The organist librarian

Music Sunday and great to have Elaine back. Jerry pulled all the stops out and there was a retiring collection. Mentioned by name in the prayers! We sang When in our music God is glorified and Nardone setting. Played Slater on St Botolph and Lang Tuba tune. Oscar from Worth Abbey school will join us to sing bass! Pets service lots of barking dogs. Played All creatures great and small and The Swan and Handel Cuckoo and Nightingale. Surprised to see Dennis with Henry and Molly and he gave me a lift home. Hot. Ar evensong we sang Anthony Caesar's O love divine. Enjoyed counntryfile on royal estates and Poldark. Very impressive women's marches and Antiques roadshow on women.

Played Michael Fleming's variations on Noel nouvelet and Slater Easter Alleluia. We sang "Sing God's Easter people sing" arranged John Barnard. Also Christopher Jones' splendid hymn "Faith overcomes" to Highworth by Terry - I think his widow lives locally. Also "O food of pilgrims" to the sublime Innsbruck. After 2 years I again found time to go through the organ music left by a predecessor and found some goodies. It does seem strange that he left all this music which is valuable. I seem to inherit organ music Dad, Alan now Paul and interesting the similar repertoire lots of Bach, English and French, Buxtehude. Enjoyed Rejoice in the Lamb from Norwich cathedral choral evensong. Well done Guildford for choral evensong for St Mark. I remember that hymn from my childhood at St Mark's Yeoville. Simon Schama brought Civilisations to a fine end. The Durrells excellent. I had not seen Wilkie Collins as a feminist - Woman in White episode 2.

Up at 6.30 a.m. 2 buses to Caterham as train replaced by bus at that time but now running. Played Gordon Slater on "St Botolph" as we sang my favourite Marian hymn "For Mary mother of our Lord". Beautiful tune. I am afraid " Shall we not love thee mother dear" feels very Victorian. We sang "People look East" which seems very appropriate as people were very busy after service preparing for Christingle and Midnight. I think I have 4 sopranos tonight so descants are on. Lloyd Webber on Helmsley a great piece and also played Noel pour L'Amour de Marie. Compliments about carol service but more importantly ecumenical first.  Washing put away, presents wrapped, dishwasher loaded. Delicious ham lunch with squeak and Aldi Chrstmas pudding. Can now settle down to listen to King's - let Christmas begin!  Served at 6 p.m. mass at the cathedral which was packed. Blessing of the crib. Ex-choristers sang lovely Reger and Stille nacht. Missa de angelis...

Saturday to Meditatio ventre for excellent session on Easter and meditation with Eileen McDade and Graeme Watson. Only 5 there. To vespers and Mass with Fr Michael. Worth Abbey consort sang well. In evening dress as straight to Beckenham's dinner. The MP for Beckenham spoke very well about being a soldier in Bosnia. A good meal and lots of enthusiasm about the provincial weekend. Home late and woke early.  Played at St John Caterham. As we sang Brother James Air I played Harold Darke's lovely meditation on the tune and Gordon Slater's Easter Alleluias. Very positive meetng with Gerry and Jill who sadly is going to Wiltshire in May.  Enjoyed playing for evensong at St John Caterham Brewer in D Blessed be the God and Father. Philip Moore on St Fulbert, Walton March and Elegy from "Richard III" and Willan on Gelobt sei Gott with tuba. Delicious beef and Yorkshires for lunch. 

Saw a little of the canonisation of John XXIII and John Paul II from Rome on the computer. Ann and Paul came to St Michael's and I played Christopher Tambling on O filli, Gordon Slater's Easter Alleluya and Michael Fleming on Noel nouvelet. We sang Jesus lives! Love's redeeming work is done and Now the green blade. Unfortunately none of the psalm settings fitted the version on the sheet. We had Celtic alleluia. Paul was on good form. Finished with the Hallelujah chorus which got a clap. Lovely pork for lunch. Seán was absolutely fine waking up with us. Louise took the boys to the lake and Kelsey Park and I took Paul Down house which he enjoyed. I saw things about Darwin I had missed the first time. We watched Rev and Antiques road show, Rev, also the rest of the Young musician percussion final (Simone Rebello was one of the judges) and the programme on Messiah and Coram.

Dennis ferried us to the station which took ages as the traffic was so bad. He then went off to Northallerton and traced Woodhouses back to 1736. We got the 10.57 train to Leeds and Liz and I went to the Minster to hear Simon Lindley who recognised me. Easter music by Bach, Dandrieu, Langlais, Slater, Moore, Stanford and Faulkes - most enjoyable. We then went back to the station. Ann and Paul had been to the art gallery and library. We got a taxi to Lawns Wood and found the place where the ashes were scattered and the book of remembrance was opened to the page where Granddad was recorded. Back to town on the bus for tea and train back arriving at 7 and home by 8.10. It has been a successful trip.

Service went well and I played Gordon Slater's Easter Alleluya. I skipped the church AGM and got train and bus to Austin Friars in the City. From top deck of bus saw the London Marathon runners - hope Ian from the cathedral choir finished! Arnfinn Tobiassen was pleased to see me and Steve Garnett was there. The Dutch church is fine with excellent stained glass. Arnfinn played the Letourneau organ - Sweelinck and Kerll and then a Bach trio sonata and Bohm Prelude on the fine van Leeuwen organ. Tube to Brixton for Lambeth interfaith meeting at Corpus Christi (a fine church) on "Do religion and politics mix?" Clare Short MP was most impressive as was the imam from Hyderi mosque and the trainee rabbi from South London liberal synagogue. Nice to see Ebrahim and friends from the mosque again. Chatted to Michael Chandler who teaches at Heythrop. It was an excellent meeting. Home to watch marathon highlights, Songs of Praise from Windsor and evensong from Worcester. A lovely day ...

Wurzburg cathedral high altar Worked Saturday and a great deal to do - freedom passes being renewed and shelf checks. 5 servers at Mass with Bishop John who spoke really well about Emmaus and Eastertide. Liz was cantor at Vespers. Challoner choir ruined Terry Mass, Faure Cantique de Jean Racine and Franck Panis - men sing very flat.Oliver played Howells Saraband for the morning of Easter at the end which was a treat. He says Matthew does not like Howells! Watched "The Shipping News" starring Kevin Spacey and Judy Dench. Sunday thick snow everywhere. Small choir did well with Panis angelicus in 2 parts, Bread of the world in mercy broken - pity Vickie missed that as it is one of her favourites. I played Gordon Slater's Easter alleluya. We sang "Now let us from this table rise" at the end. Interesting that Common Praise changed "Father-God" in last verse so it became; Then grant us grace, Companion-God, to choose again the pilgrim way, and help us to ac...