The organist librarian

Swim. Liturgical car crash at Mass at Thornton Heath. Reader starts to sing Alleluia, priest says firmly Praise to you, congregation start to sing Praise (Walsh) in at least 3 different pitches. Ouch! Reminder at start of homily No A word and no Gloria in Lent. Another builder came. To art and not many there. Bridgid and Steven lost their first grandchild and Pauline has not returned. To South London interfaith group lunch and discussion about the AGM. Prem played the guitar! I decided not to go to the talk about Coptic martyrs at the Oratory and returned home. We had a snow shower this morning! Watched Victoria and Albert, Chester Zoo, Thai railways.

High winds. 468 late but just got 407. Played Homage to Howells by Ronald Watson and De profundis Aus der tiefe Hendrick Andriessen. We sang Lent prose and All my hope on God is founded. Anne-Marie Garton preached on spring cleaning and Lenten promises. 6 weeks with no alcohol....Superb singing on radio 3 from St John's college Cambridge and the second reading was riveting! Disturbing BBC news item on poaching of Botswana's elephants. Evensong Thou knowest Lord Purcell and Harris in A not his best setting. Great playing by Eleni Keventsidou at Christ's Chapel Dulwich and a good audience enjoyed the eats afterwards. It has been a good start to Lent with quiet reflection on Ash Wednesday and a moving funeral on Thursday.It strikes me that the outside world seldom sees the church at its best when a community is united in grief and joy at the loss of a beloved brother and friend. The media seldom portrays this. All they see are the faults. And that is not to deny the fa...

Sent off details of Coloma presentation to local papers and diocesan paper. Also Catenian family events diary to visiting gentlemen and brothers. I have done some feedback to Andrew Bishop. Liz went from Kent House. We stuck to the Murray setting maybe next year we can get another one for Lent! I played Orgelbuchlein preludes for Lent and the recit from the St Matthew Passion which mentions Adam. Alan's organ music is now packed up in 3 boxes and I went through the photocopy files and picked out a few. A lovely day and cleared up the garden - 6 bags! There seemed to be birch twigs everywhere and bits of next door's extension roof! Saw David in shorts! Didn't go to evensong - could face Kathie singing Hear my prayer! Watched Songs of Praise and heard Gloucester cathedral evensong which was excellent. Last Call the midwife of the series - ah!

Each day I am reading Carroll Stuhlmueller's commentary on the scriptures of the day, Magnificat, Living as One and Paul Wesley Chilcote's "The song for ever new" commentaries for Lent and Easter on Charles Wesley's hymns. This is in addition to morning and evening prayer and The Tablet!

Celtic cross from Iona taken by Father Rob Laws Shame on my thoughts, how they stray from me! I fear great danger from this on the day of judgement. During the Psalms they wander on a path that is not right; They run, they distract, they misbehave before the eyes of the great God... One moment they follow ways of loveliness, and the nest ways of riotous shame - no lie! O beloved truly chaste Christ, to whom every eye is clear, may the grace of the sevenfold Spirit come to help them, to hold them in check! Rule this heart of mine, O swift God of the elements, that you may be my love, and that I may do your will. Traditional Gaelic Prayer

On Sunday we sang Wesley's superb "Wash me throughly" in the morning and Charles Wood's Mass in the Phrygian mode which was my audition piece at Coulsdon. Psalm 63 beautifully chanted and some fine new words to "Lift high the cross". I played Buxtehude Passacaglia in D minor and the Partita "Auf meine leben Gott". We also sang "My spirit longs for thee" to the tune "Eccles" (Goons?) I should have used "Quam dilecta" but forgot! Evensong was suitably penitential with psalms 12 and 13, Willan fauxbourdon setting and Mudd's "Let thy merciful ears". I played Bach's "O Lamm Gottes unschuldig" Orgelbuchlein prelude and "The descent from the Cross" which is the bass aria from the St Matthew Passion. At the end prelude "Herzliebster Jesu" by Brahms.