The organist librarian

Sat vespers and Mass with Fr Daniel and most of the servers. Callum improvised on How brightly shines and I played Buxtehude and Gave on Sunday. Peregrine sang 3 kings beautifully. Evensong Gibbons and Rose Lord's prayer. Call the midwife and Christine Ke eler excellent.

Fr Jerry blessed chalk so we can write above our front doors 20+C+M+B+18 the year and the Magi Casper, Melchior and Balthazar. It also stands for Christus Mansionem Benedict "May Christ bless this house". He also gave us some lovely prayers to say as we do it. My hands were so cold today I found it hard to turn pages! Peregrine sang Three Kings beautifully. I played Buxtehude and Gade on How brightly shines. Also Andrew Fletcher on Was lebet one of my favourite hymns O worship the Lord. I have enjoyed serving and playing for the Epiphany 2018. For some reason we tend to be away for it e.g. Sydney 2017, India 2015 and 2013, and York Minster 2012. Tree and decorations down and put away. Cribs and dining room tree stay up until Candlemas. Stunning playing and musicianship from Nicola Benedetti with the London Mozart Players at St John's. Beethoven violin concerto and Coriolan overture. She signed my score. The rapport with the conductor a joy to watch. Lots of children ther...

It being Sea Sunday I played Walter Webber Trumpet tune on Lobe den Herren, Bonighton on Melita and Neils Gade Lobe den herren which has a fun waltz section. Toccata from Suite Gothique which always makes me think of the sea!  Superb virtuosic playing from Richard Pilliner at  St Michael and All Angels Beckenham  - he loved the organ. Delicious cucumber sandwiches and strawberry cream sponge cake. At evensong at  St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood   we sang Coleridge-Taylor's fun setting and Britten Jubilate Deo. "Sing choirs of heaven" to Richard Shephard's tune and "Songs of praise the angels sang". Bridge Adagio in E.

Liz dropped me at church. She got in late from the late night Prom which apparantly was fascinating - it did not impress in radio! I played Webber and Gade on Lobe den Herren, also Frank Bridge and Dad and Healey Willan on Bishopthorpe, Home for quick lunch and got to the hall early as a result. At Victoria a C2 bus splashed me so I spoke to the driver "Look at me, all because you drove too fast through that puddle" "I'm sorry about that" was the reply. When we got to the hall I went in the disabled loo and used the drier to dry off stripping off everything! I couldn't get the socks dry. Mary King on the War Requiem. A pity she did not cover more of the music and I dropped off at the end during the CD.  Tea at the RGS travel photographer and picnic in the park. Excellent discussion on the lost generation. I commented about the poor being unable to go to graves in France but forgot to mention family names like Worley dying out. Helen Dunmore and Stephen Hef...

Watched the mass concelebrated by the 17 new cardinals and the Pope from St Peter's. Nice brass and the choirs sang well especially the Westminster boy who sang the psalm beautifully. Liz went from Kent house. I played Webber and Gade on Lobe den herren and Willan and Hurford on Song 24. Practised some Faure. We took the Sebo to John Lewis because it keeps cutting out - turns out we had the wrong bag! Evensong from St Alban's an archive recording directed by Barry Rose. Watched programme on Sicily, Blandings and Call the midwife. An interesting programme on Lutyens and Castle Drogo and the impressive closing ceremony of the Sochi Olympics.

I played Buxtehude and Gade on How brightly shines and we sang O worship the Lord, As with gladness, Unto us a son is born, O thou who camest and Brightest and best. Worked on Christ the Lord to Jordan came and some other pieces. Interesting programme on 17th century writers including Newton at Woolthorpe and the Puritan Josselin. Nice butternut squash curry for lunch. The St JOhn's epiphany carols had a lot of good hymns and only 4 choral items viz Howells Coll reg Nunc, Holly and the Ivy arr Walford Davies, Three kings and Gardener Tomorrow shall be with Fr John on tambourine! Home to John Smiths and Antiques roadshow and Sherlock part 2 which was very clever.

Picked up Marie and Caroline at bus stop. Liz stayed home to work on essays. We sang Love came down at Christmas verse 1 as introit unaccompanied. Malcolm Archer's "Brightest and best" is quite delightful. John Bell's Jesus calls us to Hyfrodol, Ye holy angels bright and I the Lord of sea and sky both with descants. Kids rehearsed and bought Fairtrade stuff. I played Stanford on Gartan and Buxtehude and Gade on "How brightly shines"

Swam 36! Liz to Glyn Close for furniture and curtains. To St Stephen Walbrook for excellent recital by Timothy Wakerell of St Paul's cathedral. Bach, CPE Bach, Gade, Mendelssohn and Saint-Saens. Then to St Vedast and Goldsmiths Hall for excellent display of modern silver using different techniques and a copy of the ancient silver bowl from Leicestershire. Home by 3 so spent an hour in the back garden getting rid of the compost heap and putting up a new border fence and tidy up. To practice - only 4 there. To Adrian's for end of term party - lovely food and wine and met Laszlo from Budapest.

A fine Sunday. No choir and played Neils Gade and Walter Webber on "Lobe den herren". Molly enjoyed Rhosymedre by RVW at communion. Clapping Gloria and the yellow card for 6 weeks. Dennis's wedding announced. Molly and Ella will try choir end of September. After practice to Bill Beach's to discuss archives and history update. He has many good photos. Delivered directory to Eamonn at Windmill and cheque to Adrian.

Adoration of the Magi by Velasquez We had solemn vespers last night with incense and a great team of young servers at Mass much appreciated by Father Mark. We even had consecration candles for the first time on Saturday evening! At the end Oliver played "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" which he said he had played at a wedding! It worked well. Watched HDD of programme on British choreographer working at the Bolshoi for the first time and the remainder of the Pavarotti programme. His father had a great voice too! Friday evening we had Peter Owen Jones in China at Buddhist monasteries learning about kung fu and meditation. Today we sang Darke in E and Ouseley's "From the rising of the sun" and I played Buxtehude and Gade on "How brightly shines the morning star". John didn't feel up to Three Kings by Cornelius as like me he had a cold. Listened to John Humphreys on Desert Island Discs. The Bishop of Rochester is causing controversy by saying there are ...