The organist librarian

Watched "Milk" on TV - I have seen it before but it is good. To SOAS on 468 for 4th multifaith Faiths in tune, Set up table and Lola arrived with the Conversations cards which are very attractive. I had made lots of copies of the cathedral interfaith group leaflets. I heard a good Christian group from Ealing. It was pleasant chatting to William. Shereen came in the afternoon. Stefan and Arfan sang and played well and were there all day. There were people about but not as much as hoped. Had Moorish lunch and packed up at 5.30 to get to Chrism Mass rehearsal whcih went well. We are acolytes and consecration torches. Watched Noah's ark on TV.                                                                                                     ...

Saturday a quiet day sleeping in a bit, unpacking and catching up on emails. Set off to got to Timothy Byram-Wigfield's recital at Bloomsbury Baptist but missed train, next one cancelled at Kent House and going to Bromley South still meant I did not make it. Saw Ann Martin on the 24 and Paul Moynihan got on but ignored me. Met Liz for tea and served 6 p.m. Mass. Brian asked about our trip. Straight to Langley Park golf club for Beckenham circle's dinner of chicken. Deputy governor of Bank of England spoke -  a bit dull but we enoyed the evening. Sunday damp but processions still happened! I played Kauffmann on St Theodulph, Bach on Herzlich and Tears of Grief. Andrew Newcombe has been made redundant. Sue confirmed she is leaving. Paul very interested in Jerusalem and he preached well. Nice lunch and Palm Sunday service at St John's was well done with Victoria, Byrd, etc. Watched Indian summers and Antiques roadshow. 

Watched two films on the way back Testament of Youth which got very gory and Riot club which was disgusting. Hard to hear the dialogue. Simon Schama on Rembrandt was good.

Wednesday was a serious day. We went to Yad Vashem which is distressing and makes me angry at the inhumanity of the Holocast. Afterwards we met Yahan a Jew who works against demolition of Palestinian houses. He showed us how Yad Vashem while an excellent museum has an agenda about Israel and is built on the site of demolished villages. We went to see the outskirts of a mental hospital where the village was where Palestinians were massacred in 1948 leading to evacuations. In the evening we had an excllent session with Christian and Mulsim young ladies - the account of the El Al search was disgusting and I will certainly l never fly with them again. I am still puzzling over apartheid parallels but there is hope that the women might change things. Thursday 26.3.15 To the Dome of the Rock at 7 a.m. We were very priviledged to go into both mosques and the Muslims prayed under the actual rock. Wonderful stained glass and mosaics and decoration. The Al Aqsa mosque is huge – 7 aisles and mo...

After the serious day at Hebron, engaging with the High school students and the Archbishop and his wife we had a fun day. Breakfast at 6.30 and a long drive with a stop for coffee to Nazareth where we visited the huge church of the Annunciation. I did a sketch of the grotto area. We then drove via Cana to the Sea of Galilee for an excellent fish lunch at the Church of the Beatitudes. I did a sketch and we had a lovely outdoor Eucharist celebrated by Bishop Richard with the sea as a backdrop. On to Tabgha with its fine mosaics and then an hour at Peter’s primacy where I did 2 sketches of people paddling and the Muslims praying by the seashore. An interesting time at Capernaum with its synagogue and Peter’s house and church and had an ice cream and coffee. Slept on the way back and a good dinner and Mike led compline in the college chapel.

To 7 a.m. eucharist in the cathedral which started early - the archbishop was there. After breakfast we went to Hebron seeing many settlements in the West Bank on the way. The mosque has many fine features and the tombs of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac and Joseph but the Israelis carved out a synagogue from the building. The Jewish students are in a covered courtyard area and the atmosphere is wierd. I watched one taking off his phylactery and kissing it. Spent our money in the Palestinian shop buying pottery, cushion cover, etc. Back for lunch and then to St George's school for a session with some inspiring Muslim and Christian students. They used "they" every time they spoke of Israelis. Some had met Jews at summer camp and learnt from that. There were many interesting comments. Prepared videos.

19.3.15 St Joseph. Woke at 6.45 too late to get to Eucharist in the cathedral. The Muslims got up at 4 a.m. to go to the Al Aqsa mosque – prayers there are multiplied 10,000 times! After a good breakfast we talked about hopes and challenges for the course. Dr Rodney Aist gave us an overview of the history and we talked about the Pact of Omar which appears to be a forgery and the paragraph from Nostra Aetate about Muslims. A lovely lunch and then off to the Mount of Olives for the chapel of the Ascension which is a shared site and Mustafa gave us the history from a Muslim viewpoint. A long walk down the hill to the Church of the Nations, tomb of Mary and Gethsemani. We met up again at the Lions gate and El-Ghazali square and a visit to the Muslim cemetery where 2 of Muhammad’s companions are buried. A walk along the Via Dolorosa and through the covered market to the Wailing Wall where there has been more building. Back to the coach and had a rest. Liz went to evensong in the cathedral...