1st September - one year on - a happy gal!

A year ago today, I officially came out of a self-proclaimed isolation needed to prepare and aid my recovery from an operation. I had withdrawn from everyday life since December 2023 to avoid the Covid lurgy delaying my surgery date. What I hadn’t known, no one had, was that my isolation would last until September 2023. During that time, I made a list of things I wanted to do once ‘free’. Last Thursday, with just a few days to spare, I managed to complete one final wish … I visited John Lennon’s childhood home.

If you’ve read previous blogs posts you’ll know the day of his birth, Wednesday, 9th October 1940 is important within my family tree. All my life, John Lennon’s name and details of his life and death have cropped up and featured. Hence, my desire to visit his aunt Mimi’s house in Liverpool. 

Having booked the necessary ticket with the National Trust, I packed my car and ventured out on an ‘author jolly’, as I call it, for a day trip. I was not disappointed. In fact, I’d highly recommend anyone interested in music to go and visit – I think there’s something for everyone in his life story. The house certainly won’t disappoint – the experience and attention to detail is on par with any stately home under the National Trust's care.

Many organised city tours view the house on Menlove Avenue from the outside, standing and staring from beyond the privet hedge and garden gate but due to Yoko Ono’s generous gift to the National Trust, booked visitors/members walk up the driveway, around to the back door and enter Mimi’s kitchen. I won’t ruin it for anyone by giving away any other details - just to say, it was simply wonderful! 

The tour guide shares details and stories of John Lennon’s life – showing personal objects, his drawings, family photographs while walking you step by step and talking you through each room. You are there for an hour. And boy, what an hour! I just wanted to stay, move in and have aunt Mimi call me for my tea!

Afterwards, the National Trust minibused us the short distance to Paul McCartney’s house in Forthlin Road, to repeat a similar tour of his childhood home. Once again, the guided tour, the attention to detail and the non-stop stories makes for a truly unique experience. Whilst we stood in the garden being introduced to the property a crowd of 40 tourists were gathered outside the garden gate peering at us. Personally, I wouldn’t have wanted to be so close and yet so far away. My magic moment in Paul McCartney’s house was to play the piano in the lounge, which Paul actually played when he visited alongside James Corden in 2018 (see YouTube Carpool Karaoke Paul McCartney). Seriously, I could have cried when the guide say I could. Seriously, having passed my grade one exam in March, playing other people’s pianos seems to have become my new hobby. Other people happily collect autographs or selfie/photographs, I leave my fingerprints on their piano keys! 

I could have driven home at that point, I was on cloud nine. But I didn’t, I headed into the city to do the usual tours though I soon discovered that my dearest friend of 53 years was unknowingly in the city. You couldn’t make it up! Anyway, she meet me down by the docks and we headed to The Cavern for a quick drink with her family. I’d wanted to stay much longer and enjoy the music, like I had on previous occasions, but couldn’t as I needed to drive home. 
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I came home a happy gal having accomplished my main mission, alongside experiencing many magic moments throughout the day. There was one of John Lennon’s possessions that I didn’t manage to see on Thursday … so tomorrow, I go back. 
 

Cheekily knocking before going around to the back door.