The organist librarian

Caught up with stunning Australian tenor Kang Wang at Cardiff Singer final. What top notes! Very hot, quiet time at St John moved into the hall as Adrian Gunning was practising for Thursday's recital. To the cathedral for mass with combined boys and Palestrina choir from Dublin. Beautiful singing Franck and love the end of the Langlais Mass almost Britten will it end in major but no it is modal. District line train did go on to Richmond in the end. Boys loved tshirts, cards, drinks bottles and books from Africa. Sean said he had missed me and Ciaran was telling us geography details about the Falls.  Retired librarian postpones taking grandson to library. It must be hot besides I can only find 3 books.  Marius Twomey  postponed coffee meeting re getting Poles to join Catenians in South London and reading out to university students in London. Happy to relax at home and pulled some ivy off! Sean saw ants in front of fireplace.  State opening of Parliament. Must be...

Liz visited her Mum awaiting another procedure. No choir at Coulsdon so Vicky and Teresa acted as cantors for the Peter Jones Gloria. They hit top G twice and all was well. We celebrated Mary Magdalene with "Love's redeeeming work is done" and "Thine be the glory". I should have played "I know that my redeemer liveth" - ah well Eric Smith's meditations, Gordon Slater's "Easter Alleluya" and a Stanley Trumpet tune went well. I drove straight to Aylesford and arrived in good time for the Provincial president's Mass. Very good turnout of Catenians filling the relic chapel. Fr Jeff Cridland gave a good homily on the importance of such organisations in the church. Ann Shufflebottom did her best on the dreadful organ (she tells me she offered them money for a new organ and they turned it down!). Good to see Canon Bill Clements again. Anderson Gloria and Credo 3 got very slow. Drinks and picnic with the Cartons and Almeidas with wine and...

The carpet in the studyroom at work is beginning to smell and there is evidence of water haviong seeped through the brick walls into the corridor and adult library. The tap in the kitchen would not turn off so I called a plumber ansd switched off the stopcock putting the loos out of order for an hour. The reading group was great fun with lively discussion about "A Chinese-English dictionary for lovers". Most people liked the book. At lunchtime to Battersea Park bandstand to hear the South London concert band play songs from the shows in the rain! At Mass tonight Philip, George and Brian got their server's medals at last. The Palestrina choir of St Mary's pro-cathedral Dublin sang superbly. Flor Peeters Missa Josephi and Mawby's Ave verum. On the way home we listened to the Prom - Faure Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine. I saw Fr Seed after Mass and complimented him on his extraordinary autobiography "Nobody's child". At last I am getting to the hap...