The wandering organist

Back again to St John, Findon this morning, and a Fambly Service which, with voluntaries (Bach, von Paradis arr Macdonald, and Charpentier) thrown in free, worked out at £12.50 per hymn. To dark and wet to take a picture of a splendid pine tree with all its cones on, so will try to pop back soon and get it before they get blown/rained off their branches. Lovely to look at whilst I sat in the car, listening to A Point of View, with Howard Jacobson on Difficulty . Update on the Revenue situation: Despite having called them twice, and been promised a 72-hour (3-day, to you and me) callback twice, I'm still waiting for them. Apparently they don't have enough Technical Experts any more. Bearing in mind my own experience of DWP Voluntary Release schemes, this doesn't surprise me. Recently they offfered VR to all the computer experts whilst advertising for more. We now have no-one actually closer than 20 miles away to sort out any server problems. Oh well. Only 21 months to go.

The lack of the fine organ in Finedon was the only regret. It was lovely. Path from gate to the North Door . A fine day, lovely weather, and up to 23 C. Only days ago it was 8 C. The organ behaved itself, as did the electricity supply, and a nice, very ordinary parish eucharist was celebrated. The only thing of note was that a bee landed on Revd Bucqué and seems to try to have some fun with the wireless microphone she was wearing. Nothing else to report. Just have a couple of photographs. I am so lucky to live so close to such lovely countryside. View of Lych gate towards the Downs Tree in blossom

St John the Evangelist, Findon  Sunday, and playing at the charmingly (and inconveniently) sited parish church of Findon. Inconvenient because it is far out of the village, beyond the old manor house, across the A24 which can be busy. Charming because it sits between fields and a wood, nestling in a fold of the South Downs. I turned up to play their recently overhauled (and somewhat indifferent) organ, which is not a thing of beauty, hung high on the west wall, with the console en fenêtre to the clergy vestry in the south transept. I was looking forward to playing there, as I like the service, very simple setting and hymns, and there is a peace about the building which is rare, even in churches. At quarter past nine, then I had selected the music play before, during and after, bearing in mind it was Lent I, so switched on the blower. At which point, all electricity died. No lights, heat, anything. So I earned my fee by humming the first notes of the hymns and sett...