1981

Me singing at Wembley

Dennis starts school at St Chad's

At the party Lynn, Grace, John Thing, Sheila, Freda Curtis, K, the Goldthorpes

Very fine concert of the Mozart C minor mass with Muti. We started to record it at Kingsway hall but Cotrubas cancelled on the Friday. Louise was growing fast and tried to get up the slide in the garden! Liz sang the Bruckner Te Deum with Haitink. Matacic conducted Bruckner and Dvorak. Repeated in Barcelona. Page 134-137, 139-141  In March Mum and Dad arrived. We had 30 at a party in the garden March 22. We earned some money distributing census forms. Took Mum and Dad to Lingfield and Chartwell which they loved. We went to Eastbourne, RSCM, Chessington Zoo, Hampton Court. We went to Bath and Sherborne where we sang with Martin How. We all went to London Zoo and Fenton House and Kenwood House. Beethoven 9 with Jochum. Liz sang Elijah with Fruhbeck. Sang at Canterbury and Chichester cathedrals. A member of staff was caught stealing money. To Bournemouth again and a lovely day on the Isle of Wight. Visited Liz and Don in Pinner - Liz knew Liz from guides. July 28 we went to the Royal wedding fireworks in Hyde Park. It was a huge crowd and exits were closed. We ended up walking to Marble Arch to get out - not happy! We watched the whole thing the next day Diana and Charles. K had given us life membership of the National Trust and we loved going to Sheffield Park. The Rossini Stabat mater was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The Prom was on TV. Giulini was very angry at the rehearsal and Mende who had taken over as chorus master that year did extra rehearsals. We did record it at Watford Town Hall but it was all a bit of a strain. Giulini's wife was there and she had been very ill. I comment that I missed the children - they had gone to No 99. In September we had lunch with Nellie on the way to Prudhoe. We visited Holy Island, Cragside, Allenheads, Durham, Richmond, Ripon cathedral, Lichfield, Birmingham lunch with Sybil,
Stratford. 1300 miles in all!
I note in my diary conflict with Jane Allen when I moved to Balham to be senior assistant. She insisted on having the main doors open in winter so I got my coat. She also wanted the money counted on the desk in public! Madness! For somebody who had a management degree she knew nothing about dealing with staff. Dad commented "How many Brownie points do you need in Wandsworth libraries?" Page 147 Dad says that I started playing at St Margaret's, Chevening Road, Upper Norwood after Easter. Liz had spotted this in the Church Times. A daughter church of All Saints there was a small committed congregation and a Bishop organ with an addition of 15th and 22nd which was rather shrill. I think St Chad's had never used my talents properly - I played for some Masses and sang in the choir but the strain of Friday practices in addition to chorus and two late nights at the library was beginning to tell. I wanted more time with the children and was lucky to have a day off during the week as I did alternate Saturdays. St Margaret's used New English Hymnal which I loved. Page 148 Pope John Paul II visiting |England. This was Fr Farmer's biggest mistake. As he had been choir director at St George's cathedral he was asked to bolster their choir. Instead of taking all of us, he selected singers. This caused immense resentment. We did go to Wembley and the cathedral choir sang. When he left in the helicopter instead of singing Hail the day that sees him rise the crowd sang He's got the whole world in his hands! The visit to Canterbury cathedral with Archbishop Runcie gave us great hope for ecumenism - hopes which have been dashed by Rome and women clergy. Liverpool was also a major highlight which was televised.