Monday 27th- Friday 31st

Monday I came back to London and Ernie took me to be a tourist at the nearby Docklands area.
Tuesday, and I headed off for another library visit, this time to the Barbican Centre Music Library which is a branch of London City Libraries. Was met by Liz Wells, the Librarian and was amazed at the quality and amount of service they provide to the general public , for their music needs. My goddaughter and her husband belong to this library and as borrowers are also suitably impressed. As classical musicians, who are looking for work, and are no longer studying at an institution, this library is a godsend for them to borrow music for auditions etc. Being situated in a concert venue and such a beautiful setting, also certainly gives this library a distinct advantage. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Libraries/City_of_London_libraries/barbican_lib.htm
Headed up to Haringey to see Anna and as she had fallen down the stairs she was nursing a cracked rib. Not good for a singer, especially one who is coming bac to OZ to sing with Cantillation in the Pinchgut Opera. Anyway, we ate spag. bol. and Ernie came and picked me up to take me back to Woolwich. There was snow on the front of the train !!!!

Wednesday was not a good day, as there were dificulties with our NY booking and some other issues with travel cards which took hours to solve on a not very well explained website. I was stressed out by this and also my diminishing supplies of money , owing to the exchange rate being very different from when I applied for the grant, to come here.
Pulled myself together and went up to London to meet Craig Jones , who works for Surrey Libraries and did an exchange when I was working at Bankstown . We had a lovely time and an amazing co-incidence occurred. In the restaurant, a man who works at the NSW State Library was sitting next to us. He is from Serbia originally and was dining with an older woman who knew his parents in the war. She heard myAussie accent- (who says I am loud? ) and it went from there. It turned out she lived in Sutton, five minutes from Craig. Can't believe it is such a small world.

Thursday I was feeling a bit better and Ernie very kindly bought tickets to see 'The Sixteen' at South Bank. They were very good , but seem to have changed their style to bigger soprano voices, which is not actually my preference. However David Hill's daughter, Alison , did a solo and her voice was lovely.
I got Harry Christopher's ( the conductor) autograph on my program , which was very exciting as this group has always been one of my favourites.

Friday - and I was off to Westminster Music Library right near Victoria Station. Met with the Librarian Ruth Walters, and spent a very profitable couple of hours with her. Looked at all the services they provide to the general public, as they are a branch of Westminster City Libraries. http://www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries/special/music/
She and Liz from the Barbican have a good professional working relationship , so co-operation is important.
Ernie met me and then we went up to Harrow to meet up with former colleagues from Brent Libraries, where we worked 37 years ago. Both David and Kevin are now retired and Kevin's wife, Bing, cooked a lovely meal over which we remembered times past .