The organist librarian

To Riverside Winds delightful concert at St John Upper Norwood. A remarkable flute solo "The great train ride" and Rimsky-Korsakov piano and wind quintet. Served at Malta Day Mass with Cardinal Grech. It was chaotic! The French boys were back at Mass - 16 servers!! Callum Alger has started - welcome! The Prom tonight is Mozart, Strauss and Beethoven. Watched Sir Simon Rattle conducting Belshazzar's Feast, Koechlin and Varese.Played Elgar Chanson de Matin. Pomp and circumstance No. 1. We sang David Ogden Christ has no body which reminds me of Audrey Kempson whose funeral I played for. 3 in choir and Revd Sarah Goatcher gave a good sermon and had liaised with junior church as they were looking at Onesimus and modern slavery. Loved the prom BBC So with Sakari Oramo. Sibelius 5 which I love, Andriessen, Judith Weir, Night on a bare mountain. New respect for Canterbury Philharmonia tackling this work so well with many tempo changes although Sakari was faster! Have really enjo...

Oh bliss Oklahoma on TV remembering our canyons trip and the John Wilson Prom. Yesterday I was playing The King and I on the piano - great songs! Liz went to get her hair done. What I heard of Kings sounded lovely. At vespers at the cathedral we had Buxtehude Magnificat and Victoria O magnum mysterium. At 6 p.m. We had blessing of the crib and exchoristers singing Reger. Just spoke to the family in Oz on Facetime. Santa arrived! Carols from King's on TV. Superb tenor solo in the Darke and a Muslim woman reading the Annunciation - Yes! Love the new carol Judith Weir - it really is a carol. What I love about Christmas is how music brings back so many lovely memories especially Mum and Dad and so many wonderful Christmas celebrations in Joburg, Cornhiil, the cathedral, Addiscombe, Coulsdon, Beckenham and now Caterham not to mention Oz and India. And not to forget visiting Bethlehem 3 times! Delivered the circle records to Derrick so he can continue the history. Mi...

A moving remembrance day with a full church. For the fallen poem accompanied by Nimrod worked well. Played Elgar In memoriam, solemn melody and When I am laid in earth. Trumpeter Steve did well. Mandela's unsung heroes on channel 5 very interesting. Most impressed by the Westminster Abbey service marking the centenary of the armistice. Anthem by Judith Weir.

Mass and art and good progress -had not been for 2 weeks and the party invites were well-received. I went to the RGS to see the Shackleton platinum print photos by Frank Finley.  An interesting discussion on Saint-Saens and a satisfying Prom with the RPO conducted by Charles Du Toit who presented with the gold medal of the Royal Philharmonic society. Falla, Joshua Bell playing Lalo and S-S 3 - what's not to like? Friday to Mass and watched The Man in the orange shirt a very fine 2 parter by Patrick Gale with Vanessa Redgrave. Listened to Judith Weir prom.

Turned out wet. Got parked near Nat History museum in good time for rehearsal which went very smoothly. Back to door 2 and interviewed by the Telegraph about the flags dispute.   We went to the recording of The Choir about Parry's Jerusalem  and I met David Owen Norris in the street and complimented hom in his famous chords on Proms Extra! Full marks to Petroc on Radio 3 for mentioning that we are gallery prommers! As Auntie Flo said it was a once in a lifetime experience and we really enjoyed it! What a wonderful concert - full of lovely music. Florez was superb and brilliant acting. Great to see 16 young singers in Serenade to Music (definitely a desert island piece and we recently saw the score and photos at Leith Hill Place where RVW grew up). Thank you to all our fellow Prommers in the gallery (which alas Katie dd not mention but Sakari did) and to all the staff at the Hall. Linda came up specially to say hello. How proud Mum and Dad would have been - they are comparing ...

At evensong we sang Eyre in D and Bairstow Blessed city. The prayers were rather long and although Adrian gave me a lift to Crystal Palace station I missed the train but got to Finchley a bit late. JW3 is most impressive and there was a good audience for the discussion chaired by Ed Kessler with Rabbi David Rosen and Archbishop Kevin. I asked a question about how few Catholics and Jews knew the document and was described as a champion of interfaith! William advised going to Finchley and Frognal which was much closer than West Hampstead so quickly to Willesden but then had to get a replacement bus to Acton. Louise had forgotten I was coming! Monday took Ciaran over to Issy's. Cleaner came and so I left and had coffee at JW3. Good turnout and several people I know for the 2 seminars - particularly liked the rabbi who had been in Sydney and of course Michael Barnes who I complimented as the best teacher ever! He said afterwards "you naughty man" but these things should be s...

Took the boys to Crystal palace to see the dinosaurs. Once we reached the sandpit I left to get the train from the station  - quite  a walk to get there. I collected Liz's camera from Peter Jones - 10 minute wait! Popped into Holy Trinity and saw Tak Man Chow and Peter practising with Margaret Phillips for recital today. The Prom at Cadogan hall was Ben Grosvenor playing Chopin, Mompou, Ravel, Judith Weir and Liszt. He is excellent. The man next to me told me about drawing sessions at the National Gallery at 1 p.m. on Fridays - his name is Roger. Saw John East and Colin Hartley and his wife. Listened to Walton symphony No. 1 from the Proms and Peter Maxwell Davies Prom. To Catenians and one visiting gentleman Anthony Sorrell was there. Nice to see Gerry Haines again and Derrick spoke about family history. Picked up Liz who had driven the boys home and went to the RPO's Prom.

Liz and I swam - I did 20. Yesterday little woman removed my bag from the disabled change room and did not answer knocks on door. Liz reckons she was having chemo. I cleared the patio and rearranged it. Fixed wires to the fences. Spent a lot of time doing Catenian invites to clergy and widows. Listened to Festival Hall organ concerts. Thomas Trotter was brilliant and Andy Scott gave a good interview. Poulenc and Berlioz very good.

Watered the garden and cleaned the plastic car we got from David next door. It was hot. Got the water feature going again. Watched Howard's End.  Had a nice meal including mackerel. To pre prom talk on John Cage. Ivor Hewett had fun getting us to make noises including with paper cups. Apparently Cage's notation can be read in numerous ways so how can it be said that his music is precise? The music walk went well. I had to take the laptop and we could not load it onto the Ipod. The headphones came apart and the hearing aids had to come out. It was great to see the Albert Hall loading bay and Imperial College. Bruce would have liked the piece in the bike park. David Sawer's piece was accompanied by amusing play with body parts! Judith Weir's What's in the Lake? was the best at the Serpentine gallery pavilion was the best and I told her so.She said how quiet it was as we listened on headphones and watched the model of the Albert Hall being pulled across the water a...

Woke 5 a.m. and went back to sleep. Swam 30. Interesting feature on Janacek on radio 3 - the Proms start today! The feature on the Proms is on at 9 a.m. as I drive back from the pool. Moved rubbish to front garden, cleaned kitchen floor, put away Ocado shopping. To Blackhorse and parked to go to Beckenham for Harra Bramma'a recital. Dorio having more trouble from the priest who is rude. Bach rather muddy, Reger Canzona and very nice Whitlock Fantasie Chorale No 1 in D flat. Home for lunch and Liz off to Heythrop for chat and tour about her 2 year mission course on Saturdays. I took spare lettuce and cabbage to Josie and had tea. They have rented accomodation and go back Thursday. To V and A to see Jain sculptures and queued for gallery. Met nice Maltese girl and her boyfriend. Got seats and could walk to rail for a view. Splendid Judith Weir, Brahms Academic festival overture with chorus, Liszt Piano con 2 with score Ben Grosvenor only 19 stunning. He played Liszt Hungarian rhapsod...

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...

Wednesday rehearsal with Stephen Cleobury for Thursday concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Had staff meetings in the morning and they went well. Left at 2 and Liz brought car up. Between rehearsal at Holy Trinity (hopeless sightlines and acoustic very echoey) and concert we walked down to the ice rink in front of the Natural History museum and bought spiced candles and decorations. The concert was great. King's sang Bullard, Weir, Vaughan Williams - superb baritone and tenor soloists, not so keen on the boy. Part 1 of Creation was fun with good tenor and baritone soloists, soprano not so great. Overture to "St Paul" and dance of the tumblers by Rimsky-Korsakov. Tenor sang "Ave Maria" and soprano "Panis". Best of all Fantasia on Christmas carols by Vaughan Williams. 3 congregational carols and 2 encores from Kings - Walford Davies The holly and the ivy and Stephen's arrangement of "Infant holy". 452 bus and 44 bus and drive home by 11.15 p.m...