Here's hoping the rain is not as heavy as it sounds on the conservatory roof. There is never enough parking at the care home so I'm still planning to cycle.

Well done past me for learning my Christmas voluntaries properly at some point: the muscle memory is mostly still there. Phew!

Making pastry for mince pies, which we eat by the score. The Beloved used to do most of it. ☹️ But I rejoice that he will be able to eat and enjoy them. 🕯️ Merry Christmas

My Christmas-mad ADoM has just gone in to wrap the Beloved's presents for him with the greeting 'your elf is here'. 😂 He's not quite Scrooge but he's never been wild about Christmas & present wrapping was never his strong point even before his illness. So I think they are both happy.

It's time! Advent means Malcolm Archer's glorious voluntary on the hymn tune 'Merton' (Hark a thrilling voice).

The Beloved trying to tell me something funny is hilarious in its own right. He hasn't even started yet and I'm in stitches. Now I have to wait until he's composed himself.

Well, it's a good job we've established that our Choral Evensong is a Family Service, with an appropriately *short* all-age talk. My Assistant DoM has caught the lurgy that is going round, and they were supposed to be preaching today...

Fantastic choir practice tonight for Sunday's Advent Carol Service: St Mary's Wheatley, 5.30pm, Sunday 30th November. Chilcott's 'Nova! nova!' going especially well - fun to conduct with all the time signature changes! Looking forward to playing Bach and Flor Peeters on the organ too. Do join us!

It's beginning to sound a lot like Advent. Halfway through today's long practice: Advent Carol Service done. A wee taster of my final voluntary attached (Flor Peeters). Now to practise for the morning service and Saturday's wedding.

Wow! The Beloved walked all the way from the car park to the cafe: twice as far as usual. Yay!!

The choristers *literally* squealed with joy when they found that we were doing my canticles setting this evening. I am gobsmacked. If anyone wants a lively unison setting that choristers will really enjoy, let me know! Happy to send pdf in return for small donation to our church.

Any basses near Oxford available for an Advent Carol Service evening of 30th November? St Mary's Wheatley. I have tenors, but no basses! 4 unaccompanied choir items planned... Other voices also most welcome.

I've fixed up a piano lesson and it feels a tad nerve-wracking. Haven't had one for about 20 years, and that was a one-off with a friend who refused to let me pay for it. Before that it must have been 30 years ago when I last had vaguely regular lessons. It feels a life-time ago.

Got stuck behind car travelling 10mph or more below speed limit all the way to the station so had to run and didn't have time to get coffee. ☹️ Good job I wasn't relying on getting breakfast there as I usually do.

Oxford Diocese annual Lay Ministers Service today. On my way to direct the choir: we've challenged ourselves to sing Beati Quorum Via as it's All Saints Day. Praying no more sopranos go down with colds!

Muscle memory is a funny thing. Playing a Bach Trio Sonata on organ relies on it entirely: way too much to think about o/w. The odd thing is, if my hands go wrong it's almost always because of an earlier foot error I probably barely noticed. I have to go back & find the hiccup which set off the mess

Soooo much fun with The Cellist this afternoon. Lots of progress made on the Mendelssohn 2nd Sonata. Still struggling to find anyone to give us a lesson on it though. Can't understand why it isn't more widely played. Ok, the piano part is fiendish, but it's so rewarding to play.

Words you don't expect to hear your Assistant DoM say: 'Don't take the butternut squash into the vestry'.

I've got my 4 best mezzos (+me) this morning, and no men. The temptation to switch the anthem to 'Lift Thine Eyes', for no reason other than that we *can*, is too strong. I'm playing Mendelssohn's 2nd sonata for voluntaries too... Yay Mendelssohn. 🥰

The Cellist is coming round next Thursday. That's 5 more days of practice. It's certainly improved with around 30 hours work since he was last here a month ago. *He'd better notice*.

Phew! That was an exercise in how fast I can talk for an hour! Anyone listening to the recording of the Problem Solving Matters final online session for the TMUA might want to listen on half speed!! 🤣 The attendees seemed to find it helpful though.

Is your school ready to become champions? Ritangle 2025/6 is coming and will be open for registrations from 8 October! Keep your eye on our website, BlueSky and X for more information. #Ritangle #MathsChallenge

Muscle memory is an amazing thing: sometimes I wonder how on earth I'm playing a fast and/or complex passage as my fingers seem to be operating independently of my brain but completely accurately. It is immensely satisfying, but only happens after lengthy disciplined practice. 1/2

Grrr. Phone just did update and my stats for Byrdle and Square word are gone.

The Cellist is busy for the next month, so I'm going to ease up* on practising the Mendelssohn sonata and learn some solo piano music. Played through the Holberg Suite earlier and feeling it's doable: watch this space. *mustn't let it slip totally - I need to get that 1st mvt nailed by 9th October.

Good news all round today. The Beloved's scan is clear: the next one will be beyond the 3-year mark. And we've found an exciting holiday for our silver wedding anniversary next year: we've booked a cruise! Really not our sort of holiday, but needs must & we're so excited to be able do something. 1/2

So proud of our Junior Choristers today - first Sunday back after the summer, and they remembered so much and sang with real confidence. Bairstow canticles (which they knew), a simple anthem & a challenging introit (both new). Now we just need to find some more youngsters to join them...

Looking for cello teacher who knows Mendelssohn's 2nd sonata. Hardly anyone seems to play it which is odd, as it's brilliant. Also their pianist as I could use a lesson or two too. Does anyone have contacts? We're Oxfordshire but prepared to travel. Both very good amateurs, looking to perform this.

It's time for Mendelssohn 3 (that's organ sonata not symphony). Hoping I've left myself enough time to get it back up to scratch before our Patronal Festival on 7 Sep. I usually roll it out once a year but this is the first time since the reordering so it's probably 3 years since I last played it.

Holiday task is learning Mendelssohn's 2nd Cello sonata (piano part). Very pleased that I played the last mvt at current target speed (110 by end of August, aiming for concert speed of 120) with only 2 small sections falling apart. 🥳

We usually have afternoon tea on our wedding anniversary but all the tea shops in Norfolk were closed last Monday. So back at Bicester Garden Centre today.

Half way home. Wimpole Hall. Walled Garden worth the visit on its own. Hall will have to wait for another time.

Is this wise?

@annabeerauthor.bsky.social you quote 'the Book of Samuel' on page 1 of Sounds and Sweet Airs. There are two Books of Samuel so that's not a good start. Please provide chapter and verse for the quote as we can't find it. Thank you.

Thank you @rspb.bsky.social Titchwell Marsh for loan of better wheelchair than ours and accessible paths and hides. Fantastic to see avocets, but mostly just great getting out with the Beloved.

24 wonderful years. Well, the last three could have been better in many ways, but we did promise 'in sickness' as well as health. Still in love.

With the Beloved at the Shrine of St Julian.

CDs selected for holiday driving: wall to wall Mendelssohn chamber music. Octet, Piano Trios, String Quintets, Cello Sonatas. Probably we have the String Quartets, but they weren't in the Beloved's pile. (Also Beethoven Cello Sonatas - it's time The Cellist and I learned another one.)

I've forgotten how to pack to go on holiday. There are lists somewhere on the computer but they no longer feel relevant. And I can't find stuff that we haven't used since we moved house.

The Beloved is listening to the Mendelssohn Octet for the second time this evening: 'shall I put it on again so you can listen to it?' I'm so grateful to have had the chance to play this with him while he was still a brilliant violinist.

Anyone use the Kobo app on an Android tablet? The Beloved has bought a 5-vol book and it's running *so* slow. Any suggestions? We thought of paying more to get the vols separately, but they're not all available.

Cycled into Oxford for Problem Solving Matters. 45 minutes. It will be rather longer going home! Also need to hang around until it's cool enough. I've signed up for singing Evensong: hoping it will be a lot cooler at 7 than at 4.15.

why do composers of chamber music make the piano parts so much harder than the other instruments? It's so unfair. I'm making headway slowly with Mendelssohn's 2nd Cello sonata but listening now to the 1st piano trio which feels unattainable. My cellist partner talks of chamber music courses: 1/2

Nice. Tricky but satisfying. Connections Puzzle #754 🟦🟩🟨🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟩🟦🟦 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪

Today the CofE remembers the Venn family - Henry, John & Henry the younger. Influential in the Clapham Sect and the Church Missionary Society. Mathematicians will add John the younger, inventor of the Venn diagram. Does anyone know where I can find that excellent Venn Diagram illustrating this?

*So* much fun with my cellist friend. Serious work on 2nd & 3rd mvts of Mendelssohn's 2nd sonata, then he *sight-read* Schubert Arpeggione Sonata which he didn't know at all but I've been nagging him to play for ages. Now he's challenged me to be ready to work on 1st mvt of Mendelssohn next time.

2 nurses and 3 attempts to get a cannula in for the Beloved. They often have difficulty but I think this is the longest it's taken. Just a scan so not serious.

Repertoire advice please! #organists. I'm planning a recital entitled 'Toccata' to include ones by Renzi, Fletcher & (I guess I have to) Widor. Wanting some contrast & a bit of a break for me. I've got the Toccatina for Flutes by Yon. *Not* the Bach. Boellmann? but 3 big ones is perhaps enough? 1/2

The new vicar has restarted the midweek communion service. In the congregation of 5 there were 2 organists with their disabled spouses. Clearly meeting a well-defined need!

8 portions (4 meals) chicken chasseur in the slow cooker. I don't do much 'batch cooking' as such, but if I'm using the slow cooker I like to fill it up.