The organist librarian

Did a lot of work on the family tree and added photos and lots of information and new connections. It seems Mary Ann Botterill was married twice - she certainly was a remarkable woman. Went to Addiscombe for second session with Canon Frank and John Stradling. It was stimulating. How can we make our parishes into joyful evangelising communities? Bishops have a difficult task and sometimes send the wrong priest to a parish in the sense of changing everything! We could use music more to attract and outreach. Lyn is in hospital so no lunch on Tuesday. 

Spent the whole of Thursday with a runny tummy. Did go to art but did not stay long and abandoned any ifea of going to interfaith lunch and ENO to see Girl of the Golden West. Liz went and enjoyed it. As it happens I was OK until bedtime! Watched The Apprentice, the rest of the WWI commemoration day services from Glasgow cathedral and the two programmes on immigrants with Nick and Margaret which were most interesting. I also did the programme for the day in Notting Hill visiting 4 organs on the 8th. Friday all seems OK but have stayed home and not gone to the cathedral for St John Southworth guild first dummy run! Nor did I go to Beckenham to hear Rosemary Field. Spoke to Bruce on Skype. Josie is fading fast which is so sad. Did two Tablet crosswords and have caught up with only one to read!

Sunday was welcomed back to St Michael's very warmly. I played the Willan and voluntaries on Carlisle and Cwn Rhondda. Sue has been playing the piano. A lady joined the choir! I ws asked to speak about my travels so I mentioned St Joseph's. Picked up Dennis and we proceeded to Acton where we had a delicious meal of pate and lamb. Lovely to see the family again after nearly 4 weeks. Monday Louise dropped us near Wood Lane and we got our train without a problem. Ciarán behaved impeccably. We walked to Jorvil which he thought very smelly but it has in fact been much improved although there were too many people in the exhibition area. The ride was good. Lots of people everywhere so a long wait for Carluccios table and the meal but it was OK. We arrived at the Minster at 3 and met Esther. She provided a children's trail and pack. While I handed over the King's Penny and she scanned a lot of my postcards and photos for the children's box. It was great to see the King...

A quiet day and back to the pool to do 20. Liz slept late and I went over to St George's Beckenham to hear Marilyn Harper play Bach, Mango Frist (who is this?) and Rootham which I have heard before (Song of Victory). 40 there. Got calendar at Beckenham bookshop. The clergy supper went very well. Fr David cried off so Fr Joe  was the only Norwood clerical guest and he said Hello. Sr Sheila spoke really well and Hilary Fife enjoyed it. It was good the younger ones came and I made a point of meeting and greeting them all. The real star of the show was Fr Brian who spoke eloquently without notes. Raffle tickets ran out but more were made so that was solved and we got away about 11. A successful evening and the food was very good - delicious salmon and sticky toffee pudding. Saturday got up at noon! Reading Tablets and to Bloomsbury Baptist for Eleni's recital. She played BWV544, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens and Greek pieces. I was shocked to be charged £4.70 to go on the tube...

Woke early so looked up Dad's book (volume 1). It was 1962 when we went to the accountants congress in New York and played the final voluntary at St Bartholomew Park Avenue which has the largest organ in New York City. He played Thiman's Tuba Tune in E on 33 inches of wind pressure! It must have been a thrill as he often spoke of it. He did attend Mattins at St Thomas 5th Avenue and met Mr Self the organist. Tertius Noble went there from York Minster. He also went to evensong at the cathedral of St John the Divine where Alec Wyton presided so it was entirely right for me to play Wyton at St Thomas. I also played Healey Willan Fugal trilogy which Dad loved to play and Thalben-Ball and Andrew Moore. With Basil McEvilly he visited Boston, Niagara and Washington by greyhound bus and they survived on $5 a day! It was his last visit to see his mother in York. 

Woke late Ocado delivery. To art but Julie not there so started on a watercolour pencil of the fall basing it on photos. A quiet day clearing up and cleaning. Watched 3 Downton Abbey episodes.

Our last day in Washington sunny and to Library of Congress. We tagged on a group going to overview the reading room and some woman said "I'm not sure that they are in the group" to which I retorted "Tough we want to see this and I am fed up of being told what not to do". All this security gets to you after a bit. The deocration is amazing and the Bibles impressive. Very good screen presentations and we saw Jefferson's library and Civil Rights Act and early Americas with amazing maps. Thought of Francis. Great to see Gershwin's piano, metronome and painting of Jerome Kern. Less impressed by the homage to Bob Hope. The Folger Shakespeare library was a disappointment - the first folio and a short video and heraldy and figurines - no theatre or garden so looks like you have to do the once a day tour! Sat in the park for a while and checked out 1.30 subway and 5A bus to Dulles airport which took an hour. We checked in as there was nothing to do in that part...