Unnecessary and untimely.

John Lennon

9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980

 

 

Wednesday 8th December will be the 30th Anniversary of the untimely death of one of my all time childhood pin-up’s John Lennon. I was a big fan of the Beatles and would sing along to their songs. The partnership of Lennon & McCartney saw some of the very best songs from the 60’s and 70’s. I wasn’t really old enough to go to any concerts of “gigs” as they are sometimes called – I was only about 9 when they first hit the headlines. My uncle ran a music quiz at a local pub - an avid record collector  he would buy the latest records and play them for me – and test out his questions!

I remember reading that the Beatles were touring England and I actually wrote in to parlaphone records giving our address and mentioning we had a spare bedroom – can you imagine?

Like many people I grew up with the Beatles, their subsequent split and followed the various projects which followed. I was a big fan of Paul McCartney and Wings, loved George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord”, Ringo’s quirky, jolly songs and the many songs of John & Yoko.

I heard about John Lennon’s death during my first year of teaching The staffroom was stunned. As the facts became known the feeling of utter disbelief and denial came to us all.

 

Were you a Beatle’s fan?

Favourite Beatle’s Song?

Can you remember where you were when you heard the news?

 

View from the Kitchen Window

Just as I was about to sit at the kitchen table I had the feeling I was being watched! Fortunately my camera was on the table so I tried to capture the moment as best I could.

Although there seems to be signs of thawing the snow is still here. Hens continue to stay in the henhouse and we are all quite happy to remain indoors. However, Freida needed her walk and so we ventured up the lane to feed the horses. The village was so quiet!

As we came up our drive there was lots of activity across the front lawn.

The icicles just outside the window are now beginning to thaw!

The view from the bottom of our drive gives an indication of how the weather is here.

 

If you look closely in the bottom left hand corner you will just be able to make out the snow on top of the patio table!

Garden Visitors

The Woodpecker

The woodpecker pecked out a little round hole

And made him a house in a telephone pole.

One day when I watched he poked out his head,

And he had on a hood and a collar of red.

When the streams of rain pour out of the sky,

And the sparkles of lightning go flashing by,

And the big, big sheels of thunder roll,

He can snuggle back in the telephone pole.

Elizabeth Roberts

I hang our bird feeders outside the snug window in a tree and also  in the big cherry tree outside the kitchen window, so during the day we can watch the birds feeding We have a variety of visitors, blue tits, chaffinches, mistlethrush, blackbirds, robins but yesterday I could hardly believe my eyes when I spotted a woodpecker eating the peanuts. He was there for quite a while.
The hens will not venture out into the snow - I have moved them from the hen hut into the empty goose hut (sigh) as there is more room for them to potter during the day I close the door, once I have given them clean sawdust, food and water and they are quite secure. I am aware of paw prints in the snow each morning when I go through the garden to the hen hut and I am worried that if I left the door open a hungry fox could quite easily pop inside for breakfast. Beyond the back of our garden are open fields and countryside so we know there are many wild animals out there.

We are entering Day 12 of the snow and whilst it would appear a thaw seems to be happening - the roads are treacherous due to ice so again I am staying put! I normally go to our village church for advent but all services are cancelled due to the bad weather so later today I think we are getting the tree down from the loft and decorating the house - watch this space!