Happy Christmas John and Yoko.

Oh I was tired on Christmas eve morning and I got up far too late.

In the end I put off all the difficult things as I was too sore and boiled my ham instead.

I do it every year - lots of memories.

It has to be said that I've been fairly good; I'm largely vegetarian these days, but occasionally like Christmas I weaken. Robyn is much better than I am.

It never used to be as painful boiling a ham but I made it.....with a couple of carrots, some onions, celery, garlic, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves.

It's going to be nice.

Then after lunch and a rest I set out equipped (allegedly) for theft. I headed down to historic, evocative Ankerwycke because I know there is Mistletoe to be had there.

And there was;

There's lots, the ancient trees were heavy with Mistletoe this year. The Druids symbol of new life in mid winter.

This looks good - not too high for me.

As I said, I had equipment with me;

Lots of berries, Christmas is complete.

Even if I was fairly shattered by the time I got home.

So, I'd like to wish you a very happy Christmas; I'm drinking Robyn's eggnog which means I've got to stay up late to take my antibiotic.

I've still got to put up the holly and the mistletoe and some balloons but there's time.

Meanwhile every year I put up a link top Yoko Ono's page commemorating her and John Lennon's 1969 poster campaign and 1971 single; "War is over - If you want it", where you can download this slogan in any language or buy a T-shirt and become a 'Small pebble person'.

http://imaginepeace.com/warisover/

Happy Christmas John and Yoko.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

John Lennon.

As if yesterday wasn't depressing enough, when I got home I realised that it was also the anniversary of John Lennon's assassination in 1980.

Suddenly, I was back 36 years, sitting in Littlewoods Café in Slough the following morning, drinking a truly dreadful cup of coffee and reading a special, early edition of 'The Evening Standard', which had been rushed out because of the news.

There I was, 6 months out of university unemployed and unemployable in a country with nearly 3 million out of work and many of them just like me.

I was sat there in my Dr Martens, a mod and fairly rebellious with it and wondering why I was quite so upset at John Lennon's death.

He was 40, for goodness sake - so old!

I'd been a Beatles fan in the 1960's - I was very young indeed then but it was a group that was engineered for the young; wacky and funny and non threatening.

Or at least that's how it started off.

And I suppose, Paul McCartney and John Lennon had followed completely different paths to end up at opposite places.

John, angry and rebellious, was for most of his life quite selfishly offensive to people he had relationships with. That this came from a difficult childhood which ended with his separated mother being run and killed over by a policeman who was never prosecuted didn't make it any better.

Paul on the other hand, handsome and full of charm was loved by all..... but this hid a series of selfish relationships and some rather uncharming behaviour.

By 1980 it had turned out quite differently; John had reconciled with Yoko and devoted himself to looking after Sean, his new baby. The songs he released in 1980 reflected a life where he baked bread and looked after his toddler.

He'd come to terms with himself and found a way of dealing with his past which meant that his music was less dramatic and exciting but he'd become a better person in the process.

At which point he left The Dakota Building for the evening, signing an album for Mark Chapman who was waiting outside the front door.

Later that night as he returned home, Chapman shot him.

When I woke up the next morning, all the radio stations were just playing Beatles music. In the end they fixed on 'In my Life' and that Lennon composition dominated the rest of the day.

It was a truly miserable December morning and I couldn't think of anywhere better to be than in the depressing café above Littlewoods store to think things over.

Lennon wrote songs that could challenge anything - from the Viet-Nam War to his own status in 'Working Class Hero'.

But he was just as able to write the most intimate songs like 'Julia' which is about his mother.

It was inexplicable that just as he'd got things together at home, was writing new music and was a better person than he's been before.......it all ended.

I can't say I came to any great conclusions 36 years ago, especially after drinking such a really, truly bad cup of coffee.

But something very special died that day.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Happy Christmas. War is over (If you want it).

Happy Christmas everyone - here are some photographs from 1969;

They are from John Lennon's advertising campaign;

opposing the Viet-Nam war and which ended with the release of their single "War is Over (If you want it) in 1971, written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and sung by them with The Harlem Community Choir.

They appeared in cities around the world although the single was only released in Britain the following year.

Christmas greetings to all my readers wherever you may be;

If you want the billboard in a different language you can go to the official site at;

http://imaginepeace.com/warisover/

Currently they have over 100 languages and welcome new translations;

Happy Christmas from Robyn and Neil!

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)

Home: Helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me; neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Christmas Eve!

 

 

 

           Happy Christmas John and Yoko!

 

Neil Harris

(a don't stop till you drop production)

 

Home:   helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

 

Contact me:  neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

 

 

War is over - if you want it!.

 

 

 

It's Christmas and you should visit this site;

 

http://imaginepeace.com/warisover/

 

 

Where you can listen to John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 1972 Christmas hit and you can download the posters from their advertising campaign in all the languages of the world.

 

     Happy Christmas John and Yoko.

 

We are struggling.....I haven't been able to fix the bathroom sink because I've been ill and now the toilet is leaking. I spent a frustrating hour this morning trying to fix it without success.

 

Then we went to spend some time with my Mum in hospital and stopped off at Wickes. There I discovered what I already knew - they don't sell the fittings any more - we would need a new toilet and a new sink. It's Christmas and I can't leave my Mum at this time; we just can't sort it out.

 

So, I've bought a fitting that isn't going to fit. I'm going to try to bodge it.

 

I'd post pictures but I seem to have lost my camera.

It's that kind of time.

 

Neil Harris

(a don't stop till you drop production)

 

Home:  helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

 

Contact me:  neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com