The organist librarian

Good recital at Holy Trinity Sloane Square by Mylene Shoreman who is a GP. Bridge, Bach, Vierne - the organ sounds great and there were 40 there. Chatted to tenor and organist from Acton member of SSG and I cannot remember his name! Came home for a meal. Went to an extraordinary event at Initiatives for change on mindfulness and its implications for mental health in business and education. Got 2 buses to Acton because of tube strike. Wednesday Liz set off for Hexham on first class train with wine! I took Seán to Acton Parish church playgroup - not many there. Had a look in the church and there is a large Walker organ. Picked up Ciaran and we went to Gunnersbury. Lovely and sunny and we had lunch and ice creams. Helen and Yap came along with the girls so I was able to have a look round Gunnersbury museum which is interesting. Boys fell asleep in the car. Evensong from St John's Cambridge. To Philippe Lefevre from Notre Dame Paris playing at the cathedral - Franck and Vierne 2 with...

Took Ann and Paul to East Croydon - it has been a lovely time together. Swam 20, cut my thumb at mosaic taking tiles off to redo them. Played at funeral of Shirley from Barbados. Singer came to do Going home so I played that and Faure, Elgar and Handel beforehand. It was all very dignified and heartfelt. Cheque for £40 but contract says it should be £60. Saw the beehive in the vicarage garden as I parked at the back. To Harvey Nichols for delicious champagne chocolate tea - this was to make up for the poor tea Liz had there before. We sat in Hyde Park for a while enjoying the sunshine and the green trees then to confirmation class where Paolo answered some good questions. Watched Rev - the end of this series.

Saw a little of the canonisation of John XXIII and John Paul II from Rome on the computer. Ann and Paul came to St Michael's and I played Christopher Tambling on O filli, Gordon Slater's Easter Alleluya and Michael Fleming on Noel nouvelet. We sang Jesus lives! Love's redeeming work is done and Now the green blade. Unfortunately none of the psalm settings fitted the version on the sheet. We had Celtic alleluia. Paul was on good form. Finished with the Hallelujah chorus which got a clap. Lovely pork for lunch. Seán was absolutely fine waking up with us. Louise took the boys to the lake and Kelsey Park and I took Paul Down house which he enjoyed. I saw things about Darwin I had missed the first time. We watched Rev and Antiques road show, Rev, also the rest of the Young musician percussion final (Simone Rebello was one of the judges) and the programme on Messiah and Coram.

Had a lie-in and Louise arrived with the boys. Seán was on great form. Paul posted all his photos which are great. Disposed of 3 dead mice in the bin - yuk! We enjoyed the London Eye very much - how green the city is and so many high buildings going up. Crossed the Golden Jubilee bridge and ate at Café Rouge - camembert baguette. Handbagged at the Vaudeville theatre was hilarious and also sad. A great show. We went to vespers and Mass with Fr Alexander. David played Widor Marche pontificale for the 2 Popes to be beatified tomorrow. Came home to a delicious pork meal cooked by Louise with a good champagne. We watched Rev which was rather dark - I had earlier completed a Christian survey about the series. I watched most of a programme on Messiah and Coram's foundling hospital. Proms prospectus is full of goodies and the Singapore Symphony orchestra are to play - some years since I suggested this!

Dennis ferried us to the station which took ages as the traffic was so bad. He then went off to Northallerton and traced Woodhouses back to 1736. We got the 10.57 train to Leeds and Liz and I went to the Minster to hear Simon Lindley who recognised me. Easter music by Bach, Dandrieu, Langlais, Slater, Moore, Stanford and Faulkes - most enjoyable. We then went back to the station. Ann and Paul had been to the art gallery and library. We got a taxi to Lawns Wood and found the place where the ashes were scattered and the book of remembrance was opened to the page where Granddad was recorded. Back to town on the bus for tea and train back arriving at 7 and home by 8.10. It has been a successful trip.

We also visited Bar Convent and Priory Street and were able to get into St Mary Bishophill Junior to see Herbert Harold Worley commemorated on the war memorial. Thursday we met Peter Stanhope at St Michael le Belfrey which has Frank Woodhouse on the memorial and some wonderful stained glass. The organ bench is replaced by electronic equipment. We went into the Minster and the head verger kindly allowed us to see the magnificent King's Book. There for the first time we saw a photo of Frank Woodhouse, granddad's cousin and Herbert Harold Worley. Edwin Tate designed the cover. Peter then took us to see where the Tates lived at the college of St William and on to the Bedall hall. We had coffee in the Shambles at a nice Italian place. Then to Park Grove school to see the Nellie Woodhouse memorial board with 10 years of names on it. Ann interacted well with the children who asked lots of good questions. Andrew Calverley came to see us. Back to the b and b for a rest and then up the ...

We set off on the X68 and I asked Liz if she had the senior railcards. She went home and came on the train so we all got the train OK. Taxi to Bowen House which is very near Park Grove and very comfortable and turned out to be great value at £70 for b and a huge breakfast! We had a look at No. 22 and walked round the Monkbar walls. Went to Banks with Dennis and he bought me the 90th birthday tribute book to Francis Jackson with CD and I bought him an organ tutor by David Sanger. Champagne tea at Bettys was as always very special. We then walked the walls from Jewry to Monkgate and back to the hotel. I tried No. 22 again and a woman came to the door and said she was getting ready to go to work and shut the door! Wednesday we went to York cemetery and David was very helpful finding the records and taking us to the graves. Thank goodness we had photos of the graves and a spade for clearing brambles and earth! We bought a book about the cemetery. Dennis drove us to North Otterington and ...