The organist librarian

As we were celebrating Bible Sunday and the serving community we sang David Ogden's setting of "Christ has no body now but yours" and I played Suite Gothique. The toccata went well. To Cricketers Harvester at Addington Village for Dulwich catenians lunch entertaining Mike Reidy the PP. Had pork belly. Dennis and  family came back to us afterwards. Mass at Anerley. Watched programmes on Antarctica and Oxford in the Civil War. 

Special visit to Christ Church cathedral Oxford to see Irina Bradley's icons only to find electrical work up above prevents close examination. Christ Church gallery is a hidden treasure. Health and safety strikes again! Safely home 390 miles of driving. Those motorways -car transporters seem to be the worst about lanes and not hogging the middle lane. M54 closed and satnav kept trying to take me back to it but I went through Wolverhampton to M6! Pedestrian access to Birmingham symphony Hall so bad thanks to building a new centre - ended up walking on the road! Birmingham designed for cars not people!

A most successful with 4 different organs; the superb Dobson at Merton, quality Harrison at Lady Margaret Hall, Matthew Copley at St Aloysius Oratory and St Mary Magdalen.I got the Oxford tube with 3 others at 8. Ben Nicholas dleighted to see us at Merton and a superb organ. We heard Widor and Buxtehude and I played Willan and Moore. 8 played. Long walk to Lady Margaret Hall and Nicholas demonstrated the fine Harrison. Had my lunch there and then to St Aloysius oratory. Edward Dove organ builder there. It's very loud!  Got hot salad and coffee. St Mary Magdalen vicar came and told us history, given tea, unusual console and use of glass as a refective surface. Played Whitlock. Saw Saira Malik in Cornmarket giving out Christian literature then to Ashmolean for lovely British drawings and Gillray and the gallery has been rehung really well. Ice cream Oxford blue and Ambassadors and tea then to Christ Church cathedral for evensong. Harwood in A flat, Vaughan Wlliams Easter - superb t...

Ciarán really enjoyed his holiday with us going to 2 films and Macdonalds today. Apparently the real highlight was that i had to sleep in his bed as he had moved into our room by the time I went up! I enjoyed art today and the background of the Chennai picture is looking much better. Guiding at the cathedral I met a young Jew attempting to write one page on the 3 major faiths(!) a Hindu and a priest from Canberra who served there in 1959! He was at the farewell for George Malcolm. Very interesting! The Oxford organ visit programme is now drafted.

After much planning by email the great day dawned. Got Oxford tube at 8.05 a.m. To church of SS Edmund and Frideswide Greyfriars Hall and played small Darke organ and large one - not a comfortable console. Bought "Organs of Oxford" from John Brunsden. Bus into town to St Peter's College. Roger Allen pointed out the Croydon connections and Jonathan Lowe played Mendelssohn on the fine Willis. JL had conducted Don Giovanni in the chapel! To Balliol where Jonathan Turner showed us the Hall organ in need of repair and the chapel organ which is a Harrison. To Holywell music room where Katharine Pardee demonstrated the Donaldson organ of 1790. We all loved Wadham college chapel's Willis and I played some Willan on it. Katharine played Mendelssohn sonata no. 4 beautifully. Had fish and chips and bitter at King's Head with Chris Town and Peter. To St John's College chapel for the new Aubertin which was seriously out of tune! Martin Stokes welcomed us. To Lincoln colleg...

Woke up early again so wrote to Malcolm Hicks M.P. about the Human fertilisation and embryology bill and the Battersea Crane disaster. I can deliver these letters on my way to the pool. Boiler was turned off at the library on Tuesday and I was most impressed that fan heaters were supplied within the hour! Man came to inspect last night and told me the boiler was 22 years old. The woman who was so rude to Elizabeth and received a letter came in to apologise. I was amazed so see who it was and she is usually very pleasant. It turns out she is a defaulter any way. I told her she must apologise to Elizabeth. A busy day - came to look at guiding. Doris will have to stop putting up so many posters and leaflets. Doris retires in September. I stressed the need for better guiding and outlined my plans for a rearrangement of the adult library which has been the same for 5 years. To practice and went through Holy Week music and Stainer again because Monica was there. I do find it to be poor musi...

Still blowy but at least it was fine today. 36 lengths of the pool. Said goodbye to Marina who is going to work at Northcote. To Battersea power station community forum and then Catenian council meeting at Brendan's. Kevin is organised for the incoming year. We all went to Xin Chinese Thai restaurant for a good meal but I as usual didn't feel full eating so many little bits and pieces! Company was good - Bill is off to China in April. Gerry reckoned he had never been to a Chinese meal before! I have sent out emails re the Oxford organists visit on May 10th and had some responses.

After a quiet morning at the library to Oxford on the Oxfordtube. Amazing value - only £6 return on the coach for over 60s after 3 p.m. Found the b and b whihc was pretty basic (actually the breakfast made up for the room. Into town on the bus and walked to St Cross college with a detour into the treasure trove of Borders book shop! A pleasant reception presided over by the genial master. Met Helene's niece who had read my blog and her mother and boyfriend. Also a charming lady who had come all the way from Chicago! Strange how the English don't like talking to people they don't know. Not like the Australians at all! There were tributes to Helene on the piano and we requested memorial cards. Walked to St Mary's where seats had been kept as the church was full! An amazing concert of tributes and Helene would have loved it. Met Helene's brother and his second wife. He said he had seen Stravinsky at the Festival Hall with his hat and coat on during the curtain calls af...