Skip to main content

Happy Birthday, Dean Frank


Dear Reader

I am on a coach, being sent to Coventry.

As it is bumpy and I am prone to motion sickness, I will only write a little text. But I need to do this for two reasons. Firstly to wish Dean Frank a very happy 65th birthday from over here. And secondly to thank two people who allowed us to send greetings from the Choir Tour. 

Peter Borthwick was roped into taking the photograph of our whole Tour Group for two reasons. Number one, he was visiting us at Temple Church. Number two, he is very tall.

Dear Lavinia Gent. I’m also grateful to her for two reasons. Number one, she took the photo I sent her and miraculously produced the attached post card for Dean Frank. Number two, she is my Petrus, my Rock, at home and when I am away. Thanks Doll. 



Cxx

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 9, 2020 at 4:20 AM

    It was just terrific when Dean Frank opened the card, read aloud the greeting from the choir and friends in the U.K. . It was a lovely party to celebrate the "significant" birthday for the Dean, and a complete surprise to him. His son Stephen, d-i-l Melanie and spouse Christine had gone to great lengths to maintain the secret and the surprise. Baby Teresa was so well behaved. It was a really, really hot night - 42 degrees - and the air conditioning in the CP Hall was put to the test. But well done, Choir, on a terrific photo from Temple Church and such a good greeting. Off to Lady Godiva territory at Coventry. Travel well. Sing angelically. Stuart L.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Frank and ChristineJanuary 10, 2020 at 12:48 PM

    Thank you Choir for a great photo and birthday greetings. Yes - I was completely blind-sided and sooo many people in on the deception. I expect the lines outside the confessional to be long.....
    Enjoy the last few days - how quickly time has passed. All too soon we will be gathering at Adelaide airport again.
    (Ps Loved that, on this occasion, I 'outnumbered' the queen - see stamps!
    Frank

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Big One, St Paul’s

  Dear Reader Today was the Big Event of tour. St Paul’s Cathedral, London. If you are observant, you will notice my absence from the photo above, along with several of my colleagues. Sadly, this happened.  After nearly four years and six vaccinations I finally succumbed to the dreaded Covid. At the worst possible time. My multiple vax status has meant I only feel a bit rotten, like a cold, but I do feel sad to have missed the day. And to miss Windsor tomorrow. I was grateful for the considered medical advice provided by Dr Ritesh, father of one of the trebles, who also updated my supply of paracetamol and ibuprofen.  So I am relying on others for the report about this special day.  The good bits started with four of the young Lay Clerks heading to St Paul’s for singing lessons with my friend Patrick Craig, who is an Alto Lay Vicar at St Paul. In have yet to hear from Nicholas, Marco, Charlie or James, but Patrick was very complimentary about their singing. This is w...
10 comments
Read more

Worcester - that’s a wrap

  Dear Reader Well, that’s a wrap. After a free morning to shop, skate, scoff scones or the like, we boarded the coach to Worcester. Annabel Crompton continued the proud tradition set by her late father, the beloved Prof David Thomas, and shared history and interesting information about the Cathedral, always including the South Australian connections. We had a very warm welcome from the Interim Dean, Canon Stephen, and Anita the Virger. On the musical menu was Hunt Versicles and Responses, Howells in G Canticles and Be Present O Merciful God  by Australian composer, Owen Elsley. I thought the Anthem went particularly well. We sang two psalms, 131 to a Willcocks chant and 132 to a chant by a random (will update later). Turns out the second chant was by Richard Massey. David played a beautiful postlude, Rhapsody by Daniel Cook (b1979). When we arrived in Worcester it lived up to the reputation England has for wet and rather miserable weather, so we headed straight into the build...
7 comments
Read more

Hereford, where the sound rings for four seconds

  Dear Reader I remember I loved Hereford Cathedral when we visited on the first tour in 2006. Today I remember why. The Cathedral is beautiful. The welcome is warm, both spiritually and physically - they have amazing heaters.   Singing there is amazing. The acoustic is kind and supportive. Actually, it is exciting. The organ is stunning. Tonight we sang Evensong, with their Precentor canting. The Versicles and Responses were by June Nixon. We sang Roland Martin’s Buffalo Canticles, which we refer to as Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo. The anthem was Bob Chilcott’s Still, Still, Still. But the most significant sing was probably the psalms. Plural.  We sang four of them 147-150.  Ps 147 and Ps 148 were sung to different chants by Charles V Stanford. Ps 149 had an Edward Hopkins chant and Ps 150 was by Philip Marshall. Anthony Hunt is fond of saying the only thing better than a short psalm is a long psalm, and while some of the trebles may disagree, there are many of u...
6 comments
Read more