Monday 8 August was a day off so I hit the beach until it rained and then did a bit (lot) of ironing and washing. The following day I set myself the job of completing Presider Editions for my brother’s wedding to Camille. I managed this and sent them off.

Wednesday began around midday with a funeral and time in the office before the final St Lawrence Feast Day Mass. We had already really celebrated it over the weekend but this was the last time we would celebrate it on the day itself. Twelve members of the choir turned up and there were 17 people in the congregation!

I was in work again for Thursday tidying up some loose ends before heading for the beach. At this time of year the storms develop early in the afternoon so beach time did not last long. The following day, a day off, would be better.

On Saturday I had two funerals in addition to the Vigil Mass so I spent the whole day at work. The first funeral was in Spanish and the second featured one of our cantors who is an accomplished singer. After the Vigil Mass I was invited to join a family for a meal. Unfortunately I had already eaten a decent meal at a Cuban restaurant at 3pm and eating again at 5.30pm meant I could only manage a soup (and a couple of beers).

Sunday meant the usual sequence of Masses with a gap in the middle of the day which I spent chatting with my brother Richard and his fiancee about the wedding ceremony. This meant further changes to the booklet I had prepared.

Monday, normally a day off, was the solemnity of Assumption. In USA a holy day which falls on a Saturday or Monday is not a day of obligation so many people stay away. I played for 3 Masses spread between 8.30am and 7pm. My annual playing of THE ASSUMPTION by Bill Hayward was made more poignant by the fact that he had died earlier in the year. During the day I met with my line manager about the Green Card. Fortuitously he knew some one  in the Diocese who was managing this process for 6 other persons. So I was able to fill out the forms and return them very quickly. This would be the first stage of the process which would enhance my status in USA.

Tuesday started later due to the red wine the previous evening! I changed the toner on the copier at work and was able to make a better job of the printing of the Worship Aids for my brother’s wedding. The School began again so I had to prepare materials for the School Masses starting the following day. I left the office at 3pm and picked up some shoes I had left for repair. I was also able to collect two new suits, one of which I would wear at the wedding in England.

In the evening while a mighty storm raged I had my hair cut, downed a few beers and started packing for my return to UK.

 

I was happy to get out on the kayak on Monday, my free day. I took advantage of some lethargy to sleep in a while longer than normal before venturing out so I did not get to Fort Desoto until around 1030. It was an unusually high tide that greeted me and the islands in the area had ‘shrunk’ for this reason. It was a good day and I still managed a couple of beers at Charann’s to round the day off.

Tuesday started really early as with 4 colleagues I went to a meeting about the new marriage rites in Orlando. We started out at 5.45am and arrived quite early so we headed for breakfast. We must have found the world’s worst place for breakfast if you were in a hurry. It took 40 ins to have our order taken and when it came it was nothing great. The meeting gathered folk from surrounding dioceses and the hall was packed. The day was well delivered and well resourced. One colleague had to return to St Lawrence early so four of us stayed until the end and broke our journey by stopping at a seafood restaurant which was a delight. Despite poor weather and the stop for a meal we still made it back by 7.30pm. Once home I managed a few hours of british tv then hit the sack.

after a great sleep I went into work late around 1.30pm and worked at odds and sods until the rehearsals for St Lawrence Feast Day. I had a rehearsal with instrumentalists at 6.30pm and was joined by about thirty singers at 7.30pm. We worked until after 9pm and left feeling confident about Sunday.

On Thursday I was in work quite early trying to clear as many bits and pieces from my desk as I could. I met a couple who were to be married in September. I was amazed to get a response within a couple of hours to the questions I left her with after the meeting. I was so impressed in fact that I decided to go one better and managed to complete the Order of Service an hour later.

On Thursday evening I received a tip from friends about a horse race. I handed over $100 and hoped all would be well.

On Friday I did some stuff around the house and visited the pool and then went out in search of a suit. In the event I bought two suits, 3 ties and two shirts at the first place I visited. I will return on Wednesday to see if further adjustments are required. I stopped at the charity shop and collected some Armani shirts as one does!

I was in work by 9am on Saturday and managed to plan the first few School Masses and draft the song sheet. At 3pm the horse race, the first which I had ever bet on was streamed on the internet. My horse came in first at 10-1 so I walked away with $1000! Many of my friends cautioned me with wise words but Id’ already decided to walk away. In fact I was working and couldn’t do much else. The Vigil Mass went well and I returned  to Charann’s Bar to celebrate our success at the races.

Today, Sunday, was the transferred Feast Day of St Lawrence. The 11am Mass was set to be a bilingual celebration and all the musicians were on time for the last minute rehearsal. After the Mass everyone adjourned for the Parish BBQ for about a thousand people. It was raining so the food cooked outside was consumed inside the Higgins Hall. I had another Mass to do so would join folk later. I was able to join the party in time to see Fr Chuck lose his beard. In fact he lost a bit more than that. The shaving was in aid of a Youth project and the technician stopped shaving his beard at the halfway point and asked for a further donation of $1500 to continue. It came shortly and when complete another parishioner offered a further $3000 to shave his head! He would be cold tonight!

By the time I got home I was really tired and fell asleep in the armchair. I was glad to be awoken by my soon-to-be -married brother on a skype call. We were able to peruse the latest drafts of his Order of Service and sort things further. Then it was time to return to work where the shaven priest gave me a bag of beers before leaving on his vacation. Canned beers don’t really go off but who was I to complain?

I tried to publish this first bitv a few days ago but it failed to get on facebook so here goes again …

It has been 6 days since my last confession and these are my sins ..

I’ve been leaving these blogs till the time I can no longer recall what happened so here we are after only 6 days! Let’s see if I recall anything!

Saturday was fairly uneventful except the usual vigil Mass with a bit of work beforehand. Sunday was tiring and I don’t know why. I did the usual 4 masses in the morning but it could be the because the sandwich-bearing Cantor was away I lacked the energy top-ip that she normally brings. I recall that she asked me what I would do when she was not there … now I know … suffer!

During the afternoon I waited for a skype call from my brother Richard and his fiancee Camille. They will be getting married in a month when I shall play for them and meet over 50 members of the family! I managed to get a few things sorted regarding the music and offered to produce a draft Order of service. Then it was time to return for the evening Mass. A new guitarist turned up and I think he could be really good. He doesn’t speak much English but we should get by in Spanish. I’m hoping to meet up with him socially next week and do a bit of playing.

On Monday I visited the beach and the bar followed shortly after. On Tuesday work beckoned with a working lunch meeting with fellow musician Marty Purtell who will be covering for me when I am in UK in August. We have St Lawrence Feast Day celebrated bilingually at the 11am Mass on Sunday 7 August so there was quite a bit of work to do on choral and instrumental arrangements in addition to the usual work. This spilled into the next few days as well as finalising the music programme for the month of August.

On Wednesday morning I awoke early to be at St Timothy’s in Lutz for a funeral of someone who had died from prescription addiction/overdose. It is so sad. The church is one of the most recent in the area being built around 2002. The Assembly are gathered on all four sides of a small altar. There was a great water theme outside the church visible through clear glass windows either side of the font with immersion option. It was a striking space but more impressive was the narthex of similar size just outside the church.

The funeral took place in the chapel which had a similar design to the main church. There were many parishioners there in addition to the bereaved family which must have been supportive for them.

Today was a heavy day aimed at finishing the arrangements for the Patronal Feast. I succeeded so now the rehearsals can take place efficiently. I was also to able to complete arrangements for a wedding tomorrow in Clearwater. This should be interesting as it will also include baptism, confirmations and first communions!

as I type the Democrat Convention is reaching its zenith. I also note that so many of Bernie Sanders’ supporters have left the Convention. Rumour has it that the Clinton camp have paid hundreds of people $50 each to take their places and appear enthusiastic. So much for the power of the people! I’m sure that this must be malicious gossip?!

On Friday I spent much of the time sorting my new laptop. I’d been having problems with skype and referred it to tech support and it seems better now. However I can’t get this blog to link to facebook.

I also managed to sort a problem regarding my pharmacy recognising my insurance details. So by 3pm it seemed as though I’d made good use of a stormy day and set off to Clearwater for a wedding. When I arrived there were just two women there. One turned out to be the bride and by the time the wedding was due to start there were only 7 people plus myself and the priest. The wedding was in fact a multi-sacramental feast. There was a first confession, infant baptism, adult confirmation, first communion and a marriage! The church and priest were unfamiliar to me … this was obvious when having regalled the party with three or four pieces of Bach I then started the opening hymn, the Prayer of St Francis. Inadvertently I must have kicked a foot piston and the pedal notes were transformed into an ‘orage’-like tumult which rather prevented the singing of the hymn! All else went well and besides … I’d already been paid!

I returned to Tampa, rather weary and ready for an easy night in watching the World Youth Day. I was also able to receive some well wishes from the NNPM musicians conference taking place in UK. Then sleep came upon me.

The following day I was in work by 9.30am doing a bit of work before a wedding at 1.30pm. Well the wedding was at 6pm so I had a bit more preparation time which you can never scoff at. During the day someone gave me a CD of self-composed music advising me it was given to the composer by Jesus. I did wonder if, having listened to it (which I haven’t yet) I might have to write back “Thank you Jesus, but you could do better!”

I managed some great preparation and was able to do the Vigil Mass prepared for anything that might come my way. Then there was the wedding which also went uneventfully which was pretty amazing as despite the meeting with the bride there were several questions unanswered!

I then took up an invite from a family with three members in the choir to dinner. Wine flowed and good conversation and great food were in abundance.

Sunday morning went well. I had not slept well … probably because I’d eaten so much … but I did not run short of energy as I usually do. This was helped by having the cantors well prepared.

I’m hoping the the forecast good weather will materialise tomorrow so that I can get back on the kayak which I have not used for a while now.

I managed to get the latest draft of the Order of Service done for my brother Richard’s wedding to Camille which I will play for in 2 weeks time.

 

It has been 6 days since my last confession and these are my sins ..

I’ve been leaving these blogs till the time I can no longer recall what happened so here we are after only 6 days! Let’s see if I recall anything!

Saturday was fairly uneventful except the usual vigil Mass with a bit of work beforehand. Sunday was tiring and I don’t know why. I did the usual 4 masses in the morning but it could be the because the sandwich-bearing Cantor was away I lacked the energy top-ip that she normally brings. I recall that she asked me what I would do when she was not there … now I know … suffer!

During the afternoon I waited for a skype call from my brother Richard and his fiancee Camille. They will be getting married in a month when I shall play for them and meet over 50 members of the family! I managed to get a few things sorted regarding the music and offered to produce a draft Order of service. Then it was time to return for the evening Mass. A new guitarist turned up and I think he could be really good. He doesn’t speak much English but we should get by in Spanish. I’m hoping to meet up with him socially next week and do a bit of playing.

On Monday I visited the beach and the bar followed shortly after. On Tuesday work beckoned with a working lunch meeting with fellow musician Marty Purtell who will be covering for me when I am in UK in August. We have St Lawrence Feast Day celebrated bilingually at the 11am Mass on Sunday 7 August so there was quite a bit of work to do on choral and instrumental arrangements in addition to the usual work. This spilled into the next few days as well as finalising the music programme for the month of August.

On Wednesday morning I awoke early to be at St Timothy’s in Lutz for a funeral of someone who had died from prescription addiction/overdose. It is so sad. The church is one of the most recent in the area being built around 2002. The Assembly are gathered on all four sides of a small altar. There was a great water theme outside the church visible through clear glass windows either side of the font with immersion option. It was a striking space but more impressive was the narthex of similar size just outside the church.

The funeral took place in the chapel which had a similar design to the main church. There were many parishioners there in addition to the bereaved family which must have been supportive for them.

Today was a heavy day aimed at finishing the arrangements for the Patronal Feast. I succeeded so now the rehearsals can take place efficiently. I was also to able to complete arrangements for a wedding tomorrow in Clearwater. This should be interesting as it will also include baptism, confirmations and first communions!

as I type the Democrat Convention is reaching its zenith. I also note that so many of Bernie Sanders’ supporters have left the Convention. Rumour has it that the Clinton camp have paid hundreds of people $50 each to take their places and appear enthusiastic. So much for the power of the people! I’m sure that this must be malicious gossip?!

 

Since 4 July it’s been a bit busy. I’d spent the previous week on vacation in Sanibel and then had a few days work punctuated by storms and three funerals.

The weekend of 9 July began with the Vigil Mass and the following day I was back for the Sunday Masses. I only had to play for the four morning Masses as my employers felt they should relieve me of the 7pm Mass so that I could pack for the National Pastoral Musicians Convention.

I was up super early on Monday 11 July to catch the 6am flight to Houston, Texas where the convention was occurring. I got to the Hilton Hotel soon after 8am and having registered I checked out the Hotel breakfast. I got access to my room around 10am and once settled I set out to join some of the pre-Convention events. I was able to attend a workshop with David Haas. The Opening ceremony was at 4pm and was a bit odd. It was clear that the theme was multicuturalism as various continents were represented by somewhat tokenistic displays all accompanied by pre-recorded music!

Later that evening the retail area was formally opened with the promised champagne evading me. I was so tired by this time that I was grateful for an ‘early’ bed.

Tuesday began with the hotel breakfast followed by the first Plenary address given by a New Orleans style priest who jived his way through the next hour finally alighting on a message in the last ten minutes. Having filled the hall with a guilty conscience over the slave-trade and abuse of those to become African-Americans he then challenged us not to sing Franciscan songs if we paid no attention to the poor, not to pray to Jesus if you cared not for justice etc. African-Americans sang songs which represented their integrity and their struggle and we should think about doing the same.

I can’t recall which sessions I attended precisely although I’m sure one concerned the use of screens in liturgy. In the evening I was heading out to listen to a concert of Durufle’s Requiem when I bumped into Paul Inwood and Kathy who invited me to join them at the GIA reception at the Grove. This was clearly a select gathering and there I was re-united after many years with Bob Hurd and Marty Haugen and also introduced to the President of GIA with whom I had conversations about publication earlier that day. the wine flowed and the food was wonderful and free. Back at the hotel i felt moved to buy a round and the world’s most expensive hotel bar.

Wednesday began with another plenary in which the speaker at one point said that she liked to start with prayer. I have no problem with that at all except that we were already 25 minutes into her lack-lustre plenary. Not much came of the minutes after the prayer either. During the day I had a few more chts with OCP and GIA and wrote to Stephen Dean to get ‘freed’ from his UK publishing house Decani Music. I attended a further talk on screens and a worshop with Marty Haugen and Bob Hurd.

Each day was full on as you tried to chase luminaries around the place seeking wisdom. I had hoped to attend a workshop on the new Marriage Rites but overheard the speaker saying to a friend that he had still not seen the rites themselves so I thought that was a bit rich and told him so in no uncertain manner … he could have checked on the UK site!

The next day I attended another talk on the Marriage Rites by a priest who had not seen the final rites but he was at least aware of the way they were going and he kept deferring to me for comment on the UK rites which I happened to have with me. The Plenry was given by Michael Joncas and at last we were being fed. It was a wonderful experience as this thoroughly prepared talk included some really mystical settings of a poem by George Herbery with music by Vaughan Williams.

In the evening I teamed up with Paul Inwood and Kathy and some other folk I did not know in an Italian restaurant.  I had a great conversation with one Lei Ray Yu and then Kathy realised that she was bleeding as a result of some glass shards which the staff had not cleared from the seating. As you might expect I was introduced to the manager and then the owner in my quest for some compensation. I’d have to say that they got off lightly!

Back at the Hotel I did a round of drinks for a growing number of people.

The final day began with breakfast and it was clear that so many had already left so by noon I retired to my room for some sleep before boarding a shuttle to the airport. I can spot trouble a mile off and this time it was in the form of a loud gentleman with an aggressive attitude. It was my poor fortune to sit in front of him on the plane as he introduced himself to those next to him but actually to the whole plane as his volume was able to achieve this. I could see folk getting ruffled so I turned to him and asked him to turn the volume down. He hasd been a drummer in a rock group and was probbaly deaf as a result, poor soul. He was quite mortified (I heard) as no one had asked him to be quiet since the age of six. When we touched down in Tampa I thanked him for his understanding and he looked at me astonished once again! I was home by 10:30pm and in bed very soon after.

My employers had paid for a cover musician for the first morning Mass and so I did not get into work until 8.30am. All went well but I was tired.

In the afternoon I stocked up the fridge and kitchen with supplies, rested an hour or so at the pool and then returned for the evening Mass.

I spent my day off on Monday at the beach and returned to work on Tuesday morning. A lightning strike the previous Friday had taken out the internet and phones so there was a limit to what we could do even though the phones had been restored.

The internet silence lasted until Friday midday so I spent the days forward planning and writing articles. I also had my first evaluation meeting which was successful, thank you very much. I had hoped to have a skype conversation with my brother Richard about his wedding Mass. In the event this didn’t happen so I prepared a draft for him to peruse as soon as the internet was restored and the document could be sent.

I spent most of Friday at the beach and the pool and ended up at Charann’s Bar. The heaven’s had opened with a vengeance briefly at 4pm and as I type it is after 8pm and the heavens have opened again with the same alacrity accompanied by lightning and thunder. I hope I can sleep eventually.

Having arrived at Sanibel Island the previous night the rest of my time would be dedicated to the beach and relaxation.

On Sunday as most days of the holiday I awoke early around 6am, cooked an English breakfast of eggs and bacon and cereal and left for the beach.On this first day I decided to find a spot on the beach and enjoy the sun. In the evening I visited a local bar , the Lazy Flamingo, for a few beers and a meal of grouper and chips. The Fort Myers IPA High Fuve was particularly good. I returned home for a bottle of red and some episodes of West Wing.

On Monday the secobd day I decided to take out one of the kayaks from the centre. I didn’t know where I was going but followed my nose and eventually after about 30 minutes I saw what turned out to be a sandy beach. I left the kayak and explored. It was a beautiful spot so I decided to make a day of it. Very few people passed by so it was very relaxing. In the evening I decided to return and as I moved the kayak towards the water I realised that there was a lot of water inside it. On closer inspection I found a rather too large hole in its bottom! I emptied the water from it and decided to risk it for the return. I got back with no trouble and returned to my apartment for an evening of wine, fish meal and West Wing.

For the remaining days of my holiday I decided to walk to the same beach every day. Although I awoke early and set off after a quick breakfast there were still plenty of people out there collecting shells or fishing. At several spots along the beach there were turtle nests and more were being discovered every day. I became quite chatty with the turtle research team whom I encountered each morning. It was great exercise  walking an hour in the morning and again in the evening.

The weather was glorious every day but on Thursday there was a storm which delayed my departure until 7.30am and which replayed later in the morning. It was soectacular to see the weather systems changing as I looked out to the Gulf of Mexico.

I ate in for the remaining evenings except for Thursday night when I decided to visit Doc Ford’s for dinner. I had the special: corvina fish with caramelised mushrooms and leeks on a bed of rice with an accompaniment of cucumber. It was delicious!

Earlier that evening on my return from the beach I had got chatting with several people who had spotted an alligator in the very waters I had paddled my kayak a few days earlier. One couple was from Enfield, North London where I had taught for several years. We exchanged irreverent views on the Americans!

On my last morning I went to the beach close to the apartment around 8am and returned to do a final pack up at 10am. I was sad to leave but had to get back to Tampa in time for Vigil Mass at 4pm. I got to my apartment at 1.30pm and was in work by 2.30pm. The Mass went well but I was so tired and this affected my playing a bit.

Sunday followed the usual pattern with a break during the afternoon which I spent by the pool. At the end of each Mass I had played the hymn ‘America the beautiful’ since this was July 4th weekend. I had followed this immediated with some improvised variations on “America’ which we know as the National Anthem of England.

During the evening I had decided that there was little point in going to bed as I would surely be awoken by the fireworks heralding the arrival of July 4th. A few drams accompanied my journey towards the bewitching hour. And I even recharged my camera batteries to capture the moment. In the event there was nothing at all and I went to bed somewhat drunk and confused. At 5am I was awoken by one firework but returned to sleep.

On Monday I had a funeral at 10am so I was in by 9am to search out the music for ‘In the garden’ which had been requested. It turned out to be a religious ballad which I had to place as the closing song where it would least challenge the integrity of the liturgy.

It was a remarkable funeral in which all the guests were obviously catholic and it was the first funeral in which I knew the deceased.

After the funeral I headed to the local beach to maintain the tan I had achieved during my holiday. I then joined friends at a local bar and headed for home and dined on chicken sandwiches to the accompaniment of fireworks which concluded the evening of Independence Day.

 

 

Thursday was an official day off but I had 2 funerals at 11am and 2.30pm so I went in but, because I would receive a large fee for the funerals, I did not log in the hours. I had lunch with my friend, Marty, who would be covering for me over the weekend.

In the evening I visited Charann’s and then went home to watch the developments with the EU election. I was delighted that the pound was rising so much and so quickly.

During the night my phone pinged several times so i was aware that things were developing in an unexpected way. My sleep was hugely disturbed.

I spent Friday on an island off Fort Desoto. It seemed the best thing with so much depression in the air over EU. In the evening the atmosphere at Charann’s was subdued among some of my Irish friends. I had a great conversation with a couple of folk and then went home to pack.

On Saturday I packed stuff into my car for my holiday in Sanibel. Then I left my kayak in storage as I had heard the previous night from the apt owner that there were kayaks available onsite.

I had  a funeral Mass to play for before leaving for Sanibel. The journey was intersting in that it explored territory I had not  visited before. It was also interesting for the number of storms I had to cross. I got to the apt by 3pm. The lady at reception mentioned a cart which might assist me with the transfer of stuff from my car to the apartment. I looked and found a golf cart so I took this. It took me a while to find reverse gear but quite soon I was an expert. I was offloading the gear when a guy approached me accusing me of stealing his golf cart. He had been about to call the police.

When I got back to the apartment the maid had just returned. Unfortunately my wallet was missing and i feared the worst. You know how your thoughts go in such instances? What made it worse was that the maid felt vulnerable and helped me search the place. I eventually found the wallet and she was happy. She was also able to pass on to me her own key as the one I’d been sent did not work.

The vigil Mass at St Isabel Church was at 5pm and I managed to get there only 4 minutes late. It was good to hear a homily about costly discipleship. I spotted a family from St Lawrence and it turned out that they owned much of the island!

After Mass I drove to Captiva Island and dined at The Mucky Duck on fresh grouper and jai alai beer from Tampa! I returned home and watched a few episodes of West Wing washed down with a bottle of fine red.

Adele is expected to make an appearance on a chat show so I may stay up for that but no promises!

It’s 12 days since my last blog and my memory is playing tricks with me and I cannot find my diary (which over here they call a calendar).

I spent most of Friday at the beach and then drove into town to join colleagues at a Taco restaurant. As I turned into a garage to park my car folk started hooting at me. I had forgotten that I had my kayak rack on the roof and was about to impact with the low ceiling. Fortunately this meant I just had to adjust the rack so it was flat rather than remove it altogether. It turned out to be a meal for my birthday and they insisted on paying for me. I in return invited them to follow me to Four Green Fields, an Irish pub which I had only read about previously.

The weekend passed without incident as far as I can recall.

On Monday 13 June there were 7 inches of rain falling on Tampa as we were in the direct path of a storm. This kept me confined to base so I did some home admin. I contacted the insurers for the other driver and settled my claim for $2300. All medical bills had already been paid but this amount was to cover outstanding bills and out of pocket expenses.

Friday 17 was a day off so I decided to begin paying some bills relating to the second auto accident. Earlier in the week I had received a cheque from insurers for $2300 from which I had to pay 2 outstanding bills. The bill for the MRI scan came to $1850 which I was able to reduce to $606. A further bill for an x-ray was reduced from $120 to $80. All it took was a couple of phone calls and a bit of cheek. I felt I was on a rol so I thought I’d contact the hospital which treated me for kidney stones recently. The outstanding bill of $590 was settled with a payment of $117. I don’t understand how this is possible. I always thought a bill was a bill to be paid in full. My chat with a colleague indicated that he had had a bill for over $150k from a hospital visit which he never intended to pay. So maybe they all think that if they can get even a reduced amount of money that is better than nothing!

On Saturday I went into work in the morning and worked on admin till it was time for the Vigil Mass. There was a Memorial Mass immediately after this at which I sang and played music in Spanish. Feeling flush after the financial successes of the last 24 hours I visited Total Wine and bought a case of wine and a bottle of single malt. Then I crossed the road and bought a new laptop!

Sunday followed the usual pattern of Masses and before the last of these I went to collect my kayak from storage. It had been almost 2 weeks since my last trip out as the weather had not been conducive.

Over the weekend my voting card arrived for the EU elections. On Monday 20 I went directly to the Post Office to send my vote. I was so annoyed to discover that it would take 2 weeks for the paper to reach UK. Surely UK elections knew how delayed their posting posting would be? I returned to work and produced material for the Cantors to use in July.

On Tuesday 21 June realising that it was the longest day and sun promised all day I drove to Fort Desoto and arrived at an offshore island by 8am! I spent a very peaceful day there. It was not so comfortable as the beach chair I had purchased a few days ago from Aldi collapsed.

On Wednesday 22 I awoke and left the house without breakfast. I had a blood test to complete and it is often easier to get this done earlier in the day. I only had to wait an hour and then I was off to work arriving in the office soon after 9am. One of my colleagues had offered to assist me with the transfer of documents from my old laptop to the new one. After an initial blip this all went smoothly.

At noon staff gathered for a bi-monthly staff birthday lunch. 22 of us sat down in the conference room for roast pork, yellow rice, black beans, plantains and salad. It was not so easy to work on such a full stomach after that but I struggled on until 4pm and left for Charann’s Bar. There was a new beer there which had more than a hint of ginger. Love it.

In the evening I sat down to watch Spotlight, a film about priestly abuse of children in the Diocese of Boston. It was a wonderful film which praised investigative journalism as well as shedding further light on attempted cover-ups by the Church in Boston with harrowing implications for elsewhere.

I’m not sure that these posts have found their way onto facebook. All the links seem to be there but I see nothing! help please!

In USA things get easier after Memorial Day. Monday 30 May is a national holiday in respect for the war dead but in addition this day signals the summer break for schools and the start of long holidays for students and also for the church choir!

I spent the Monday on the Fort Desoto beach enjoying the wonderful weather which was to last the week. This being a holiday there were more people there than I usually find but it was still very pleasant.

On Tuesday I had a meeting with a financial adviser which was interesting but also spent the day planning for the Cantors meeting later in the evening in which I would present to them the schedule of music for the month of June. It is strange that I always seem to be chasing my tail on these planning days, finishing just in time to impress arrivals with all the resources they need!

On Wednesday 1 June we had the last school Mass for a while and the singing was great. After lunch there was a school liturgy review meeting which was a little awkward in parts but largely positive.

Thursday and Friday were days off which I spent at Fort Desoto with my kayak. It was bright sun on both days.

On Saturday 4 June there was a wedding for which I had done some arrangements for the young violinist and myself. The couple had requested some unusual music. One piece called Turning Page caused the most arrangement work . In the event we didn’t need to ‘turn the page’ at all as the couple arrived in place a long time before the end! I had agreed to collect the violinist from her house and act as a chaperone. Unfortunately I had left the address at the office so an additional journey was required!

After the wedding I had just the 4pm Vigil Mass. This was the first weekend of the new schedule without the 5.30pm Vigil Mass. I really appreciated the extra evening of freedom!

I spent the whole of my day off on Monday in the apartment. Tropical storm Colin was threatening and the skies were black. In the throes of the storm the winds were very high and the rains so heavy that visibility was severely restricted. After so much ironing I sat down for an evening of wine and West Wing.

Tuesday 7 June was a work day which I began quite late but started on the tidying of my office which would continue for the next few days. It was interrupted by funerals occasionally but was generally productive.

On Thursday one interruption was my friend and music colleague Marty Purtell who on hearing that after 20 months of being here I really did not know Tampa at all. He decided to drive me around the city for a few hours. We talked shop as you might expect and visited several churches and their staff. The high point for me was playing at the Sacred Heart church, once owned by the Jesuits and now the Franciscans. We lunched at Kojaks rib house before returning to the office.

Friday began with a rare sight of the sun so I headed for the beach until the rain threatened after midday. Later tonight I will meet colleagues for a meal and gossip. We’ve all been so busy that we haven’t managed this for a while so it will be a welcome opportunity to review things.

Pentecost was a great weekend with the choir excelling with a fine performance of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and various other liturgical ditties. Following the Sunday morning Masses was the Parish Picnic. This was no rustic affair as a well-known provider turned up with all manner of fare. I managed three steak sandwiches with all the trimmings before heading to relax on the beach!

I am really missing using my kayak. You may recall that some idiot keyed one whole side of my  new car. The repairs meant that I had a rental car for the period, a Nissan Altima, which was a great car but | could hardly put a kayak rack on it!

On Tuesday 17 May I returned for my regular weekly visit to the physio still complaining of lower back issues. The staff agreed that I was particularly tight in that area but chose not to exacerbate things too much. Little did they know what was to happen the following day!

Wednesday began simply enough with a School Mass followed immediately by a meeting with a delightful couple about their wedding in October. They didn’t want anything traditional so I offered them Lefebure-Wely’s Sortie in Eb to go out to. It clearly struck a welcome note as they had met in a circus!

After midday the staff gathered in the conference room to celebrate the anniversaries of Fr Mike (33) . and Fr Chuck (1). a ghastly concoction of ice cream, Chantilly cake and jello was on offer. The jello was a first for me! Pretty soon after this I began to feel very unwell. Then I vomited a few times and considered that perhaps I needed to eat something more substantial. well that didn’t stay long so by 5pm I was so ill that I decided to cancel choir practice and go home. A few hours later a friend from Sheffield contacted me and we had had an enjoyable conversation. Feeling better I watched a video and had some light food.

At 6am on Thursday 19 May I was awoken by excruciating pain in the lower back and vomited again. At 7.15am I rang the emergency doctor and was told I would receive a call with 30 minutes. That never happened. The previous evening one of the choir had offered to help me if I needed anything so I called her at 8am and asked her to be on stand-by if I needed to go to hospital. She came round straightaway and drove me to the emergency room of the hospital. They suspected either kidney stones or gall stones. I was able to relieve them of the latter diagnosis as I no longer have a gall bladder. They administered pain relief and sent me for a CAT scan. Kidney stones it was but the stones had already passed to the bladder so before long I was discharged. The emergency doctor rang me 2.5 hours after my call to him and confirmed that I had done the right thing by going the the hospital!

A few days later I saw the bill for my brief visit … $19k! This got further reduced by the insurance company to almost $4k of which I would have to find about $1.5

You can see why so many people are afraid to visit a hospital in USA. They just bleed you of your money. I am just grateful that I required no overnight stay or operation to release/break the stones.

I went into work for a few hours on Friday and all was well. In the evening the choir had a party at a member’s new house. It was a great affair and I was picked up by a member who didn’t drink so I could really test my kidneys!

Saturday started slowly as a result of last night and I was grateful to find a slab of lasagna in the fridge leftover from the party. The evening Masses went smoothly as did the following morning’s. It was my birthday and the Pastor reminded the congregations of the blessings that foreigners bring the parish. This gave him the opportunity to mention me, my birthday and say what a blessing I am to the Parish!

I finally got to celebrating my birthday at about 9pm when I visited Charann’s Bar and several folk bought me drinks!

I spent the whole of Monday at the local beach and met friends I the evening.

On Tuesday I again visited the physio and met with the doctor who decided that they could do nothing further for me and discharged me. Horray! I’d get my Tuesday mornings back. The other good news was that I could collect my car from the repairers. I still had to pay $500 with the insurers picking up the rest of the cost.

Wednesday began with School Mass, the last with the leaving 8th graders. I sang Paul Field’s ‘Go peaceful’ for them. It’s a great song … look it up on youtube.

It was a long day’s work so I took time out during the afternoon to collect my kayak from storage and to try out a different bar for a meal and a beer. Then I returned for a meeting with a couple getting married on 4 June! They were so laid back. They wanted some odd music with violin and piano in addition to other stuff on organ.

The evening choir practice was the last of the season. It would be almost 3 months until the next rehearsal!

Thursday was a day off so I was happy to return to Fort Desoto with my kayak. It was a beautiful day but there was a terrible crash on the 11 mile bridge across the bay. A lorry had jack-knifed and crushed two further cars as it crashed into the barriers and nearly went into the ocean. I heard later that the driver of the lorry was unlicenced!

Friday morning I visited the local beach and then went in to set up for a music rehearsal for a wedding in which I would not be playing. I had done more work for this wedding than those for which I would be paid to play. This was a point a made when the requests for further assistance kept on flowing. My response had the expected effect and an apology followed.

During the afternoon I contacted a provider with whom I have accident insurance. I was beginning to wonder why I had bought this but in the process of the conversation realised that they could send me $800 regardless of how the auto insurance companies settled my case. Happy days!

In the evening the Parish School celebrated it Graduations. Traditionally graduates (14 yr olds) process in wearing white academic dress (concealing the Hollywood style outfits) to ad nauseam repetitions of the Land of Hope and glory tune. I got so bored last year that this year I chose to play the entire March instead. It was great to have the school choir and a trumpeter there to lift the celebration.

I returned home and found a film about Mother Teresa on Netflix. I think it was called ‘The Letters’. Great film if you get the chance to see it.