The organist librarian

Mosaic and Linda helped with the little houses. The flower ladies were very noisy! Asher Oliver played really well at Cornhill. Bruhns, Franck, Ives replaced Leighton, Alain, best of all Howells Ps Prelude set 1 no 3 and JSB 546. To Bush House The Arcade. Sara Shamma: modern slavery. The film is challenging. She says you need to engage with people to paint them. Somerset House rink up and running. The South African artist Shinabore somehow did not engage me. Met Michael on bus. The art of persuasion posters by Abram Games at National Army museum very interesting. I wonder why his work is not in a public collection? To cathedral for meditation remembering Eileen McDade. Frank Bond who always wore bow ties remembered at joint Bromley and Blackheath and Chislehurst Catenian meeting

Mosaic. Benjamin Newlove played well at St Michael Cornhill. Certainly knocked the spots of Mendelssohn 4! To Forest Hill to see Ros. Beckenham circle attracted 30 with sausage and mash. Watched Couples come dine with me, Bronx Zoo and sporting icons.   Noel Rawsthorne died. Father Brown was good. 

Played for Harry Mellor's funeral with Marie-Christine Gordon on sax. Congregation got way behind in Lord of all hopefulness. Their fault not ours. Panis angelicus , Pie Jesu, Faith of our fathers. Nice reception at Alleyn's Head. Catenians well represented.  Late at Holy Trinity Sloane Street as bus slow over Chelsea bridge. Jamie Rogers played well. Tea at Peter Jones not impressed by their Christmas fruit cake. To the cathedral for superb recital by Martin Baker. Buxtehude, Orgelbuchlein project, Widor Symphony No. 3. The Fox and Widor arrangements of Bach were OTT. How Widor can end Tears of grief with a major chord beats me! Good audience. Home to watch The Apprentice.

New mould for new hearing aid so much better and I have a fine tune session for February at Guys. To Selfridges to get musical crackers and St George Hanover Square for excellent playing by Wyatt Smith from Seattle - Bohm, JSB and Bruhns ideal on that organ. Copied Walsingham Mass. 

To Caterham and served tea and coffee at church fair. Engaged about carol singing and several people took leaflets. Morrisons car park jammed. Soper Hall crap school choir outside. Caterham school choir and band much better outside Morrisons. Home for lunch. To Ben Bloor's recital at Bloomsbury. Philip wanted me to turn but I had to leave. Excellent playing. Vespers Advent 1 and first candle lit by Fleur. Emmanuel served as his friends were having silver wedding celebration but he was as usual a pain and acted as MC!! Programme on Christies.

To Sisters of Sion Chepstow Villas for illustrated talks on women of the Bible in art by Anne McGough. Sr Margaret Shepherd told me about her dealings with the Vatican and Bishops conference. Collected Parish choirbooks from Bloomsbury Baptist and heard part of Nicholas Wearne's recital. Traffic very bad because of Pride march so tube to Victoria. Martin Plunkett gave an excellent homily and Excelsis sang at Mass. To West Wickham for organists dinner and William William R McVicker  and Revd Bill Bowman were entertaining.

Swam 20. Clearing shed Liz found a dead rat and the wood has rotted away and holes in felt. Went to guide at the cathedral and there were 7 guides and a funeral so no tours! After tea left. To Acton and the boys in the pool and making track.  To St John Notting Hill to hear Oundle winner Christopher Baczkowski who is excellent! Sam Barber was on duty. Decided not to go to Holland Park mosque iftar as I would have to hang about for over an hour. Liz enjoyed Michael Flatley and Irish dance.

To Kent House. Unfortunately got off at Bromley South where I should have changed at Orpington. Anyway Brendan met me at Sevenoaks station in his BMW and we picked up Fergus (very grand house). Visited Oakwood House (lovely but expensive) Village (not so nice) Holiday Inn (disappointing) and finally Darenth Valley Golf club and his will be a good venue for a St George's Provincial Gala Dinner and Dance. Menu  Butternut Soup, Lamb noisettes, two desserts and cheese. Brendan will also book the Heartbeats. It was a miserable day so came home and had a rest watching Picasso programme - my tooth was bothering me. I went to Bloomsbury Baptist to hear Henry Fairs play Buxtehude, Hoffmann and Bruhns. He is now so fat I am amazed he can see the pedals! They locked a troublesome door which i do not think they should have done. It made my exit befofe the Nielsen awkward. Mark Doran was at mass -confirmation candidates and Fr Andrew had asked Mark to help with radio mike. There were 6 se...

Had a lie-in after a restless night during which I dreamed about the Queen! Sent off 6 CDs to Old Johannians in U.K. and John East. Per Thunarf from Stockholm played well at St Michael's. Gigout, Lemmens, Swedish composers and Hesse. Nice to see Dorio - he seems to be getting deaf. To dentist and had to wait. I am to have a denture and 2 top teeth taken out which should improve my smile! To meet Bruce at Queensway and hand over theatre tickets then back on bus to cathedral for excellent recital by Johannes Geffert from Cologne. Bruhns, Bach (with scores), Vierne, Schumann and Liszt. Saw Rosa, Martin Ball, Peter Stevens and Andrew Cessana. Watched Great British bake off and Educating Yorkshire.

Tuesday to lunchtime concert at Grosvenor chapel. Martin Ball was there. Richard Hobson played Bruhns, Clerambault and Bach very well. Picnic in park and took family's photo. To Royal Academy to see lovely Impressionists and tea there.Lovely day. To the prom and the pre Prom talk with members of the orchestra of the Age of enlightenment - clarinet, flute and horn - interesting to hear about the instruments and Mozart's use of them. The opera was well staged so moved from seat to rail at times holding score. Superb singing. Liz missed the prom again. I went to Acton. Wednesday to Chiswick for some shopping and Ciarán enjoyed playing at Starbucks and in the sand at Ravenscourt Park. He was very good about leaving the playground and we then got caught in a downpour. Had lunch in the cafe as we were wet including ice cream. Dried off and to Stratford for the opening of the Paralympics. Fantastic atmosphere and huge stadium. The show was great - especially liked the dancers like th...

Woke at 2, 4, 6, 7.30 and up at 9.45 so no swim. Cleared up, cleaned and hoovered ready for Catenian council here tonight. Took broken study chair and garden waste to tip. Liz finished essay. To Bromley Parish church for excellent recital by David Phillips. Bach, Alain, Vierne, Bruhns, Howells. More reading from Damian!

Swam 30 and saw Melvin. John Fulton will help him in Vancouver. Spoke to Liz and Ann on skype - Liz found her phone. Ciarán has throat infection and on antibiotics. To library but some scores have still not come from Ealing! To St Stephen Wallbrook despite the rain for recital by Richard Hobson of Grosvenor chapel, Mayfair. Mathias, Stanley, Bruhns, JSB, Sweelinck, Franck Pastorale and Dubois toccata. Enjoying The tiger's wife. Watched last episode of The Hour while I ate my burgers and veg and watermelon. Antiques Master on TV.

Up early and watched the end of "Fallout" and the excellent programme on the history of Sunday schools and their unfortunate decline well presented by Huw Edwards. 20,000Catholic children used to process in Manchester. Roy Hattersley attended by socialist Sunday school and the Anglican one. Spoke to Ann who is safely home. Clare had cleaned the whole house! To St Michael's for Andrew Cantrill's excellent and musical recital - Boellmann Second suite, Couperin, Bruhns Praeludium in E minor. I dropped if in the Messiaen! Met Jeanne Brett on the bus to East Croydon. To British Library for interfaith visit to Ramayana exhibition. 13 came and Aviva was an excellent guide. she does interfaith work for the Jewish Board of Deputies! She talked about the library and the wider collection then took us round the very colourful display. I loved the animals! The visit actually overran by 15 minutes it was so good. I spent some more time there and looked at lovely East Asian new prin...