The organist librarian

11.9.17 Good breakfast woke in night. Coach tour of old Madrid stopping to see Cervantes monument. Guide Sergio got us in front of Las Meninas before other groups. I stayed in the Prado and Liz went to Segovia. Great colelction sketched El Grecos but not enough places to sit.Lovely Goyas, Velasquez, one Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Titians, Tintorettos. To Museo Thyssen-Bomemisza which covers all periods. Impressionists, Cubists, Caravaggio Had coffee and salad at Starbucks. Walked round the Royal Botanical garden - it was hot -  two sketches. To Museo Sophie Reine which is huge and not very well signed. Miros, Picassos including Guernica. Lee Lozana special exhibition just plain rude and crude. 4th floor even more modern stuff but had had enough! Tired and back to the hotel which is very well placed. Liz bought delicious Segovia confectionery. Excellent dinner at Plaza Major with singing and guitars. Tapas, lamb (too much) millefeuille. Sat with Melbourne couple. We are only Brits - Auss...

To Battersea Park library to pick up reserved books and saw 2 readers. To Tate Modern with Malcolm to see the Juan Miro exhibition which was not that inspiring. We all had tea on the terrace of the Friends room. I went to visit David Barrett at St Thomas - Rene was there and he has a splendid view of Parliament. the surgeon came so I head all about his woes. Train to Walton-on-Thames where Liz met me. Excellent river cruise from Walton bridge through Shepperton lock to Chertsey - wine and cheese. Taxi back to b and b run by an extraordinary lady who had worked for BA. To Evans cycles Guildford to see Bruce - lovely shop. Winkworth Arboretum for tea and cake and a lovely walk bluebells, azaleas, rhodos, magnolias all out. To Abinger farm shop and picnic at Box Hill - pork and watercress pies. To Oaks Farm for a short walk. Lovely day!

A jolly Juan Miro picture which was in the bedroom at the Wurzburg b and b! The library is busy as it is school holidays and the elderly are renewing their freedom passes which now give free travel on local buses throughout England! The heating is back on as we have a new boiler. To Catenian circle AGM and meeting and Kevin Ingram is our new President for the year with the 1000th meeting next February. Col;in brought me home - he was at Tony Blair's lecture and his daughter was involved in the Olympic flame's progress across London which was disrupted by anti-China demos about Tibet. he had said the demonstrators were violent but it looked to me from the TV that the Chinese guards were equally bad.It is also the centenary year and we are going to the annual conference in Manchester in May. Watched Sacred music parts 1 and 2 presented by Simon Russell Beale - one of the altos in The Sixteen sings in Westminster Cathedral choir. Interesting to see the history of polyphony and wh...