Monday 4 September

Monday would normally have been my day off but there was a funeral at 10am which I needed to attend to.

Once the funeral was over I was able to return home to do a bit more packing of boxes. During the afternoon I spent a couple of hours by the pool before visiting my local bar. I was feeling so tired that I did not stay long.

Tuesday 5 September

This was a work day and I spent the day preparing for the Sunday Masses and for the school Mass tomorrow. This also meant completing an adaptation of Psalm 95 for the Sunday. I also printed out the programs for the wedding on Saturday.

I had expected to hear from both the lender and my realtor about the impending house purchase but there was just silence.

Wednesday 6 September

The day started with a school mass during which the singing was just great. Following this I had an hour to prepare for another funeral. During the afternoon I returned home to rest for a while before returning in the evening to prepare for choir practice. During the afternoon I thought better f holding the rehearsal and cancelled it. This would have been the first rehearsal of the new season and since it was likely that the storm would hit us on Sunday I saw no point in wasting people’s time. In the event a few did turn up and one joined me at my bar for a drink or two.

Thursday 7 September

I went into work a bit later as I did not have much planned. I needed to hear from the lender what amount of money I needed to wire to the title company. At 1pm I did hear and they also told me that they wanted to close today! I then had to ring the insurers to ensure that I was insured a day earlier than I’d expected. This was not so easy as no insurance company has modified any policy with the hurricane imminent. In the event I did manage to get it changed and so I went to the bank to effect the transfer. Following this I met my Realtor to do the final walk through to check that everything was fine. Then having got the address of the office where I would close I drove there while my realtor got me a sandwich as I had not eaten since 7am. When I reached the address I became confused as there was no sign of any offices. Then my realtor realized that she had given me the wrong address (502 Linebaugh instead of 5020). There had been so many issues with my realtor that this last one was almost predictable.

At closing I was introduced to their realtor (almost as daft as my own) and the closer who was relaxed and competent. There were so many documents to sign but that was to be expected, I suppose.

I dropped into my bar to share my news and then returned home to prepare. A voluntary evacuation order had been put in place so I decided to move some stuff the following day.

Friday 8 September

I awoke early around 5am and while it was cooler (78F) I filled my car with some boxes of belongings and drove to the new house. I then returned to pack up a second load. One of my friends Wayne met me at noon to collect more stuff in his truck and then we drove to my house in convoy. Since the storm was imminent the state governor had waived all road tolls on the highways and so the journey was quicker.

My next stop after that was 2pm at a flooring store where I was to meet a colleague to collect the flooring he would fit to my master bedroom. Unfortunately the store had closed early ahead of the hurricane. So I returned home again to pack a bit more and relax. Later I visited the bar and returned to watch a movie.

Saturday 9 September

Since the evacuation had become mandatory overnight I decided to leave the apartment with as much as I could and took it to the house. Then around 3pm I checked in to work to prepare for the 4pm Mass. I had decided to lead a time of prayer as people arrived focusing on Jesus walking on the water and the statement ‘Do not be afraid’. The Mass was the only Mass of the weekend as the Pastor had cancelled all the Sunday Masses earlier in the day. The homily was really good. I remember Fr Paul Deutch SJ’s observation that the worst thing was the waiting. He compared it with his experiences of earthquakes. He suggested that during the time when the electricity is cut we take advantage of the opportunity to pray. What else can we do?

At 6pm there was a wedding! This was uneventful. Fr Mike remarked that just as babies will be born during the hurricane period that it was natural for a wedding to occur also!

After the wedding I visited the bar and enjoyed two beers and a steak melt. By 9pm I was back in the apartment where at least I could sleep in my own bed. I had imagined that I might enjoy a chilled white wine but in the event I could not find the corkscrew and had to make do with champagne instead!

Sunday 10 September

Soon after 6.30am I awoke and packed a few more things. I stopped at a gas station where I met a local who lived in my apartment complex. He was really worried and only 2 weeks earlier had moved from a second floor apartment to the ground floor, a decision he now regretted!

The roads reminded me of a ghost town and it was not long before I reach the house. I did not see a single store open. After a cooked breakfast I opened up some of the boxes and spent the morning filling cupboards with crockery, glassware and cookware. I also set up my temporary bed and prepared things as best I could.

I cooked two pizzas at midday and put them in a glass dish to eat later. For lunch I had shrimps in a lime sauce with naan bread. I found a local radio station and listened to the storm watch channel.

At 2.30pm the wind picked up with a mighty gust and I could hear palm fronds hitting the roof. Now it is 3pm and there have not been so many gusts to compete with that. I’m hearing reports that the sea is behaving strangely. Vast expanses where normally there would be water appear like dry ground! Do you remember people said the same before major tsunamis occur? This prompts experts to expect a major storm surge in the Bay.

By 3.30pm local forecasters were beginning to be a bit more optimistic. At 5pm there was some activity around the Northdale Community Centre which I can see over the garden fence. I wondered if it was being prepared as an emergency shelter. By 7pm Irma was tracking the west coast but with the eye over the land which though incredibly destructive tends to reduce the power of the hurricane. You would not believe it if you were here in Tampa. Already the winds were gusting very high and greatly affecting the trees in the area. I can hear things bouncing along the roof and I see 5 palm branches in the garden. This is 5 hours from impact! I decided to open a red wine.

The lights started to flicker for the first time soon after 7pm and I feared a power outage (which is what they call a power cut). I was already getting darker so I was hoping this would not happen. It is one thing when you can see trees bending but it is much more worrying when all you can appreciate is things going bump in the night.

The power outage happened at 8pm. By 9pm there were many bumps. The wind had really picked up a lot and it was getting warmer in the house. A radio which I had brought from UK and which until today I had not used because it didn’t seem to work had kept me company all day but I had already put some batteries in it during the early evening and was astonished that it continued to function well. An hour earlier I had come across a rosary in amongst the tools I had packed. I didn’t intend to bring it and had forgotten I had been given it by a choir member. I placed it around my neck and it gave me some comfort. Earlier I had put on facebook a picture of me with a saucepan on my head. It seemed appropriate protection for the predicament I was in. A friend Vanessa who knew me from my Goan trips told me that her partner Simon had said the Goan shirt would protect me … but I wasn’t wearing it and doubted that I would fit into it now!

The wind seemed to be blowing across the length of the house so I positioned myself ay the far end on the ground floor. Although I could hear the heavy rainfall and wind nothing hit the nearby window so it seemed the best place to be. Outside I could hear the occasional crack which I presumed to be branches being broken from the main tree. The morning would tell the truth.

Some time after 9.30pm with heavy winds there was a mighty crash and I discovered that a tree limb had broken off and pierced the roof. Water was pouring through the roof into the rear lounge area which is a single story part of the house. I grabbed a few communication devices and went next door to wake my new neighbours, John and Tina. As luck would have it they were still up and Tina was reading the Hobbit to her son so that he had something to distract him. They were very hospitable and invited me to stay with them in a space room. The hurricane was so noisy that no one could sleep so I retrieved 4 bottles of wine and started a series of conversations and stories which the son considered were more entertaining than the Hobbit … until he fell asleep! At 1am the wind had died somewhat and so we went to bed.

Monday 11 September

Over 10 years ago this day, popularly known as 9/11, was celebrated for an act of terrorism which transformed the world in the minds of many. What we experienced overnight was indeed terrifying. The power of nature is terrifying. When God created Order from Chaos he did not do away with Chaos. Occasionally it rears its head in different guises as major or minor disasters but also in illnesses like cancers.

I awoke around 7am and by 8am I bade farewells and started to ring the insurance company. Over the next 4 hours I made 34 calls but the calls kept getting dropped at various stages of the automated process. In frustration I went into the office which still had power but the phone lines were down. So I tried several times more on my cell phone and eventually got into a queuing system and a real human being at the end of it. She took my details and promised that someone would get back to me in 24 hours.

By 1pm I was able to leave the office and head out to the apartment. None of the forecast flooding was evident and as I opened the door I felt the cool breeze of the AC and realized that the power was on and in fact had not been cut at all. Having checked the apartment for damage and found none I then returned to the house to remove the food from the thawing freezer and brought this back to the apartment where I stayed that night. At Charann’s bar which opened at 6pm there was a sense of relief and standing room only!

Tuesday 12 September

I went into work and stayed there much of the day. I was able to get quite a bit done as hardly anyone was around. During the day I had discovered that power had been restored to the house so I returned to the apartment to move the food again from the freezer and return it to the house. The route I had been using would normally have accrued toll charges but the governor had waived these before and after the hurricane. I then returned to the apartment to sleep.

Wednesday 13 September

I started the day by cancelling choir practice as the school was closed and it seemed increasingly unlikely that we would have power restored to the church for the weekend. At the house I met with a friend, Dale who arrived with all manner of power tools to remove the tree from the roof and effect a temporary tarpaulin over the hole. He left by about midday to attend the final interview for an executive job he was pursuing. At around 2.30pm contractors from the insurance arrived unannounced to remove the tree. Well that had been done already so instead they made a complete job of spreading tarpaulin over the roof and securing it with bags full of slate from my pond as they had exhausted their supply of sand! Another contractor pulled up the floor and assured me that they would have to replace the entire floor to the ground floor. This had only been laid in July! As they were leaving I tried to open one of the French windows and discovered that it would not open. Another contractor found that the door frame was cracked and that outside the soffits had popped. This was going to be a more significant claim than I had imagined. I returned to the apartment for a final sleep.

Thursday 14 September

I awoke super early to do some final boxing and preparation for the removal guys. I had booked 3 men for 4 hours but only two turned up at 10am. They worked really hard and it was clear that I was in the way so I retreated to the swimming pool for an hour or so. Soon after 1pm I got a call from Dale who had arrived early at the house to do some further chopping and tidying of debris from the gardens. I decided to leave the removals team to finish up and drove to meet Dale. At 1.30pm the third man arrived and we were set to leave the apartment. When they reached the house they were diligent about moving stuff to where I wanted it. By 4pm they were finished and I was exhausted. So I took a dip in the pool and cleared some of the debris from the pool in the process.

I spent the rest of the evening sorting my bed. I had decided to sleep in the spare room.

Friday 15 September

Some of my work colleagues had decided to visit me later in the evening so I had good reason to be super active, pausing only occasionally to cool down in the pool. I was not feeling great and had a slight pain in the ears and my breathing was a little wheezy. I visited Frontier to fix up a new contract for TV and internet. Installation set for Monday 25 September.

My friends arrived around 6pm and immediately set about doing stuff. In the process the mattresses got moved and the TVs got connected and ready for set up. At least I could watch DVDs. The women set about sorting the take away food and feminizing the kitchen! Audrey had been delayed at work and so we had to wait to eat.

The meal was wonderful and we had a great time together. The house was greeted with general approval. I slept contented.

Saturday 16 September

I awoke to find that the pool was now green. This had most definitely been the cause of my illness. But this would have to wait as I had to work today. I had a vigil Mass and a wedding after that. I managed to get through it all despite having little voice. I went to bed early to conserve my energies for the morning.

Sunday 17 September

I awoke at 5.30am and prepared breakfast. I did not feel great at all. The drive to work was unhindered by traffic and I was there at 7am. I managed the first Mass and then reported to my line manager that I was prepared to cover the 9.3pam Mass but would have to leave soon after. I had managed to contact Marty Purtell to play for the 1230 and 7pm but had to brief the choir as to how they might manage the 11am without accompaniment.

I returned home and busied myself. Christian from work came round later to sort the second TV and assist with house knowledge like thermostats and the cleaning of the pool. I had already purchased supplies of chlorine and acid so he was able to help me with that. That evening I took Christian to O’Briens for supper. Christian returned to check the pool and was surprised that there did not appear to be much change.

Monday 18 September

I returned to the pool supplies with a sample from the pool and they agreed that something was awry. It was a different member of staff and he added some new stuff to the mix which would deal with the algae. I stopped by at Goodwill and bought two room-size rugs for $40 each. They were both brand new and served to cover the missing flooring and to provide further comfort. I also stopped at Lowes and bought tubes for the dryer vent.

Back home I added chemicals to the pool and waited.

I visited O’Briens bar for the second time and although staff were congenial it was really dark there. I went further north and found the House of Brews. The favourable reviews were correct. This was a happening place and they even had Delirium Tremens made in Melle, Belgium where I had spent many an evening in my youth.

Tuesday 19 September

I was delighted to see that the pool had begun to clear and was no longer green. I worked for 6 hrs. This was the first day I had driven to work along the new route and friends had advised me to leave early. So I left at 6.50am and was in by 7.15am. Still ill, once I had sorted stuff I left work after 6 hours.

Wednesday 20 September

I awoke soon after 5.50am and was in work for 7am. There was a school Mass at 8.30 and I needed to prepare instrumental parts. The Mass went really well.

I stayed a little longer preparing stuff for the weekend and then returned home for about 4 hours.

I returned around 5pm and was able to have a leisurely final prep for the first choir practice of the season. It was great when the choir gathered to discover that those who had promised to join us as new members all turned up. It was great t be back again. We worked on a Communion antiphon by Chris Walker, my setting of ‘How can I keep from singing’ and John Bell’s setting of Ps 116 ‘I love the Lord’

Leaving work at 9.30pm there was little time before bed.

Thursday 21 September

I waited in during the morning as I was expecting visits from Frontier to install TV and internet and also from a flooring consultant. Neither appeared so by 12.30pm I was in work. There was a Pastoral Staff meeting at 1pm which lasted only one hour. Today marked the 3^rd anniversary of my gainful employment in USA. Once I had completed various admin tasks I decided to re-organise my office and in the process removed my Roland digital piano which I had temporarily housed there 6 months earlier. I would return to complete the task on Saturday. That evening I visited Charann’s bar but did not stay too long as I had to drive all the way home.

Friday 22 September

I met my friend Wayne at 9am as he had offered me a petrol lawnmower he no longer required. He also gave me a pair of loppers. I immediately took it for a service locally and would collect later the same day. I was surprised to get the call an hour later that it was ready! It cost $50 but seemed worth it as my grass needed cutting.

I stopped at Goodwill but for once bought nothing! I moved my kayak from storage and stopped at Home Depot and bought a leaf vac, a brush.

Later that evening I visited House of Brews for the second time. There was a guy playing guitar … some of the stuff brother Chris used to play.. so it felt like home! Ti add to this feeling I noticed that they had Delirium Tremens a strong brew  from Belgium which was in fact brewed in the small town of Melle which gave its name to College Melle, the Josephite School  where I happily spent many summers while on Choir Tours.

Still without internet I came home and watched Part 1 of Fellowship of the Ring.

Saturday 23 September

It took me a while to surface but in the end I was in work for 10am and able to continue the facelift to my office. There was a diocesan women’s conference downstairs in Higgins Hall so I was able to get some decent food! The Vigil Mass was only notable for one thing … I played 3 of the 4 movements of Boellmann’s Suite Gothique concluding the Mass with the Toccata. The Pastor asked me not to play this again as he felt it resembled too closely some theme music from haunted movies and the Munsters!

I stopped at Goodwill and was fortunate to find a beautiful wooden dining table for only $200. A carpenter was in the store and he reckoned it was worth $3000. It was brand new and still had the packaging on it. I love having a decent dining table. For me this is a symbol of hospitality which I enjoy offering so much.

I managed to get the table out of the car and into the garage but would need help to get it into the house and assembled. I would seize the opportunity sometime to get the piano set in place also.

Sunday 24 September

I awoke at 5.45am and was in work for 7am. Cantors turned up for every Mass which was just as well as I was not fully recovered from my infection of last week. The choir did a great job with the new pieces learned on Wednesday.

I returned around 2pm and idled a few hours away before returning to work via Goodwill!

Friday 29 September

The loss adjuster came to inspect the house after the hurricane damage. He was a bit concerned that whilst the roof had been temporarily covered with tarpaulin on the outside the inside had not been sealed. He noticed my coughing and mentioned that I may have been inhaling fibre glass dust from the roof insulation. He sealed it himself and then advised that that section of the roof would need to be recovered with repairs to the inside also. He further recommended that the french doors would need to be replaced as the frames for the unit had cracked under the weight of the impact. The floor would also need replacing.

Thursday 5 October

I had been experiencing a lot of pain in my foot for the last 3 months and finally got around to visiting an orthopedic doctor about this. He diagnosed tendonitis possibly caused by the shoes I was wearing. So later in the evening after work I bought some new shoes!

Friday 6 October

Nothing spectacular happened today. My new 7 seater sofa was delivered in between two funerals in different churches. A new bar opened in the evening. Named ‘The Local’ it specializes in offering local beers and spirits. It is a little on the pricey side but we’ll see how things develop.

Saturday 7 October

I almost overlooked a wedding preparation meeting at 10am this morning. I was beginning to like the idea of a delayed start to the day when I thought I’d better check my diary at 9.10am! I arrived on time and so did the couple so all was well in the end. Later that afternoon I played for the 4pm Vigil Mass and then attended the unveiling of the statue of Mgr Laurence Higgins who had served as Pastor at St Lawrence for 49 years and who had died last year. It was a high profile event which was transmitted by livestream into the church where I chose to sit in comparative coolness. It was interesting to see people stand for the Gospel (being read in the heat outside) but what was most memorable was the Sinatra song (Mgr’s favorite) being transmitted into the church also! A fine meal with speeches followed.

Tuesday 10 October

I normally get into work around 7am but today having left at the usual time I kept on driving to the Driving Licence place. I arrived an hour before it opened and there was already a queue. When they opened at 8am I was seen quickly and sorted my address change and got a new card. In the process I had to offer various documents and she informed me that one of them allowed me to re-enter the USA without a Green Card. So when I got back to the office I booked a flight to England in November for about 10 days. I had been saving my holiday for this so I was delighted not to lose it all!

Wednesday 11 October

One month after Irma struck causing such devastation workmen appeared to remove the loads of tree debris from the roadside. I took this as a sign that the city was getting back onto its feet again.

I played for the funeral of Sylvia who had been our receptionist at work until recently. Her husband Larry came up to me while I was playing intending to pay me for my services. Sylvia was ‘family’ so I declined payment but I did not recognize him as the glasses I use for reading music do not allow me to see much else and besides, for the three years I had known him I had only seen him wear shorts and t-shirt and here he was in a suit!

Choir practice followed and we did some detailed work on two pieces of Christopher Walker, the Communion antiphon for the Sunday and his ‘Laudate Dominum’.

Thursday 12 October

I went into work for midday having already visited American Signature Furniture to arrange for a technician to fix the recliner on my sofa set. All staff were invited to a special lunch to mark the re-signing of a contract with Diocesan Publications. I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting some admin a wedding meeting with a couple. Then I went home and welcomed friend and colleague Christian who connected the dryer, rearranged my TV connections to accommodate a new TV stand and established that the water cooler and ice maker were not even connected (which would affect their functioning appropriately, I suppose!).

After a bite to eat he left and I visited The Local, the new bar which opened last Friday.Back at home I fell asleep in front of the TV.

Friday 13 October

This day, for some superstitious souls, is one full of dread but it all started well for me. The ADT guy arrived on time to fit the security system for the house. This would take about 5 hours. The American Signature sent someone to fix the recliner on the sofa and within a few minutes he was done. I spent the day catching up on this blog which I had not published for over a month.  I hope you enjoy it!

Friday 8 September

I awoke early around 5am and while it was cooler (78F) I filled my car with some boxes of belongings and drove to the new house. I then returned to pack up a second load. One of my friends Wayne met me at noon to collect more stuff in his truck and then we drove to my house in convoy. Since the storm was imminent the state governor had waived all road tolls on the highways and so the journey was quicker.

My next stop after that was 2pm at a flooring store where I was to meet a colleague to collect the flooring he would fit to my master bedroom. Unfortunately the store had closed early ahead of the hurricane. So I returned home again to pack a bit more and relax. Later I visited the bar and returned to watch a movie.

Saturday 9 September

Since the evacuation had become mandatory overnight I decided to leave the apartment with as much as I could and took it to the house. Then around 3pm I checked in to work to prepare for the 4pm Mass. I had decided to lead a time of prayer as people arrived focusing on Jesus walking on the water and the statement ‘Do not be afraid’. The Mass was the only Mass of the weekend as the Pastor had cancelled all the Sunday Masses earlier in the day. The homily was really good. I remember Fr Paul Deutch SJ’s observation that the worst thing was the waiting. He compared it with his experiences of earthquakes. He suggested that during the time when the electricity is cut we take advantage of the opportunity to pray. What else can we do?

At 6pm there was a wedding! This was uneventful. Fr Mike remarked that just as babies will be born during the hurricane period that it was natural for a wedding to occur also!

After the wedding I visited the bar and enjoyed two beers and a steak melt. By 9pm I was back in the apartment where at least I could sleep in my own bed. I had imagined that I might enjoy a chilled white wine but in the event I could not find the corkscrew and had to make do with champagne instead!

Sunday 10 September

Soon after 6.30am I awoke and packed a few more things. I stopped at a gas station where I met a local who lived in my apartment complex. He was really worried and only 2 weeks earlier had moved from a second floor apartment to the ground floor, a decision he now regretted!

The roads reminded me of a ghost town and it was not long before I reach the house. I did not see a single store open. After a cooked breakfast I opened up some of the boxes and spent the morning filling cupboards with crockery, glassware and cookware. I also set up my temporary bed and prepared things as best I could.

I cooked two pizzas at midday and put them in a glass dish to eat later. For lunch I had shrimps in a lime sauce with naan bread. I found a local radio station and listened to the storm watch channel.

At 2.30pm the wind picked up with a mighty gust and I could hear palm fronds hitting the roof. Now it is 3pm and there have not been so many gusts to compete with that. I’m hearing reports that the sea is behaving strangely. Vast expanses where normally there would be water appear like dry ground! Do you remember people said the same before major tsunamis occur? This prompts experts to expect a major storm surge in the Bay.

By 3.30pm local forecasters were beginning to be a bit more optimistic. At 5pm there was some activity around the Northdale Community Centre which I can see over the garden fence. I wondered if it was being prepared as an emergency shelter. By 7pm Irma was tracking the west coast but with the eye over the land which though incredibly destructive tends to reduce the power of the hurricane. You would not believe it if you were here in Tampa. Already the winds were gusting very high and greatly affecting the trees in the area. I can hear things bouncing along the roof and I see 5 palm branches in the garden. This is 5 hours from impact! I decided to open a red wine.

The lights started to flicker for the first time soon after 7pm and I feared a power outage (which is what they call a power cut). I was already getting darker so I was hoping this would not happen. It is one thing when you can see trees bending but it is much more worrying when all you can appreciate is things going bump in the night.

The power outage happened at 8pm. By 9pm there were many bumps. The wind had really picked up a lot and it was getting warmer in the house. A radio which I had brought from UK and which until today I had not used because it didn’t seem to work had kept me company all day but I had already put some batteries in it during the early evening and was astonished that it continued to function well. An hour earlier I had come across a rosary in amongst the tools I had packed. I didn’t intend to bring it and had forgotten I had been given it by a choir member. I placed it around my neck and it gave me some comfort. Earlier I had put on facebook a picture of me with a saucepan on my head. It seemed appropriate protection for the predicament I was in. A friend Vanessa who knew me from my Goan trips told me that her partner Simon had said the Goan shirt would protect me … but I wasn’t wearing it and doubted that I would fit into it now!

The wind seemed to be blowing across the length of the house so I positioned myself ay the far end on the ground floor. Although I could hear the heavy rainfall and wind nothing hit the nearby window so it seemed the best place to be. Outside I could hear the occasional crack which I presumed to be branches being broken from the main tree. The morning would tell the truth.

Some time after 9.30pm with heavy winds there was a mighty crash and I discovered that a tree limb had broken off and pierced the roof. Water was pouring through the roof into the rear lounge area which is a single story part of the house. I grabbed a few communication devices and went next door to wake my new neighbours, John and Tina. As luck would have it they were still up and Tina was reading the Hobbit to her son so that he had something to distract him. They were very hospitable and invited me to stay with them in a space room. The hurricane was so noisy that no one could sleep so I retrieved 4 bottles of wine and started a series of conversations and stories which the son considered were more entertaining than the Hobbit … until he fell asleep! At 1am the wind had died somewhat and so we went to bed.

Monday 11 September

Over 10 years ago this day, popularly known as 9/11, was celebrated for an act of terrorism which transformed the world in the minds of many. What we experienced overnight was indeed terrifying. The power of nature is terrifying. When God created Order from Chaos he did not do away with Chaos. Occasionally it rears its head in different guises as major or minor disasters but also in illnesses like cancers.

I awoke around 7am and by 8am I bade farewells and started to ring the insurance company. Over the next 4 hours I made 34 calls but the calls kept getting dropped at various stages of the automated process. In frustration I went into the office which still had power but the phone lines were down. So I tried several times more on my cell phone and eventually got into a queuing system and a real human being at the end of it. She took my details and promised that someone would get back to me in 24 hours.

By 1pm I was able to leave the office and head out to the apartment. None of the forecast flooding was evident and as I opened the door I felt the cool breeze of the AC and realized that the power was on and in fact had not been cut at all. Having checked the apartment for damage and found none I then returned to the house to remove the food from the thawing freezer and brought this back to the apartment where I stayed that night. At Charann’s bar which opened at 6pm there was a sense of relief and standing room only!

Tuesday 12 September

I went into work and stayed there much of the day. I was able to get quite a bit done as hardly anyone was around. During the day I had discovered that power had been restored to the house so I returned to the apartment to move the food again from the freezer and return it to the house. The route I had been using would normally have accrued toll charges but the governor had waived these before and after the hurricane. I then returned to the apartment to sleep.

Wednesday 13 September

I started the day by cancelling choir practice as the school was closed and it seemed increasingly unlikely that we would have power restored to the church for the weekend. At the house I met with a friend, Dale who arrived with all manner of power tools to remove the tree from the roof and effect a temporary tarpaulin over the hole. He left by about midday to attend the final interview for an executive job he was pursuing. At around 2.30pm contractors from the insurance arrived unannounced to remove the tree. Well that had been done already so instead they made a complete job of spreading tarpaulin over the roof and securing it with bags full of slate from my pond as they had exhausted their supply of sand! Another contractor pulled up the floor and assured me that they would have to replace the entire floor to the ground floor. This had only been laid in July! As they were leaving I tried to open one of the French windows and discovered that it would not open. Another contractor found that the door frame was cracked and that outside the soffits had popped. This was going to be a more significant claim than I had imagined. I returned to the apartment for a final sleep.

Thursday 14 September

I awoke super early to do some final boxing and preparation for the removal guys. I had booked 3 men for 4 hours but only two turned up at 10am. They worked really hard and it was clear that I was in the way so I retreated to the swimming pool for an hour or so. Soon after 1pm I got a call from Dale who had arrived early at the house to do some further chopping and tidying of debris from the gardens. I decided to leave the removals team to finish up and drove to meet Dale. At 1.30pm the third man arrived and we were set to leave the apartment. When they reached the house they were diligent about moving stuff to where I wanted it. By 4pm they were finished and I was exhausted. So I took a dip in the pool and cleared some of the debris from the pool in the process.

I spent the rest of the evening sorting my bed. I had decided to sleep in the spare room.

Friday 15 September

Some of my work colleagues had decided to visit me later in the evening so I had good reason to be super active, pausing only occasionally to cool down in the pool. I was not feeling great and had a slight pain in the ears and my breathing was a little wheezy. I visited Frontier to fix up a new contract for TV and internet. Installation set for Monday 25 September.

My friends arrived around 6pm and immediately set about doing stuff. In the process the mattresses got moved and the TVs got connected and ready for set up. At least I could watch DVDs. The women set about sorting the take away food and feminizing the kitchen! Audrey had been delayed at work and so we had to wait to eat.

The meal was wonderful and we had a great time together. The house was greeted with general approval. I slept contented.

Monday 4 September

Monday would normally have been my day off but there was a funeral at 10am which I needed to attend to.

Once the funeral was over I was able to return home to do a bit more packing of boxes. During the afternoon I spent a couple of hours by the pool before visiting my local bar. I was feeling so tired that I did not stay long.

Tuesday 5 September

This was a work day and I spent the day preparing for the Sunday Masses and for the school Mass tomorrow. This also meant completing an adaptation of Psalm 95 for the Sunday. I also printed out the programs for the wedding on Saturday.

I had expected to hear from both the lender and my realtor about the impending house purchase but there was just silence.

Wednesday 6 September

The day started with a school mass during which the singing was just great. Following this I had an hour to prepare for another funeral. During the afternoon I returned home to rest for a while before returning in the evening to prepare for choir practice. During the afternoon I thought better f holding the rehearsal and cancelled it. This would have been the first rehearsal of the new season and since it was likely that the storm would hit us on Sunday I saw no point in wasting people’s time. In the event a few did turn up and one joined me at my bar for a drink or two.

Thursday 7 September

I went into work a bit later as I did not have much planned. I needed to hear from the lender what amount of money I needed to wire to the title company. At 1pm I did hear and they also told me that they wanted to close today! I then had to ring the insurers to ensure that I was insured a day earlier than I’d expected. This was not so easy as no insurance company has modified any policy with the hurricane imminent. In the event I did manage to get it changed and so I went to the bank to effect the transfer. Following this I met my Realtor to do the final walk through to check that everything was fine. Then having got the address of the office where I would close I drove there while my realtor got me a sandwich as I had not eaten since 7am. When I reached the address I became confused as there was no sign of any offices. Then my realtor realized that she had given me the wrong address (502 Linebaugh instead of 5020). There had been so many issues with my realtor that this last one was almost predictable.

At closing I was introduced to their realtor (almost as daft as my own) and the closer who was relaxed and competent. There were so many documents to sign but that was to be expected, I suppose.

I dropped into my bar to share my news and then returned home to prepare. A voluntary evacuation order had been put in place so I decided to move some stuff the following day.

It’s been a while so apologies to all my readers.

Soon after my last post my brother Chris, his wife Susan and daughter Bethan visited me in Tampa. They stayed two days in which we drank a fair bit, ate quite a lot and had quality time together. There was one full day we spent together and my schedule for them was tough. I picked them up from their hotel and drove them to breakfast at Panera’s and thence to Dunedin Causeway where we hired kayaks and set off for Caladesi Island. It was Chris and Sue’s wedding anniversary but they insisted on hiring a kayak for two, more commonly known as the divorce kayak! We ran a ground at one point and then continued to the island. Sue got out of her kayak but Chris who was at the rear seat got out of the kayak and had misjudged the steep incline of the beach as he disappeared beneath the waves. Since Chris had already tasted the waters it was time for the rest of us to have a more considered dip.

It was getting very hot so soon after we decided to return. Bathan and I took a more circuitous route but were rewarded by seeing dolphins! When Chris went to return the kayak the hirer, seeing his shirt was rather wet, said “You must have had a real workout!”. “No, I fell in!” said Chris.

We spent a while in the Tiki bar surveying the ocean and other more experienced kayakers. Ten we went in search of food at Cuban Breezes. I had never been there but it was attracting great reviews. The food was wholesome, very tasty and reasonably priced and after the massive portions the night before at Bahama Breeze we were very happy with this.

Then they wanted to see where I worked so I showed them the Church and the staff offices. There we met the Pastor Fr Mike and some of the staff. Then we drove back to Charann’s Bar, my local. There I was able to introduce them to the people I hang out with. We then left the car at my apartment, gave it a quick viewing and waited for the uber back to their hotel where we indulged in some pizza and a few beers. Bethan gave a stunning performance of ‘Valerie’ by Amy Winehouse.

The following day they drove towards Nashville where they would spend much of their holiday. Bethan managed to play at some really prestigious venues. This was no mean achievement.

When they returned to Tampa I visited them at their hotel and we agreed how we would spend the following day. In the event they spent the day relaxing by the pool and after I had finished with the staff retreat I joined them at Charann’s Bar. We drank a Jakobean amount and ended up with several shots which accounted for my headache the following morning. Tuesday 8 August was their last day as they would fly in the evening. I ubered to the hotel and they drove me to Anna Maria Island. There we had lunch at a good restaurant with fine views over white sand to the blue sea. I had become accustomed to such views but they really enjoyed it! After lunch we drove straight to the airport, returned the car and said our farewells.

In between their two visits to Tampa I had found a house that I wanted to pursue. This would occupy much of my mind for the next while. Once my offer was accepted I had to get a house inspection organised. From this I was able to commission estimates for roof and air-conditioning units which were nearing the end of their lives. Then the negotiating started. That was completed last night and today the lender completed the appraisal. I’ll get the results next week sometime. It all happens very quickly and if all goes well I could be in the house on 8 September!

Last week I was super busy. The School re-opened after the summer break and we celebrated a special Mass on the Thursday, the feast of St Lawrence. the following weekend the parish would celebrate its Patronal Feast Day at all Masses. The 11AM Mass would be the biggie and for that I had chosen bilingual music and created a choir out of all the musicians of the parish. The choir met for the first time on the Saturday evening and learned the music which we would sing the following day. After the Mass hundreds of folk sat down for an indoor barbecue. I had to remain in the church for the last Mass of the morning and when I got to the BBQ there was not much left!

Two days later was the Feast of the Assumption so part of my day off was given to the Vigil Mass and there were three Masses the following day.

All this activity meant that I had completed my hours by Wednesday and therefore was able to take Thursday and Friday off. For the first time in a long while I slept really well and woke up late!

Please accept my apologies for neglecting the blog since 4 July.

I spent a wonderful week in Cincinnati at the National Pastoral Musicians Convention. At Tampa airport I offered my photo ID but unfortunately my driving license is marked ‘temporary’ and therefore was invalid for this purpose. However they let me through after undergoing a rather thorough frisk or ‘pat down’ as they called it.

My parish sent Leo our Spanish Music Director and myself. Hitherto we had only managed fleeting conversations but this time together enabled us to get to know each other so that our collaboration over bilingual Masses could be deeper. As soon as I got there I found loads of people welcoming me. Leo must have wondered who he was accompanying! The welcome was a result of getting to know 40 composers at their 5 day meeting in St Louis in January. This friendship also enabled me to introduce Leo to some notable musicians from the hispanic sector.

I had booked us in to the Millenium Hotel because our pastor was originally going to join us and his mobility had to be considered. This was a mistake and even at check-in I had to complain that prior arrangements had been ignored. I continued with my complaints later that evening and on check-out. As a result they reduced our bills considerably and we did not have to pay for the breakfasts we enjoyed each day.

During the Convention I had agreed to appear as a helpful critic for budding composers at the Liturgical Composers Forum’s two sessions but apart from that I was free to attend many interesting sessions and plenaries. Paul Inwood and Chris Walker were the other English attendees but it was great to spend time with the likes of Marty Haugen, Bob Hurd, Jaime Cortez, and many others whose names will be less known in UK.

I was surprised to hear my transcription of ‘Bambelela’ during the President’s Address and later during the OCP Showcase to hear my arrangement of Bernadette Farrell’s Renew me, Lord. It was a pity that they did not use the instrumental parts but you can’t have everything! The singing by 2000 musicians was something to behold.

I returned to Tampa for a weekend of Masses and great fatigue as I had not enjoyed my usual days off! The focus of my work was in preparing material for the church projection system and screens which were installed while I was away. They were launched yesterday to great acclaim and immediately the singing was improved. On Thursday I had my evaluation and was able to express my concern that the preparation of texts for the screens was taking so much of my time. Happily my concerns were heeded and the lion share of this work has now been passed elsewhere.

Tomorrow evening my brother Chris, his wife Sue and daughter Bethan arrive in Tampa. They will spend a short time with me at either end of their 14 day trip to Savannah and Nashville. I’m really looking forward to this.

The weather has been pretty miserable for the last week or so. This is typical for Florida in the summer when the rain arrives in torrents despite very hot and humid conditions.

The process of my Green Card seems hopeful. The authorities have cashed my cheques which indicates a positive expectation and last Tuesday I had to attend for biometric tests. I am hoping this will be enough to reduce the interest rates we aliens have to pay for mortgages. I should be able to put in an offer on a house next week … if I see anything I like!

Today I have a day off (what the Americans call ‘a holiday’) because Americans want to celebrate their independence from Britain! To make me suffer further this evening the sky will be full of fireworks and the accompanying noise more closely resembling the bombardments which USA has not experienced since Pearl Harbour.

Last night I got chatting to a couple I’d never met before. My opening gambit was “I see you are sitting in the danger zone”. This comment was returned by confused looks. I explained that a week ago on a Sunday afternoon a customer to the bar had driven his car at some speed through the plate glass window and as far as the bar itself. The driver was driving his mother’s car and allegedly had a suspended license himself. Alex, who had been sitting on that side of the bar had got up to visit the restroom (toilet) only 12 seconds earlier.   Alex at the point of this conversation had now chosen to sit on the other side of the bar!

Our conversation began with Brexit and then ventured into Trump. The two are very similar. Absurd things happen when a part of the electorate takes the outcome for granted. I recall a few weeks ago listening to an interview with the author Elizabeth Stroud talking at the Hay Festival about her books and the political situation in USA. She refused to even speak the name of the current President but his ‘success’ down to the provincial nature of the United States. She argued that voters in New York state for instance could not imagine that people would vote in any other way than they would.

I learned so much from this very cultured couple. One detail I learned was that the DC in Washington stood for District of Columbia which she described as akin to the Vatican City as a state within in a State. I also had reaffirmed what I already knew … that people vote out of ignorance and that if politicians press the right buttons then ignorance wins!

One of the athings about living here is that you can view major catholic conferences on your TV.. For the last few days the US Bishops have been meeting in Orlando for a congress of Catholic Leaders. I have heard some great addresses by Bishop Robert Barron and Cardinals Tobin and Mahoney. I also heard a ‘worship session with musician Matt Maher. This affirmed me in my belief that Matt Maher and his ‘lifeteen’ ilk are very misguided people. The first two songs he presented had no reference to scripture nor any mention of Jesus. The only involvement of the assembly was in repeating an inane ‘woh, woh’ phrase as many artists do if they think the people may have stopped becoming engaged.

His third song’ Your grace is enough’ was at least well known and people and bishops responded predictably. He then handed over to  his guest, Audrey Assad. I had never heard of her but she was ‘on message’ introducing her songs with references to a wounded faith and a sense of lament. “I didn’t divorce God but we did argue a lot!”

She spoke of despair as being a luxury. Most people in desperate situations do not have time for it. She questioned the most popular of psalms saying that ‘there is nothing I shall want’ seemed unreal. When you are desperate you need so much. She prayed ‘Lord, help my unbelief’. She exhibited an integrity I had not expected at a Matt Maher event.

All too soon Matt Maher was back with ‘Lord, I need you’ and moving the assembly to frenzy with repetitions of ‘Everything’s gonna be alright’.  If this was conceived as worship then it was misguided. Before the final episcopal blessing the MC broke in with an announcement about luggage. She clearly did not think she was intruding on anything at all profound. She was right!

Since I last blogged the school has ‘broken up’ which means I can use the time for getting ahead with planning. At the same time we are working on a project which will impact on my working hours. Already full on I think the need to provide material for presentation on screens will add so much to my job.

My house-hunting is now more focussed. If you have followed this then you will know that I was being restricted by the Green Card process and by my credit history. The Green card process seems to have re-started as I learned during the week that my cheques for $1200 have been drawn by Immigration services.  At the same time I have learned that my lender does not wish to hold me back because of no Green Card. I also learned that the lender has now decided that my 2-year credit history will be achieved by 1 August after which date I can be under contract on a house purchase!

So I have started boxing up things which I have not used for a while. I am also on the look out for house items at the local charity store. Last week I bought a 23 setting fine china dinning service. I think I’ll probably sell most of this on … but it was a bargain. For $38 I also bought a sterling silver flute dating from 1923! I have seen these on sale for $800!

Next week I head off to Cincinatti for the annual NPM congress. I always learn so much about US liturgical culture at these gatherings. It is also a great opportunity to rub shoulders with my Diocesan colleagues.

As I type title of one of Churchill’s Second World War books, the Gathering Storm, comes to mind. Here in Tampa the storm is most certainly with us. We have had heavy rain for the last few days but this morning the skies never brightened. I live on the top 3^rd floor of an apartment building. Between my balcony and the bay there is nothing save a nature preserve which means that ordinarily I have the most spectacular views. It also means that I can see the weather coming. Right now I can see nothing. It is as though the clouds have descended to this level. 10 yards from my window I can see a tree flexing in the wind but nothing beyond that. There is lightning and thunder but the battering rain is oppressive. Before the storm arrived in all its fury I went onto the balcony and could appreciate the warm temperatures which accompanied the growing wind. Florida may be the sunshine state but Tampa is the lightning city and right now there is less than a second between flash and thunder. As I continue to type I notice that the trees are now undisturbed and the wind must have dropped completely after that last thunder and lightning assault and more trees begin to show themselves in a heavy mist. It all happens so quickly here. Weather is spectacular.

There are political storms throughout the world and I am particularly aware of those in UK on this eve of the General Election. The Tories are beginning to flap as planet Corbyn is in the ascendancy. The PM looks as though she is suffering from an enormous hangover on each appearance. Myself, although I voted to have parliament painted red I would prefer a hung parliament which in these times of change may engender more considered and balanced views. I hope my postal vote gets to UK in time. Although I have voted remotely since I have been here I have no idea whether my vote was counted. It seems to take about 2 weeks for post to get to UK from here and vice versa.

I was deeply impressed by Bernie Sanders who appeared on BBC Hardtalk and was completely on top of every question even before the interviewer had finished each sentence. His presence, intelligence and feeling for the common good may serve to encourage the USA electorate to regret the choices made recently.

Political commentary is becoming as caustic as ever no matter which side of the pond one sits. Whatever one feels about Diane Abbott she was mercilessly taunted in one interview I saw. I awake this morning to discover that she is no longer shadow Home Secretary. On a human level I hope she is not suffering. It does seem that the media brought her into prominence prematurely as the outspoken buffoon. But maybe this is the age of such buffoonery? What was Trump thinking when he tweeted against Sadiq Khan?

As much as I detest violence and political extremism entirely it uninvited shows in great and contrasting relief the nobler human virtues. My heart was warmed after the Manchester incident to hear that taxi drivers of every cultural complexion offered to take concertgoers home without charge. Similarly I was impressed, after the London attacks, by a Richard Angel who, caught up in the evacuation of Borough Market restaurants and bars, commented that he would have to return to the restaurant to pay his bill and tip the waiting staff. He went on to urge Londoners to continue living as they would have done before and added that such terrorism should not prevent us from continuing to embrace people of all faiths and none into the community that is London. This coming together of people of difference enables neighbourliness, respect and friendship. It is more unlikely that strife will prosper between people that know eachother. The problem with some parts of America is that opinions which in UK would consider inflammatory here are common place and founded on ignorance. Very few people seem to have any relationship with people of Islam, for instance. Such opinions receive oxygen from the permission Trump obtains for his own outlandish statements. Indeed I was interested that one BBC reporter advanced that they should refrain from referring to his use of technology as ‘tweets’ and instead refer to them as Presidential Statements, which is what they are , however ill-founded.

So what is happening in my life here? As you know I am looking to buy a house here but am currently hampered by two main concerns. The Green Card immigration status would enable me to access more favourable interest rates and loans. I applied for this in September 2016 but my case was only considered in May 2017. Fortunately the first stage (I-360) was approved also in May. Immediately I sent off $1300 and several forms for the next stage. The process is slow and I cannot close on a loan until this is in place. I also have to grapple with the fact that I do not yet have the required 2-year credit history. This means that I cannot close on a loan before August 17^th!

I have had a return of the neck pain which arose after whiplash car injuries in May 2015 and February 2016. I went to a chiropractor last Friday and indeed she managed to ease the pain considerably. Unfortunately while I was there a gift card disappeared from my wallet. The doctor had asked me to leave my things on the adjacent bed and having fixed various tools to my neck he pulled the curtain around my bed and left me for ten minutes in the darkness.

Last week I played for 2 funerals. One was attended by a ‘red neck’ family and was not without curiosity as long beards were accompanied by such statements as weddings and funerals are much the same. You get drunk at both! This also brings to mind a conversation in my local bar with a delightful woman from Tennessee. At one point she disclosed “Well, I’ve been married before but we could have no children. Hell, he was my cousin!” She was joking, of course, in a play on stereotypes.

The last week has been one of ‘end times’. The choir will continue to gather on Sundays but we will not meet for rehearsals until September. Similarly the school closed on Friday so I will not have to lead liturgical music practice, provide the music for Mass or publish song sheets for while. The choir had a great party at the house of one of our members last Friday and will meet again tonight as the Parish holds an appreciation party for them at which I will also lead a ‘wee sing’. This gratitude is in stark contrast to the inhuman behavior of Fr Chris in Sheffield who seemed unable to say thank you to anyone! Sunday the Feast of Pentecost was a high point for the choir. During a con-celebrated Mass in which one Franciscan Irish priest was celebrating his 90^th birthday we sang Antoine Oomen’s ‘I shall be living’ and finished with Handel’s Hallelujah! We then bade farewell to Bob who after singing bass with us during the last year had found work in Chicago. With the best of intentions we also hoped never to see him again!

Monday brought the news that the liturgical composer and text writer MD Ridge had died. Only the previous week she had been diagnosed with acute liver cancer. I had used some of her music in UK but it was only at a meeting of the Liturgical Composers Forum in January in St Louis that I met her in person. She was an indomitable woman with strong opinions veiled in the most beautifully articulate and ornate language. May she rest in peace, rise in glory and enjoy the company of heaven.

The media have just issued another storm alert so I will complete this installment before lightning causes me to lose all I have typed. But before this I must recount my delight that my brother Chris, his wife Sue and my niece Bethan will visit me at the end of July. They will fly into Tampa before driving to Nashville Tennessee on their musical mystery tour. I am also delighted that my friend John Bell will be visiting Florida next year. I may be able to entice him to do some work in Tampa as well as relax a bit.

Batten down the hatches … here it comes again!

As I type title of one of Churchill’s Second World War books, the Gathering Storm, comes to mind. Here in Tampa the storm is most certainly with us. We have had heavy rain for the last few days but this morning the skies never brightened. I live on the top 3^rd floor of an apartment building. Between my balcony and the bay there is nothing save a nature preserve which means that ordinarily I have the most spectacular views. It also means that I can see the weather coming. Right now I can see nothing. It is as though the clouds have descended to this level. 10 yards from my window I can see a tree flexing in the wind but nothing beyond that. There is lightning and thunder but the battering rain is oppressive. Before the storm arrived in all its fury I went onto the balcony and could appreciate the warm temperatures which accompanied the growing wind. Florida may be the sunshine state but Tampa is the lightning city and right now there is less than a second between flash and thunder. As I continue to type I notice that the trees are now undisturbed and the wind must have dropped completely after that last thunder and lightning assault and more trees begin to show themselves in a heavy mist. It all happens so quickly here. Weather is spectacular.

There are political storms throughout the world and I am particularly aware of those in UK on this eve of the General Election. The Tories are beginning to flap as planet Corbyn is in the ascendancy. The PM looks as though she is suffering from an enormous hangover on each appearance. Myself, although I voted to have parliament painted red I would prefer a hung parliament which in these times of change may engender more considered and balanced views. I hope my postal vote gets to UK in time. Although I have voted remotely since I have been here I have no idea whether my vote was counted. It seems to take about 2 weeks for post to get to UK from here and vice versa.

I was deeply impressed by Bernie Sanders who appeared on BBC Hardtalk and was completely on top of every question even before the interviewer had finished each sentence. His presence, intelligence and feeling for the common good may serve to encourage the USA electorate to regret the choices made recently.

Political commentary is becoming as caustic as ever no matter which side of the pond one sits. Whatever one feels about Diane Abbott she was mercilessly taunted in one interview I saw. I awake this morning to discover that she is no longer shadow Home Secretary. On a human level I hope she is not suffering. It does seem that the media brought her into prominence prematurely as the outspoken buffoon. But maybe this is the age of such buffoonery? What was Trump thinking when he tweeted against Sadiq Khan?

As much as I detest violence and political extremism entirely it uninvited shows in great and contrasting relief the nobler human virtues. My heart was warmed after the Manchester incident to hear that taxi drivers of every cultural complexion offered to take concertgoers home without charge. Similarly I was impressed, after the London attacks, by a Richard Angel who, caught up in the evacuation of Borough Market restaurants and bars, commented that he would have to return to the restaurant to pay his bill and tip the waiting staff. He went on to urge Londoners to continue living as they would have done before and added that such terrorism should not prevent us from continuing to embrace people of all faiths and none into the community that is London. This coming together of people of difference enables neighbourliness, respect and friendship. It is more unlikely that strife will prosper between people that know eachother. The problem with some parts of America is that opinions which in UK would consider inflammatory here are common place and founded on ignorance. Very few people seem to have any relationship with people of Islam, for instance. Such opinions receive oxygen from the permission Trump obtains for his own outlandish statements. Indeed I was interested that one BBC reporter advanced that they should refrain from referring to his use of technology as ‘tweets’ and instead refer to them as Presidential Statements, which is what they are , however ill-founded.

So what is happening in my life here? As you know I am looking to buy a house here but am currently hampered by two main concerns. The Green Card immigration status would enable me to access more favourable interest rates and loans. I applied for this in September 2016 but my case was only considered in May 2017. Fortunately the first stage (I-360) was approved also in May. Immediately I sent off $1300 and several forms for the next stage. The process is slow and I cannot close on a loan until this is in place. I also have to grapple with the fact that I do not yet have the required 2-year credit history. This means that I cannot close on a loan before August 17^th!

I have had a return of the neck pain which arose after whiplash car injuries in May 2015 and February 2016. I went to a chiropractor last Friday and indeed she managed to ease the pain considerably. Unfortunately while I was there a gift card disappeared from my wallet. The doctor had asked me to leave my things on the adjacent bed and having fixed various tools to my neck he pulled the curtain around my bed and left me for ten minutes in the darkness.

Last week I played for 2 funerals. One was attended by a ‘red neck’ family and was not without curiosity as long beards were accompanied by such statements as weddings and funerals are much the same. You get drunk at both! This also brings to mind a conversation in my local bar with a delightful woman from Tennessee. At one point she disclosed “Well, I’ve been married before but we could have no children. Hell, he was my cousin!” She was joking, of course, in a play on stereotypes.

The last week has been one of ‘end times’. The choir will continue to gather on Sundays but we will not meet for rehearsals until September. Similarly the school closed on Friday so I will not have to lead liturgical music practice, provide the music for Mass or publish song sheets for while. The choir had a great party at the house of one of our members last Friday and will meet again tonight as the Parish holds an appreciation party for them at which I will also lead a ‘wee sing’. This gratitude is in stark contrast to the inhuman behavior of Fr Chris in Sheffield who seemed unable to say thank you to anyone! Sunday the Feast of Pentecost was a high point for the choir. During a con-celebrated Mass in which one Franciscan Irish priest was celebrating his 90^th birthday we sang Antoine Oomen’s ‘I shall be living’ and finished with Handel’s Hallelujah! We then bade farewell to Bob who after singing bass with us during the last year had found work in Chicago. With the best of intentions we also hoped never to see him again!

Monday brought the news that the liturgical composer and text writer MD Ridge had died. Only the previous week she had been diagnosed with acute liver cancer. I had used some of her music in UK but it was only at a meeting of the Liturgical Composers Forum in January in St Louis that I met her in person. She was an indomitable woman with strong opinions veiled in the most beautifully articulate and ornate language. May she rest in peace, rise in glory and enjoy the company of heaven.

The media have just issued another storm alert so I will complete this installment before lightning causes me to lose all I have typed. But before this I must recount my delight that my brother Chris, his wife Sue and my niece Bethan will visit me at the end of July. They will fly into Tampa before driving to Nashville Tennessee on their musical mystery tour. I am also delighted that my friend John Bell will be visiting Florida next year. I may be able to entice him to do some work in Tampa as well as relax a bit.

Batten down the hatches … here it comes again!