1979

We had no sooner returned from Oz and I was at the Festival Hall to hear the chorus sing the Music makers and Paul Tortelier playing the Elgar cello concerto. Feb 23 Liz confirmed she was pregnant. Delighted of course. We performed Carmina Burana with Muti - I do not like this work a Nazi composer and very tiring for the tenors. We recorded it at Abbey Road studios. Ashcroft theatre Hinge and Bracket and the hilarious Victor Borge at the Albert Hall - I had long been a fan and took cassettes of him with me on my travels. Mrs Earl was very unhappy about the fence between us but it was needed. She came round eventually. Had to cut trees down in the garden - there were a lot of them but we did keep the silver birch. I went to the music librarian's conference in Edinburgh and returned via York. Liz was sick but I went to Barcelona alone. Maazel conducted Mahler 2 at the Albert Hall. We were both able to go on the trip to Paris. At the Albert Hall Mahler 8 featured Elizabeth Connell and Michael Irwin now an actor! Mr Jackson was our piano tuner - he once walked through our new front gate which had just been installed - it was never right after that and got taken down! I w
 ent to the IAML UK music librarians conference in Edinburgh March and included a visit to the Russell collection of early keyboard instruments. I saw Martinu's Julietta at EMO conducted by Charles Mackerras.
St Chad's choir of 21 boys and 13 adults sang evenson g at Addington Palace and 10.30 a.m. Mass at Westminster cathedral Byrd 4 part, Greater love and Mawby Thee we adore. Sept 2.

Liza died 2012 and I served at her funeral

Ann and Paul get married

2 days travelling with a one year old

At the airport (the resemblance to Henry!)

We had two wonderful months in Tasmania. Page 120-121. Ann and Paul were married at St David's cathedral by the Bishop .Sadly his lovely wife Helen died in January.  As Dad was the registrar of the diocese, we stayed in vicarages, In one Mum found a dead bird upstairs! Archdeacon Costello greeted us on his lawnmower. We went to carols in the town and sang at Christmas. Everyone was so friendly. I was MC at the wedding and sang! At the farewell party we sang our thanks to Anglican chant. The whole thing was a great success. Damian Bugg arranged for us to visit a huge sheep farm where we saw no one and just went into the homestead! I did have a problem with my right ear because of the changes in pressure on the planes. We were interviewed by the local paper about going to the local concert! The flight home was really exhausting basically 24 hours with a one year old! Dennis had several teeth by then. David McCulloch looked after him in the pram when we sang at Mass. Fr Farmer was notorious for being intolerant of children's noise in church. 

Tasmania

Bishop Henry Jerrim outside Addington Palace - he and Prue were wonderful friends of Mum and Dad

Dennis with Mum, Dad, Ann and Paul

1978 a trio to Winchester with the Hicklings and we sang at Henley and went to evensong at Hambleden. We sang The Light of life at Upper Norwood Methodist behind Tescos. The Jerrims came to dinner (assistant bishop of Tasmania) page 105 charming people. They came from Windsor on a Saturday and Liz was baking and I was at work! July 28 to Orange and we got stuck coming back because of air traffic controllers strike. 24 hours travelling on trains from Charles de Gaulle airport and no way I could ring the library. There were questions about that! 13 August Requiem Mass at St Edmund Beckenham for Gillian and the Pope. She was the first wife of Revd Michael Bourdeaux of Keston College who did a lot of work in Russia and later taught us Old Russian. We met Tom Creagh-Fuller and his parents and sang Faure Requiem. We went to Hexham for Jill's wedding and Joanne liked me (Shirley and Jim's daughter). Liz went to Bournemouth with Dennis, Mum and Dad. I sang at Wonersh with the church choir. Dad's retirement party was at the Post Office tower for dinner! Nov 30 to hotel at Heathrow and flew to Athens, Dubai and a long hop to Singapore. The plane was great and then to Sydney and on to Melbourne where Dad surprised us when he arrived from Sydney. Last flight to Hobart and for some reason the plane circled the harbour. Ann ran onto the tarmac! We met Paul and took to him straight away. page 111. Dad describes Francis Jackson's visit to Tasmania. page 118. page 119 -121

Dennis George

This is Dennis George a bomber pilot who was killed in the war and buried in Germany.

 His brother Brien Liz's Dad looking very dapper as always in Ladbroke Grove before the war

Had we known we could have visited the grave when we went to Oberammergau.

Mum and Dad

Dennis in the garden on the little chair we bought in Orange. 

Mum and Dad on hol iday. Mum worked in an office and St John ambulance with Liz often on duty at the Albert Hall where Dad was an honorary steward for many years. He was a civil servant and worked at the government car service. They adored Dennis and babysat. In June 1978 we stayed at Oxford Gardens so that we could go to the Coronation ball at the hall where I spotted Sir Edmund Hilary, Susan Hampshire and L ord Hunt.

1978

 With Dennis is Liz's room at 99 Oxford Gardens note the collection of dolls

Unsurprisingly 1978 shows lots of watching opera on TV and visits to the theatre were limited. Memorable at the Albert hall were Max Boyce, Macbeth and Cosi fan tutte. At the Fairfield we enjoyed Hinge and Bracket and the King's singers. Saw Plunder at the Lyttelton and Death in Venice and Peter Grimes at Covent Garden. Went to Curlew River and the Prodigal Son at Southwark cathedral. The Gondoliers at Sadler's Wells and Hans Andersen starring Tommy Steele at the Palladium. I did keep going to chorus and Beethoven 9 appeared regularly. Ann got about quite a bit, Bath, Stratford and she loved snow! Dennis was baptised by Fr Farmer at St Chad's on Feb 5 along with 5 others and we had 50 to the party in the evening. Ann left on Feb 16 having enjoyed the visit. I persuaded Mr Parker to let me go to Battersea Park music which was upstairs (it later became a computer room) and started there Feb 28th. I enjoyed working with Julian Wales who later married Marilyn and their son is George. Branch librarian was Pauline Kirwan with magnificent pre-Raphaelite hair! Sean and Pauline loved Wexford opera. Julian used to cycle to the Festival hall for the lunchtime jazz!  In those days there were lots of staff and I was trained to take charge so others could enjoy Battersea Park! Much of my career was spent there. In those days we walked to the station together! The estate was not nice but it was more convenient without a change of trains.
On 12 July 1978 we received a letter of thanks from the chorus for our work as librarians.

1978

K holding Dennis after his baptism. 5/2/78 Note the furniture which we had bought from Germaine Spencer. When we were on the bus in St John's Wood she asked the conductor to ring the bell! Who did she think she was? The suite was lovely but rather impractical for young children.

Unsurprisingly 1978 shows lots of watching opera on TV and visits to the theatre were limited. Memorable at the Albert hall were Max Boyce, Macbeth and Cosi fan tutte. At the Fairfield we enjoyed Hinge and Bracket and the King's singers. Saw Plunder at the Lyttelton and Death in Venice and Peter Grimes at Covent Garden. Went to Curlew River and the Prodigal Son at Southwark cathedral. The Gondoliers at Sadler's Wells and Hans Andersen starring Tommy Steele at the Palladium. I did keep going to chorus and Beethoven 9 appeared regularly. Ann got about quite a bit, Bath, Stratford and she loved snow! Dennis was baptised by Fr Farmer at St Chad's on Feb 5 along with 5 others and we had 50 to the party in the evening. Ann left on Feb 16 having enjoyed the visit. I persuaded Mr Parker to let me go to Battersea Park music which was upstairs (it later became a computer room) and started there Feb 28th. Much of my career was spent there. In those days we walked to the station together! The estate was not nice but it was more convenient without a change of trains.

Fr Farmer died 2005