Crossing the threshold

One of the things about being a Catholic that I take for granted, til interfered with, is that I can walk into any Catholic Church or Cathedral unhindered and get on with whatever it might be that I'm there for and that so can anyone else.  On the very rare occasion when someone feels they have to hand me a piece of paper or talk to me, I'm a bit surprised. My Grandmother was so surprised when this happened to her one time that she turned round to look at me whilst walking forwards and tripped on a chair.  See what happens when folks transgress? Bad stuff.

Anyway, one thing that seems to upset people about the Old Mass/EF/TLM is that in the bad old days people, especially those pesky elderly ladies who go to Mass every single day, used to say the rosary during Mass.  Now I have bad news for those complaining people, particulary the ones who like to taunt priests with letters of complaint, you know the sort, because I have seen pesky elderly ladies who are at Mass every time I'm there, with said beads in their hands at the OF.   Did no-one tell them that all stopped 40 years ago?  Evidently not.  What's even worse is that some people who are not well above retirement age  also have rosaries in their hands. Dear oh dear. (Some people like me have them in their coat pockets.  )

So though it will be hard to start with, I think some airport style security is needed to weed out potential trouble-making bead-tellers at the door.

I'm debating what the alarm should sound like.  Probably the tritone at the start of 'On eagles wings.'

Other problems on the shopping list, which occur in both forms of the Mass, but particularly the EF.

Priests celebrating Mass in either form with their back to the congregation. It's just so rude. That's why despite the fact it's been explained to me umpteen times I'm still saying it.

Big candle sticks on the Altar which block my view. (OF versus populum.)

Too much Latin - a handy Latinometer is needed.

Maniples.

No chatty bits to tell me what to do, because I find it impossible to watch other people and copy them when I'm unsure.

It's just too quiet.

They didn't do any of this in the Early Church, but I'm not going to define how early or where exactly geographically.  OK just after breakfast in the Near East.
I don't like the silence.
We never get my favourite hymns.
I don't like the organ.
I'm sure the next Pope will change everything and then you will see that I am right. The Tablet has an article about the next Pope this week......

Traddie dining?

Saw this recently and thought there should be an outing...

Don't know if the food's any good, but still.

In a stew

Well no, because this is a very easy meal to make.  My family are all coming tonight and in the version by my mother (original and best, ) this is called, 'favourite dinner.'  Mine is a variation on a theme.

The seemingly huge quantity of braising steak that the lady in the butchers persuaded me to buy this morning now looks reasonable in the stock pot.  I may yet squirrel away a portion to freeze.

At least I wasn't distracted whilst paying by the sign they used to have which read, 'We no longer except Scottish bank notes.'

The 12 hours of Christmas

I only did two Masses for Christmas, so can't claim the triple crown sported by the young lady in Brighton, and a couple of sturdy singers in Blackfen.

The choir arrived rentamob style at 11.20pm, which was fortunate because that's when the carols started. I've learned not to worry that no-one is coming, because they always do. No before and after photos of the benches, I'm afraid.  Being Christmas we had all our new books in use too.

Fortunately, in the morning someone helpfully turned pages and pointed at the English setting, because I default to Sanctus and Agnus Dei when tired.  An EF Freudian slap, methinks.

Then it was time to deposit the two sturdy singers at their house before returning  to Castle Leutgeb mansion a few miles away where Mr and Mrs Leutgeb senior had laid the table and got the dinner sorted out, as is their want.  It's just as well I have other things to do, beause the Christmas Dinner cooking thing is theirs.

Yes, there is a camel on the window sill behind my brother.  He (the camel, clearly, )has til a week on Friday to get to the lounge.

A glut of tipples

A kind parishoner gives the choir a bottle of sherry every Christmas. The trouble is that last year's bottle is still in the cupboard.  My fault. By my calculations a New Year's Resolution to offer it around a bit could mean we manage to make a dent in both bottles before next Christmas. 

Getting music into the cupboard without bringing a stack of stuff including tins of Quality Street onto you is hard enough.  Multiplying bottles of sherry are another hazard entirely.

In other festive news the Co-op at Sidcup Station has Cream Eggs on its shelves.

Happy Christmas

and Nadolig Llawen.

A Christmas birthday

Christmas Day has slight add on for me because it is also my birthday.

It wasn't supposed to be so, I was due on Jan 14th, but I had the cord round my neck three times and went into a bit of foetal distress, they think, and there we are.  The cord thing led in the end to an emergency caesarian for my mother. This being a while ago she only found that out when she had my brother 3 years later. There were several unfortunate twists to the story involving tipsy doctors being cabbed in and the fact that it snowed heavily, but despite weighing a small 5lbs 13 oz, I was fine.

What you gain with a Christmas birthday is a uniquely cool feast day, a great day with the family and double presents, oh yes.  The double presents thing was great as a child. As an adult, a day with the family when really no-one does anything except sit around, talk, cook and eat and laugh is the thing.

What you learn pronto is that the world does not revolve around you, because of course your birthday is always totally eclipsed by the day that it is, as it should be.  There are lean times and quite a few, 'I forgot it was your birthday...' over the years and you know who you are, the people who write, 'and Happy Birthday,' on Christmas cards, but who is to say that other people's birthdays are always remembered anyway?

Christmas letters

It's always good to get news fom friends at Christmas.  Some go for the full essay approach, some are short and snappy and I just put a few choice details in depending on the recipient. Not everyone wants or needs to hear the same stuff.

There is good news in my family this year, which is obviously not always the case, so it's been a pleasure to put that in cards.

I opened two cards today with bad news.  One from a university friend whose mother has breast cancer and a poor prognosis and one from a friend I shared a house with about fifteen years ago whose father died this year.  Not the best year, as he said.

Until next year

We have been trundling through The Parish Book of Chant and since there is rather a large repertoire and lots of us who don't know too much we have gone for repetition.

Thus Advent saw four weeks of Rorate caeli and Veni veni Emmanuel.

I shall miss Rorate caeli.

So long til next year.

Tonight we turn from page 131 to page 136 and something Christmassy.

Quick Blogging

The lack of posting and reliance on you tubeof late (but that 'I will survive,' is a cracker...,)has not been solely because of a lack of time, but because my internet at home is playing up, so I'm emailing from my phone and not having a lot of fun.

Before either this computer decides to konk out completely or the rather suspect way in which the phone line enters my house declares itself to be the reason for a lack of interweb, I'd better write something.

In between quite a few concerts and things, we've been to the IOW again and had a look at the Propers for the Fourth Sunday of Advent as well as the neumatic break.  I think we do the neumatic break every time actually and leafing through my Triplex will in fact reveal the same notes in about three places.  My Triplex is looking busy; in addition to a Wightlink ferry timetable, I also sport lots of squiggles and my minute writing in pencil.  I like music that has a stuff on it.  Useful stuff.

Next time we are looking at the Latin word and its musical possibilities and Epiphany again. 

Other things of note

1 I won't be shopping at Tescos any time soon and will be taking my evil food shopping custom elsewhere.
2 My Christmas Cake is in the oven right now and I was given a lovely smelling one as a present on Sunday.  How good is that as a present?  Am hoping to subcontract the marzipan and icing out to someone creative...  As long as the time honoured polar bear and robin (not to scale) get put on it no-one in famille Leutgeb will mind.
3 Some of The Parish Book of Chant leaked into the School Carol Service.
4 Teachers get too many boxes of chocolates at Christmas, but who's complaining.
5 Conducting a choir of small people dressed variously as angels, shepherds and kings with a shepherd's crook waving randomly is funny, especially when they are taking it dreadfully seriously.
6 Why does this recipe say 2 hours when in a fan oven on 10 degrees C higher than it says in the book it is still not done after 120 minutes?

More end of term fun

We enjoyed this today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xui7x_KF7bY&feature=related

End of term fun

In between a concert, a carol service and one or two other 'events,' one of the sixth form suggested this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvlCu1_noTc

Mozart Klezmer alla Turca is a culturally interesting idea too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNtYYuWILNE&feature=related

I did have to correct a concert programme from Antonin Corelli, his Czech cousin, to Arcangelo before it got printed yesterday... 

Immaculate Conception

Cappa magna altert

Went to see the ENO Production of Tosca last week and Act I ends like this.

Interestingly, despite it being ENO (or as I saw on a poster over the summer, Opera Genedlaethol Llogr, ) they only sang the Italian in English.

All the Latin bits were in Latin.

Settling a recent dispute

You say Pyjama  whilst wiki says pajama.....

May be a case of being divided by a common language etc.

The Bones singing

here

Catholic satire; the only way to get through?

Following the bara brith mandate of
do stuff
give stuff publicity
support people.

I seem to have a different Catechism to the one some people have.

St Nicholas

Rorate caeli

http://youtu.be/C7U4flL5_cU

And in other news my father has bought the book he wants for Christmas from me from Amazon, ticked the gift wrap option and completed the gift tag himself.

Dear Daddy, Happy Christmas, Love from Leutgeb xx.

Oh dear. Neglected elders.

On the plus side I did have everyone round for lunch yesterday and made him his favourite apple crumble with apples from their garden, so not a total fail on the daughter front.

Fame at last

The June page of the LMS Calendar...

http://www.lms.org.uk/resources/shop/traditional-catholic-calendar-2012