I feel sorry for the people who have to clean up the red wax which is now defacing these fine galleries. There is also an enormous rusting object in the middle of a gallery! I like Sir Hugh Casson's pictures in the members room much more! To St Mary le Bow for lecture by Professor Tina Beattie which will be worth reading on www.justshare.org. http://justsh...