Introduction

Where to start? I feel a bit like the famous picture of Charles Dickens surrounded by all his characters all waiting to be immortalised! Today is Jan 31 2017 and I now I am 70 I am determined to write my life story just as Dad did. At the same time a lot of material can be digitalised. While we were in Sydney I worked through Dad's book Striking a balance looking for references to our part of the family and there were a great deal. Strangely Ann's copy is incomplete but the complete 7 volumes are here with me now. When I left South Africa I promised to write every week and this I faithfully did. Dad often recorded in detail my doings. After Mum and Dad died 10 years ago I started the blog The organist librarian happily still continuing. The danger here is that the story becomes a diary. Unlike Dad I do not have total recall but I do have  many boxes of papers and photographs and two of Dad's scrapbooks are in the post! For convenience I will simply put  a page number when referring to Dad's book. He uses Twelfth night as his motto. I choose my favourite Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice Act 5 "How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank" set by Vaughan Williams in the Serenade to music.

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears; soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica: look, how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold; There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins. Such harmony is in immortal souls; But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.