Happy New Year!

Normally Holy Days of Obligation are marked by disappointing attendances in USA. I played for the Vigil and Morning Mass for the New Year celebration of Mary, Mother of God and both showed a good attendance. I always make a point of playing Bach’s chorale prelude for the end of the year and the Magnificat Fugue at this Mass. They seem appropriate.

On New Years Eve I attended a party at neighbours, Rob and Michelle. All guests brought food for a local food bank and the alcohol flowed. By 10pm it was all over and I retired to the Local for my BOGO drinks.

The following day I was back on the wagon. I would refrain from drinking alcohol except on Fridays.

On Friday 4 January I played a wedding during the afternoon. It was a wonderful occasion with most of the guests being catholic and associated with Notre Dame University. They all seemed to know the responses and actually sang! Later that evening I was at the Choir Party. Somewhere I managed to lose my keys! I am hoping they are in a friend’s car who gave me a lift but he won’t be back for another 10 days!

The Epiphany Masses were memorable for the Proclamation of the dates of Easter and successful performances of Bach’s C major Prelude (and Fugue). The choir also impressed with a stirring rendering of my ‘Canticle of Tobias’.

I visited the dentist on Wednesday 9 January as I had been experiencing some toothache after the crowns had been installed the previous month. I was referred to an endodontist who recommended a root canal for one tooth. I didn’t have time so I postponed the operation until the following week.

On Friday 11 January I took my kayak out for the first time in ages. There was a bit of a chill in the air but things improved as the day went on and the weather crested at a sunny 75f. I spent the evening at the Local breaking my week’s fast from alcohol.

Sunday was much the same as any with the exception that the music at the 7pm Mass even impressed me! Elizabeth returned after several month’s absence and her violin really added a touch of class. In the repertoire for the Mass was a gospel style psalm setting, a negro spiritual and a new song by Sarah Hart which looked more complicated on paper than it actually sounded. People sang well and it felt as though everything was on message.

Monday 14 January was a day off but the first of five consecutive days off carried over from 2018. Having compiled a list of jobs which needed doing I made three trips to Home Depot in an attempt to secure a headboard to my bed. In the event all attempts failed and I resorted instead pushing the bed up against the headboard and to sticking some foam pads to the reverse side of the headboard in an effort to stop the headboard banging against the wall. I should like to point out that there has been no particular activity which has caused this problem!

I spent the evening at the Local. In fact for no real reason it turned out to be quite a session. The following day was thankfully slow to start until I managed to extract myself from the comfort of my bed.

We seem to be having something of a cold snap right now. Temps will have dropped to 40f during the night and the day temps barely reach 60f. Brrr!

Wednesday was my third day off. I completed my UK tax return and you will be pleased to know that the princely sum of 14 pounds sterling is winging its way to HMRC. I idled the day away watching Netflix and keeping a weather eye on all things Brexit which seems to go from bad to worse.

I was stupefied to discover this morning that my work keys have truly disappeared. I had thought I’d left them in a friend’s car. He returned from a cruise last night and the keys were nowhere to be found.