Since I last wrote I continued to enjoy my time away in Titusville with excellent weather, fine beer from Playalinda brewery and much rest.

One notable memory was seeing the same fisherman catch two bull sharks on the beach on consecutive days. I think he must have had the whole family! It didn’t stop me getting back in sea for a swim!

Also noteworthy was being shown around Eaden House (I was staying in Eaden Cottage) an early 1900s 2-bed residence with period furniture. Nobody had rented it the whole time I was there but it was stunning.

It was straight back to work on my return.First I had to address the fact that the first stage of my application for a green card had been approved. Now I had to complete various forms and send off a cheque for $1300!

Unexpectedly I had a rehearsal with a singer for a wedding and thankfully she was rather good. The choir on Sunday were wonderful and kind enough to remember my birthday the following day. Falling on a Monday it was a day off. I was not feeling too well in the morning but ventured to the beach during the afternoon. In the early evening I uberred to the bar where I stayed too long enjoying the generosity of the locals. I uberred back around 1130pm but cannot recall much else.

Tuesday morning came too quickly and with a reminder that drink is the devil. Work was rather slow as a result! Three days later I discovered that I had been the model of decorum and had even risen to defend a female fellow customer when she was being harassed by an idiot.

The following day was the last School Mass with the 8th Graders. At the end of Communion I sang Paul Field’s ‘Go peaceful’ much to the tearful delight of the parents. After a bit of admin I retreated to the beach and then returned to work for choir practice during which we focussed on ‘I shall be living’ and Hallelujah Chorus for Pentecost Sunday.

Thursday was a full on work day leading to Friday which was a day off until about 5pm when I went in to do the final preparations for the School Graduation Mass. It went really well and despite my despair that only 3 of the school choir turned up I was so impressed by the volume coming from the three that I christened them The Decibels!

Friday evening was spent in the local bar. I knew that Saturday would be a delayed start since at 1230 my beloved Chelsea would be playing Arsenal in the FA Cup. In the end I was disappointed with Chelsea who lost 2-1. I hurried to work after the final whistle and pulled together the resources I needed for the vigil Mass. A relaxed evening in followed with a veggie curry and a netflix film of doubtful pedigree.

The month of May began with the usual routines but the knowledge that I’d be going on vacation on 11 May. It really should not be so difficult to prepare everything so that my absence is not enough to cause meltdown but there is so much to get done. I managed to arrange two musicians to cover for me, sent them the music they would need and rehearsed the choir and cantors so that all would be easier for the cover musicians.

On top of this preparation there were weddings and funerals to prepare. I received a phone call from a singer who wanted to rehearse with me for a wedding. This was the first I knew of this and the wedding was a week later. I can’t go into the detail here but I could see it was going to be a train crash but managed to pull things together.

On Wednesday 3 May I led what was for me the best choir practice so far. I had decided to teach Oomen’s ‘I shall be living’. I spent an hour beforehand learning the piano part which is not easy and then once I’d rehearsed the music for the next Sunday we started on the dutch piece. The concentration of the choir was impressive and an hour later we were able to sing through the whole piece. It was a great achievement and I was really proud of them.

A week later the night before my vacation we looked at the piece again and much had been remembered. We also looked at the music for the next two Sundays. Back home I packed my things and poured a dram to celebrate the start of my vacation.

Early the next morning I drove off and 2 hours later I was in Titusville having breakfast. Soon after I visited the beach which was just beautiful and spent the day there. In the evening I checked into my airbnb and cooked a pizza. The following day I drove 25 mins to the beach at Cape Canaveral and after a day visited the Irish Pub for beer with fish’n’chips.

Saturday was a cloudier day and at 3pm I left the beach and headed off to visit a nearby buddhist monastery, It was very peaceful and impressive. I bumped into one of the monks and together we spoke about meditation which we agreed was  necessary to all denominations. He agreed ‘it was beyond religion’. After a wash I headed for the local church for Mass. It was not a good experience.  The liturgy of the day played second fiddle to Mothers’ Day and the Fatima centenary. After Mass I adjourned to the local PlayaLinda brewery. 10 of the taps had been given over to Cigar City brewery which is in Tampa! I tried a few and then drove home where I dialled a taxi to return to the brewery and consume some more. The streets in the centre of town were closed and given over to a fair. Three beers later I was back in a taxi with a pizza.

Sunday morning found me on the beach again. It was a very hot day and I stayed till 6pm and headed home for the rest of the pizza and a few beers. Tomorrow I would attempt to renew my driving licence again.

 

It’s Sunday afternoon and I thought I catch up blogwise as I discover my memory is fading!

Wednesday began with School Mass, the first after the Easter break, and all went well including the singing of my new psalm ‘Their message” really intended for the Feast of SS Philip and James which falls next week.

I did a bit more admin after this and then departed the office to relax. I returned in the evening for Choir Rehearsal which turned out to be a shorter one for which all were most grateful!

Thursday and Friday were days off. I was pleased to receive somewhat earlier than I had expected the batteries for my most recent ‘bargain’ from Goodwill. My mum always used to proclaim “it’s only a bargain if you want it”. Well this robotic vacuum cleaner seemed attractive to my wayward mind. However I suspect that it will join the hoard of malfunctioning bargains I have stored under the bed! It doesn’t seem to work at all.

Last Sunday I chipped one of my new crowns and so on Thursday morning the dentist was my first port of call. I feel as though I must be one of the most generous funders of my dental practice but on this occasion there was no charge for the immediate repair and the promise that he would replace the crown at no charge at a later date! Thus gratified I went and had my hair cut. A rather large man with 10 inch length of hair arrived after me but I did not wish to pull rank as you never know if this might incite a man to reach for a firearm! My next stop was the Bank of America where I needed to enquire about setting up an account to receive funds from UK which I wished to use for a possible mortgage downpayment. No, I haven’t even started looking for a house but my awareness informs me that I would be in a stronger negotiating position if such monies are in place. I was struck by the efficiency of the manager I met. I would make the transfer sometime next week.

The next two days were spent between the beach and the bar. The temperatures rose to the high 90s and on Saturday my car recorded 100F!

Saturday morning was the annual Yard Sale in the Community so I was ferreting around people’s yards at 8am. I walked away the following items:

• with some china storage pots for onions, garlic and potatoes;
• a bed comforter set
• a portable beach chair
• a book on choral directing
• a boxed sampler set of teas

I had a leisurely start to the morning after that which involved the comparative rarity of a cooked breakfast before venturing into work. There was nobody in the office so I got a lot of work done. During the week I had heard that my setting of psalm 121 (our help is in the Lord) had been selected for a Diocesan Evening Prayer for the Vigil before Priestly Ordinations so I thought I’d better check out the piece again before sending it to them!

Sunday morning began with a very interesting BBC America programme about Donal Trump’s first 100 days. Unfortunately I had to leave before the inimitable Jeremy Paxman summed things up  in a way in which only his facial expression had hitherto implied. I’ll try to catch it again some time soon.

Masses today went really well. The 1100am choir Mass was also the Mass at which the Youth who normally meet elsewhere (not sure why?) joined us and thus the music selection reflected in part what had been agreed for their First Communions in a couple of weeks time. My old choir friends in Sheffield will remember ‘In the breaking of the bread’ by Michael Ward which we sang today.

I’ll be heading back to church soon for the final Mass of the day and a few beers to mark the end of another weekend!

With the next two days off work I was expecting to do some house-hunting but in the event was disappointed. I had been working with Cindy to obtain a mortgage but she went on vacation on Monday 17 April and her manager took over her files. He spotted that my credit history was not the required duration and therefore I would not be able to close on a property until August 17. The following day I sent a complaint to the manager that Cindy had urged me to cash in a UK bond with $1700 penalty. If I had waited until Aug 6 there would have been no penalty. The manager got back to me and offered a low interest rate for the first year to recoup my losses and a further cheque for me trouble. So there was little point in returning to the property market until July.

This gave me some real relaxation time which I genuinely needed. I went into work on Thursday to prepare for the weekend which would also be a long one. The following day was officially a day off but I had a midday funeral and a late afternoon wedding so I ended up working a bit in between. On the Saturday I went in early to get the song sheets prepared for the remainder of the School Masses. Then I had a further wedding and the usual Vigil Mass.

On Sunday I went in earlier than usual and stayed later as after the 1230 ‘Divine Mercy’ Mass there was a Holy Hour for which i had been asked to play. In addition to the three hymns I improvised quite a bit under spoken prayers and as I left at 3pm the Deacon chased after me to thank me. It’s great when you are appreciated!

I was back in the evening for the 7pm Mass then adjourned to the Bar! During the night I managed to chip one of my newly crowned front teeth and so Monday began with a trip to the dentist!

Monday should have been a day off but I awoke worried about how much work I needed to get done and so I went into work and decided to take Thursday off instead. I managed to get so much work done on the Monday … preparations for the First Communions on May 13 as well as the next weekend’s music. I also learned that my green card application is advancing and was able to submit the evidence that was requested. I hope it will not be too long before I am legal again! On the way home I stopped at Goodwill and bought a ‘driverless’ vacuum cleaner for $30! The battery would probably cost me as much!

I didn’t need to cook anything as it had been a good day for ‘work’ food. In fact after Saturday’s wedding enough chicken was left in the cold room for a decent meal that sorted Sunday. On Sunday night some food prepared for a Youth party was left for staff so that sorted Monday. On Tuesday some smaller sandwiches were left for staff and that kept the wolf from the door then. This is one of the perks of work here at St Lawrence.

On Tuesday I also went in early to prepare for the first Liturgical Music rehearsal with the school. I wrote a new psalm which went down well. Then I was in the office for a while producing scores of my New Wine Mass which I hoped to send to GIA for possible publication along with some other pieces. At midday I rehearsed with School Cantors and then was back in the office to prepare material which a cover musician, Marty, would collect at 2pm.. Then we went for lunch to talk business and catch up after Easter.

I returned to the office until 6.30pm and then headed for the bar and then home to place an order for batteries for the vacuum cleaner. Such is the life of a domestic God!

Holy Week is the busiest time for any liturgical musician. When I was at the cathedral in Sheffield I always tried to get all the printing completed 2 weeks before the event so that I could have the energy to do the week. This year I managed to get it all done about 10 days beforehand which given my increased activity was something of a success!

Palm Sunday saw each Mass starting with the celebration outside the church. I was amazed at how the various congregations responded to my sung antiphon setting. Then I dashed inside to start the entrance song ‘All glory laud and honour’. We are lucky that our church has a sound system which projects outside as well as inside so the radio microphones were as effective inside as out. Unfortunately our Pastor was silent as he had lost his voice completely.

On Monday, a day off, I relaxed until I had to leave for the Chrism Mass rehearsal at the cathedral. The rehearsal went well and I had a good chat with the organist Adam Brakel and the Director Chris Berke. The following day we were back again for the celebration itself.

This was the first Chrism Mass with our new bishop, the 6ft 8in Gregory Parkes. Also in attendance were retired bishops from South Africa and elsewhere and the Bishop of St Leo and St Augustine.  The procession of priests and deacons took an age but the processional song was timed to perfection and included a choral setting by Stadler of Ecce Sacerdos Magnus! This might have been frowned at by bishops in UK but here it was the norm. He certainly is a tall priest!

After the Mass the musicians were treated to a fine meal which gave us the chance to chat a while. Then I drove back across the Bay to Tampa where I worked a few hours before the final choir practice which went well.

Wednesday was a free day witha  funeral thrown in for good measure. Thursday marked the start of Triduum and musicians met at 6pm for a brief rehearsal followed by Mass at 7pm. this went really well and 30 minutes afterwards I led sung Night Prayer.

On Friday we reconvened for the Passion service and a prior rehearsal at 2pm. On Saturday one of my cantors and I did the music for a funeral at the Garden of Memories. The eulogies went on for ever but I got out after 80 minutes. In the evening I returned to church to do final prep for the Easter Vigil. we rehearsed an hour beforehand and then started the vigil at 8.30pm finishing at 11.40pm. Some 25 people were received into the church. After the celebrations the deacon approached me to ask me if I wanted to play for a wedding! One of the received, who had been married for over 20 years , wanted to get married in the church so a brief liturgy later her wishes were fulfilled. there was a bit of a party in the hall and after a nibble I returned home for a long-awaited single malt.

I was up again at 5am in order to get to the 6am Sunrise Mass. It was very well attended and the sun rose just as I was singing ‘as morning breaks’ by Joncas! It was the most tired I had been for a while but several people brought me food to keep my energy levels up. The usual sequence of Masses followed (7.30, 9.30, 11am and 12.45pm) and then I returned home to watch Chelsea get beaten by Man Utd (ugh). I managed to get a couple of hours sleep before heading back to church again for the 7pm Mass. Once the liturgical aspects were completed I headed for a local bar for a couple of pints and then some home poured rum and cokes.

Monday was a relaxing day at the beach followed by bar time and the watching of the final Star Wars movie (no 6). I had expected to receive pre-approval for a mortgage but this was delayed for some reason. I suspect that my viewings would also be delayed a day until Wednesday. I have seen several properties advertised in which I am interested but you can never tell until you have seen it in the brick and mortar!

It was a pleasant end to such a busy period to collect from my post box a tax rebate of almost $1000!

It’s been almost a month since my last blog and boy have I been busy.

The best news is that a few weeks ago the noise from the apartment below got really bad. The tenants tend to return around midnight and then hang out on their balcony till the wee hours, even 6am! My bedroom is just above them!

I wrote to the managing agents and stated that they were in default of their agreement with me. I accused them of failing to enforce their rules about noise after 10pm and therefore I did not feel bound by their conditions. I wished to leave the property before the lease was up in October. Furthermore I requested that the notice period be reduced from 60 to 30 days. They agreed!

The effect of this is that I can look for property in the knowledge that I could be out soon. I moved my search area from the immediate area which I have come to like to one where there is no flood insurance and you get more for your buck. I have seen a few properties but there is no point continuing the viewing until I get pre-approved for a mortgage. Then I will be in a better negotiating position.

I have also discovered a very impressive realtor who has recommended an equally impressive mortgage consultant.

Last Saturday I visited my CPA (tax adviser) and left various documents with him. He must have completed my tax form immediately as I received the forms for signature in Monday’s post! Furthermore I will get $1000 back from the US taxman.

Easter is fast approaching and it doesn’t get any easier after all these years. This year after Saturday evening’s Vigil I will play for the sunrise Mass at 6am followed by all the normal Masses at 7.30, 9.30, 11am and 12.45 and 7pm. I’ll be knackered after that lot if I’m am not before we start. On the good side I managed to get all the printing for Holy Thursday and Good Friday completed last week and started Easter Vigil until the copier ran out of staples! Hopefully these will be delivered tomorrow and I’ll be able to resume. Time was not wasted as I managed to complete the powerpoint presentation for the music at the Sunrise and ‘overflow’ Masses. I also managed to collect from repair the laptop on which I am now typing. Now among other things I’ll be able to skype my mum again.

During Holy Week I’ll be at the cathedral twice for a rehearsal on Monday and subsequent Chrism Mass on Tuesday. I’ve re-written the ‘O Redemptor’ I did for Hallam Diocese and will send this to publishers soon along with some other ditties.

This morning I awoke to the news that Mairi Munro, one of the original four from the Wild Goose Resource Group of the Iona Community, had died. She had been living with a brain cancer for the last four years. I recall all too vividly the death of my sister Anne aged 40 after four years with other cancers. Mairi was only 50. It is a terrible way to leave this earth but new life is hers for sure. She lived life to the full and enabled those around her to live too, bringing laughter and serious attention to every encounter. God give her and those who love her deep peace.

In the last few years so many of my mentors have died that I really feel like the next generation. For that reason it was so great to meet up with my only surviving musical mentor Stephen Hicks when he visited me earlier in March to give a concert. I thank God that my mum is still bouncing around!

I’m sure that I have forgotten so much I meant to blog about but I’m so tired and need to relax away from computers, so that’s your lot, mate.

Feeling a little better after my surgery I returned to work on the Wednesday 22nd and stupidly overdid it with a full day and choir practice. It was so difficult to sing … I hadn’t used my jaws for a while so this was a bit of a surprise but the choir were understanding and we ended early.

The following day was similarly exhausting due mainly to the visit of the piano tuner and his assessment that one piano should be scrapped and that two others should be switched so that the better of the two served the more frequent use.

Friday 24 February was my mum’s 83rd birthday so I skyped her and found her well. The weekend was fairly normal except that the organ played up. We had had a new amplifier installed during the week so I was astonished that strange noises from the bass section meant only the antiphonal speakers could be used.

On Sunday 26 February I was visited in the evening by two friends from Scotland. They had hoped to welcome me to Orlando soon after their arrival last week but I was suffering after surgery and they had become ill having caught something on the plane. We had a few drinks at Charann’s Bar where they were well remembered from last year then we returned to my place for a few more but nothing compared to last year (thank God).

Monday was a day off so after a bit of a lie in we all went for breakfast at Publix and then on to Dunedin Causeway where I had hoped we might kayak over to Caladesi Island but in the event it was too windy and so we decided on driving a bit further to Honeymoon Island where we dealt with our slight heads on the beach. It was brilliant sunshine so my two Scottish friends had to take precautions! Later in the afternoon we went for a meal at an Italian restaurant and then parted. I took an uber home and they drove on to Orlando.

The rest of the week seemed to be spent hosting engineers who came to tend to the organ. In the end in addition to a new amplifier we ended up getting two bass speakers replaced. Then on the Monday 6 March we had the whole organ ‘re-voiced’. It is sounding really good now. This day would normally be my day off but it seemed sensible to work it since I had a funeral in the morning, the voicer visit in the afternoon and a translation of the concert programme notes into Spanish to be completed at various moments in between!

On Tuesday 7 March I had my usual task to complete with the school and then soon after midday I met with Joe Cosas a musician from a neighbouring parish. I had met his brother Christian at the composers’ forum in St Louis and his parents attended the Concert there so it was good to meet them again in Tampa.

Wednesday began with School Mass which went very well and then I retired to do some admin until Stephen Hicks arrived for the pre-concert around 1pm. It was great to see Stephen who had taught me more than 10 years from the age of 13. He is an acclaimed virtuoso the world over and it was something of an emotional experience for me to meet him again and hear him play. After 2 hours work we visited a bank to process his cheque but unfortunately he did not have his ID so this could not be achieved. Instead I paid with my own money and billed the parish accordingly! Stephen did not really need to practise the notes at all … all the preparation time was taken up finding the correct registrations to bring off his programme. I could see people arriving outside for refreshments and we were still working!

After the Pastor’s opening remarks I welcomed people in Spanish and English. His playing was as electric as ever and the 110 audience responded with adulation after each piece. After the concert I agreed to meet Stephen and his family the following day in Orlando.

My kayak was still fixed to my roof when I set off for Orlando averaging 80mph. I soon realised that this was not such a good idea as other drivers indicated  there were problems with the kayak. It had moved on its housing as a sail moves in the wind and might easily have taken the roof rack off the car with it! I slowed down to 60mph arriving at my destination around 11am. We had a glass or two of wine and generally nattered over old times. Georgina his wife was with him and it was great to see her and catch up. We did a trip around the grounds ending up in a bar and then returned in time to meet their daughters Charlotte and Emma. I learned that rather than listen to their father practising the previous day they had decided to sunbathe in the church grounds a few hours. I am still waiting for complaints from the parishioners who at the same time may have been enjoying a pilgrimage around the holy statues!

They had invited me to stay over that night and so later that evening we decided on getting an Indian take away. This was not so easy as the restaurant from whose menu we selected turned out to be not yet built! We ventured further and found one that could deliver what we wanted but had to wait. Meanwhile Stephen and I walked to Walmart where I bought some beers. The lack of food and known amounts of alcohol imbibed must have worried Stephen somewhat who turned out not to be my calmest passenger! Back at their apartment we ate and bed followed soon after.

The following day we awoke early as Stephen and Georgina had to attend a timeshare presentation at 7.45am. I went with them for a bit to witness their ‘good cop, bad cop’ routine but then left them to fend for themselves. I understand that they had no problem as they simply quitted as soon as the prescribed 90 minutes were up. I headed for the coast to check out Titusville where I had been hoping to holiday in May. I visited the immediate areas of several Airbnb places and more or less decided my choice. Then after checking out a coffee bar I visited the beach where I spent the rest of the day. I left around 4.30pm and drove back to Orlando. Traffic was heavy and I was choosing to drive no faster than 60 mph but still had to stop twice to adjust the kayak. I reach the apartment at around 6.30pm and the five of us then went out to a Boston Seafood restaurant for a meal of lobsters, oysters and all manner of seafood. After the meal Charlotte and Emma left the main party for a night of hedonism and we drove back to the apartment. After fond farewells I drove back to Tampa arriving sometime after 11.30pm.

Saturday started with a wedding meeting, was followed by some admin time but I also tried to confirm my next holiday. My line manager agreed dates and then I set about confirming a place on Airbnb which I had seen the previous day. Then followed the Vigil Mass at 4pm. Unfortunately there was a short from the new amplifier and the organ could not be used. At 6pm there was a wedding and miraculously the short had cured itself!

The organ was no better during Sunday morning but did manage to provide during the 7pm Mass. I adjourned to Charann’s after an eventful week.

Monday was a day off and I had a dental appointment at 1130am to have a tooth crowned. Immediately after that I got a haircut and settled back home to watch Chelsea play Man Utd live in the FA Cup.

 

Thursday 16 February began with an empty feeling in my stomach. I was forbidden food or drink prior to my dental surgery at 1.30pm. I actually arrived at 1pm driven by a friend, Wayne, who had to wait around for the duration of the surgery and then drive me home. Unfortunately my surgery was delayed a further hour till 2.30pm and it was all completed by 3.15pm.

Immediately prior to surgery is probably not the best time to berate the surgeon for keeping me waiting. Indeed his response was to joke about inadequate staff and then moments later I was under anaesthetic with the extraction of four wisdom teeth (one impacted) and a bone graft on the agenda.

I was unable to do much that evening except collect the prescribed antibiotics and pain pills. The following day I felt the results of the operation. My mouth had swollen massively and was very tender. Stupidly I thought it might be OK to have a drink with friends that Friday evening. I didn’t want to drive so I walked the 30 minutes to the bar (not a great idea) and then had to ask to be driven home after a couple of drinks. I was exhausted!

On Saturday I had secured a cover musician for a wedding and the following Vigil Mass. In the event the swelling and pain had not subsided during the day so I extended the cover to include Sunday. It was good to hear of concern expressed for my recovery.

My diet has changed as you can imagine to yoghurt, soft fruit and mashed potato! I should be losing weight as a consequence but the loss is not as obvious as I’d hoped.

During the weekend I killed time on the beach as I was becoming crazy with cabin fever in my apartment. Monday was the best day with temperatures rising to 84F. Early on Monday I visited the dentist to check on my teeth and they reckoned that was I was experiencing was normal but to contact the surgeon if things did not change in a few days.

I had intended to visit Scottish friends on holiday in Orlando but decided to postpone our meeting till my mouth was settled. This was just as well as they were having problems with their allocated villa and with colds picked up on the plane. They hoped to spend the day trying to get moved to a better place.

It now Tuesday and I had already planned to have Monday off as it was Presidents’ Day and Tuesday then became my ‘day off’. The skies are dull today so I slept in a while and even at midday the dullness continues.

I have a mountain of ironing to complete so maybe this is how I should entertain myself over the rest of the day!

The weather picked up during the week so on Monday and Wednesday afternoon I was able to visit the beach.

I also had to play for an evening Mass with students from Tampa Catholic High. They had chosen the music and I was prepared to play but the cantor who turned up knew nothing except the psalm. Eventually I found two further singers and between us we managed to get through it all. What had started by being an hour’s MASS developed into a rehearsalm Mass and presentations! I must charge then more next year!

I was able to spend Friday 10th at the beach after a fairly exhausting week at work. It was great to do nothing for a change.

On Saturday 11 Feb I was in early to prepare for the choir rehearsal and subsequent confirmations of 93 of our youngsters by the Abbot of St Leo. It was a wonderful occasion in which the Abbot really engaged with the youngsters. Musically I was pleased as most of the choir were there and sang so well.

Immediately after the confirmations there was a funeral and then the Vigil Mass. Sunday was as usual but I was very tired after the efforts the previous day. The cantor for the evening Mass asked me when we could rehearse again for the wedding the following weekend and I had to reply “How about 5.30pm today?”. She seemed puzzled as it was already 8pm but I added “That was the time we were supposed to have rehearsed!”

Monday was a free day so I started with an appointment to renew my drivers’ licence which would expire on 18 March. Unfortunately it was not possible because my visa was due to expire in a few weeks. My Green Card application had been in since September 2016 and there was a long backlog in getting to the applications. I was pleased with the advice to return on 17 March when they might issue a 60-day temporary licence. This was better than having to use a taxi!

I then returned to collect some paperwork as I intended to have a day doing medical things. First stop was my dentist where I was delighted to discover that he is now ‘in-network’ with my new health insurance. Thence I went to a dental surgeon and eventually established the same. I had already had to cancel two surgeon appointments because they were not in-network. If I waited a couple of hours they would meet with me and schedule surgery. As chance would have it a cancellation appeared on Thursday and since the extraction of 4 wisdom teeth was something of an emergency now I agreed to it.

Next stop was the optician to order some specs. I had got the prescription 10 days ago so was able to place the order and celebrate a successful day back at Charann’s.

On Tuesday I went in for a long day at work which finished at 7pm. During the day I realised that recuperation after the surgery can be both painful and lengthy so I set about finding a cover musician for the weekend and for a wedding. My first choice was available and popped round to the office to be briefed.

School mass on Wednesday went well with my student cantors doing a great job. After the Mass I was able to sort a few things including a date for the installation of a new amplifier and surge protectors for the organ. They would come on Thursday 23 soon after the piano tuner! It is Wednesday afternoon and as I type the power keeps going off as a storm hits us but it is not expected to be long-lasting or destructive.

In the evening I would meet with staff to consider what more needed to be in place for the forthcoming organ concert on 8 March by my teacher, Stephen Hicks. Following this I had choir practice. It would be a tough one as I needed to make sure that everything was in place in the event of me being absent after the surgery tomorrow.

I managed to spend much of my day off doing domestic chores before hitting the beach for a few hours. Then in the early evening I headed to church for a Mass with Tampa Catholic High School. In the event three girls led the singing and some of the pressure was relieved from me.

My first stop on Tuesday was the dentist. The previous day I had attempted to sort things for the extraction of a wisdom tooth. My new health insurance is a third party one and relatively unknown to most providers so this is proving difficult. In addition the company does not appear to have got its act together and I was asked to get back to them in 2 weeks! I had a cleaning done and this further revealed the need to get the wisdom teeth dealt with. My dentist advised getting rid of them all and having two further crowns done but it transpires that his services are not covered by my new insurance.

On Tuesday on my way into work I stopped at the Nissan dealer to get my tyres checked out. They discovered a screw in the tyre but it was repairable at no cost. The last time it cost me $200 for a new tyre (or tire as they have it here!).

This good news was about to be the last of the day. The first email I read was from the Diocese who are supporting my Green Card application. It appeared that the authorities are only now processing the application for 26 April … mine was received on 21 September! My visa expires at the end of this month but the fact that my application is in process means that my stay and ability to work is extended for the duration.

My driving licence is up for renewal in the middle of March and I am expected to supply documentation as to my status. I just hope I find someone who understands the benausics of my situation.

I continued to explore options about my teeth but it was all very confusing so I got on with work instead.

On Wednesday we had a great School Mass and I had prepared some additional instrumental parts immediately beforehand. That was a waste of time as the violinist was ill! I managed to prepare the resources for the next two weekends’ music which we would look at during the evening’s rehearsal in addition to music for the confirmations next week. It was a good rehearsal and we left early for once!

On Thursday I played for a funeral and on returning to the office received an invitation to watch the ice hockey that evening. My friend had secured 4 tickets so I was able to join his family at the game. These tickets also included buffet food and drink! The match was terrible from Tampa’s point of view but the evening was good and cost nothing!

Friday was another Day Off slightly marred by something else happening. In this case it was the annual Grandparents’ Mass. This involves so many people that it takes place in the Higgins Hall adjacent to the church. This always means additional effort to set up the sound resources but this went well. In addition to the house system we also added the Peavey amplifier/speakers I had bought from Goodwill for $40 as a monitor. Within seconds of the dismissal I was heading off to the beach.

My restful time on the beach was spoiled by the collapse of the beach chair. This had happened once before and a replacement had been offered so that would be a task for Sunday. In the evening I joined friends at Charann’s Bar.

Saturday started with watching Chelsea beat Arsenal 3-1 and was followed by a meeting with to-be-weds. The Catholic Church recently revised its rites and so folk are still coming to grips with this. This is the third such meeting since the revision and I am becoming more efficient in explaining the issues.

During the afternoon I did some further hymn arrangements and the vigil mass.

Sunday was busy as ever and there was a further evening rehearsal with a Cantor for a forthcoming wedding. In between I managed to exchanged my broken beach chair. The assistant remembered me from the last time (probably because of my accent) and so the process was painless. There were some slight changes in the design with the new chair … I hope things work out better this time.

In the evening I dropped into Charann’s which was full for the Superbowl. I barely understand the game but it was a nail-biting one. I returned home just before extra time and was able to switch on to see the conclusion.