St.Moritz -January, 1965

"Its all well and good to beg to come to Switzerland but whining about the god damn snow won't get you anywhere, Louise" John looked up from his novel and frowned. Louise was sat on a rug in the middle of the suite and had something like six pairs of socks on and still she was belly aching about the temperature, which was a lovely balmy 'heaps less than freezing' degrees... John was freezing brass monkeys too but wasn't about to carry on about it, Louise did enough for the both of them.

Lou and John flew into Switzerland on the 28th of January 1965 with the Beatles record producer George Martin and his new fiancée, Judy Lockhart-Smith, it was a welcome reprieve from Christmas period.

Christmas- a time of year that's supposed to be pleasant and relaxing but was anything but. John had performed with the band twice daily for weeks over the holiday season and they all needed a break from each other, from work, from fans.... from what had become 'normal', their life.

"I haven't whined since yesterday thank-you very much, I am just socking up" Louise grinned and wondered how in the hell she would fit her ski boots on.

The luxurious Palace Hotel was the base for their first ever ski holiday, located in St. Moritz, it was secluded from most fans but not from the most persistent men of the press. The new movie, the Beatles second foray into film, was barely weeks away and John needed to learn to ski for some sequences in the new films story-line.

"Sooking up, more like it" John grinned and swung his legs over the side of the bed, looking out the window to see the snow being invaded by hundreds of fellow skiers that looked like ants scurrying about.

'Cheeky" Louise ducked into the bathroom, nothing out there in the snow for peeing in... suppose she could use Johns boot...

Evie stayed with their new housekeeper Dot, recommended reputable by Brian Epstein himself and the adorable toddler would have her grandparents and Aunt Mimi visiting for most of the duration of their trip getting spoilt rotten.

Louise wasn't especially pleased with the arrangement but knowing the 'ice-cream like' temperature here and the amount of time Evie had been cooped up in hotels already in her short life, it was much better this way.

She spoke from the toilet seat about Evie and ice-cream....."It was a blessing that she didn't come along" Lou spoke loudly from the bathroom making John twirl about and frown, was he supposed to be in a conversation?

"Pardon?"

I said It was a blessing that she didn't come along"

"Who?"

"Evie dumby, didn't you hear- never mind" Louise flushed the toilet and washed her hands, returning to Johns side as he toyed with the curtain.

"At least we can get a few 'five-mile runs' in without Evie's constant interruptions" Lou kissed Johns cheek and adjusted his collar.

"Hmmm, that has been a bonus that has" John fixed her in his sights, winding arms around her waist, they shared a warm kiss or two or three "I miss her terribly though, good thing you brought the photographs with you"

"I miss her too, lets call before her bedtime tonight! Listen to her squealing in the bath maybe, the phone cord should reach?" Lou questioned herself and John kissed her nose "Of course it does I'm so silly, I spoke to Ma the other day all while washing Evie's hair!"

John plonked down on the bed again, if they weren't going yet, he would read another chapter til Lou was ready.

The fun that was to be had as a group skiing on the holiday had been severely tempered with George breaking bones in his ankle on the second day here whilst dancing around with John like fairies in ski tights, much to the amusement of the girls. Boy that was a corker of a story for when they got back, that one was!

John and Louise still hit the slopes, but it wasn't nearly as much fun without George and Judy to bounce off and laugh with.

George or Mister Martin as Lou kept calling him much to his dismay, had been a surprise invitee but he was a totally different person and very relaxed outside of his 'office'. Lou relished getting to know him better, along with his lovely fiancée Judy.

"Come on then" Lou grinned naughtily "that hunky ski instructor said to meet him at ten am" The young man was nice and had an sexy accent too; which had both Judy and Louise lingering after lessons just to listen to him chatter on about boring ski and boot maintenance. "I bet you can't stay up on the ski's today....."

John groaned at the memories of yesterday.

He was battered and bruised.

Who knew snow was that hard on the ski slopes, he certainly hadn't when the idea was brought up for the movie. He had visualised powdery soft snow like what fell gently in the garden but here he fell on every hard patch there was.

Always up for a challenge and a wager John stuck the white feather he used as a bookmark in the book and sat up thinking about what to bet on.

"You know you'll get hauled through to quarantine with that bloody feather, don't you" Lou had read all the literature as usual and brushed up on the in's and outs of what seed or piece of random twig could be taken in and out of the country.

John imagined himself holding the itty-bitty feather by one end and a policeman grasping the other and being dragging through the airport arrivals lounge.

Nah, they'd only find the thing if Lou opened her gob which she won't.. nothing like a guilty conscience to shut Lou up when a copper was about. When she realised he was bringing some 'medicinal Mary Jane' along, Louise was quieter than a Church mouse on Sundays as she was passing by all of the authorities at the airport terminal.

"Ok..right...... If I get up and ski. I get to do all that dirty stuff you said I couldn't" John smiled widely, his teeth and gums showing making him look like an utter lunatic. Louise clenched her jaw, he was getting a bit too adventurous for her liking and the problem was.... she had started it.

She had warned him just the other night, told him in no uncertain terms she was not hanging from a bloody chandelier for his amusement. When he started mocking her, as she undressed, she told him he could go off and sleep in the bath.

She only lasted leaving him in the chilly tub for around fifteen minutes and guiltily called him back to her bed.

All that reading and chattering about new positions and such had it literally biting her on the bum,which he also liked doing, and she was in a big pickle about how far was too far.......

....But he wouldn't stay up on the ski's today and anyway, if he looked like he was about to achieve success, she could always kiss the instructor to have John crashing down instead. Lou nodded to herself, I'll teach him....

"And if you don't?" Lou decided to pull one last pair of socks on then looked about for her gloves and sunglasses.

Sunglasses in the snow, who knew!

"If I fail" John laughed haughtily - inconceivable. "If I don't stand up...... you get to accompany me to the Bahamas for the film"

"Hardly a prize, when I was going anyway"

"I didn't say you could go" John had hold of all his gear and steered Lou towards her scattered gloves on the carpet by the door, she was a messy cow when it wasn't her doing the cleaning.

"Yes, you did. When you were thinking about all that warm water you said, and I quote 'Cor Louise, you can buy those new skimpy swimmers I saw in the catalogue' unquote" Louise locked the room and they continued along the quiet hallway to pause by the gold doors of the elevator. John tapping the down button.

"I just wanted you to wear them about the lounge room and when you cooked dinner, luv"

"Nope. Not buying it"

"Alright, hey If I drop.... you can come to the studio"

"Inside"

"Well no, you can't come in"

"Inside John" Lou pressed her wager.

"But the lads will grumble, you know Macca"

"I know Mctesty and he is of no consequence to me. Get it done. I win- I'm in the studio, right?"

"How long?"

"One song, then this bird has flown once in the studio"

John cocked an eyebrow at her- really? Wondering about the bird reference was it a set up. She said...

'this bird can fly' didn't she? no

'she will fly'  no

she said 'this bird has flown' -strange....

Any way back to the wager I'm gonna win, John smiled happily "Well that's alright then, can live with that.... minute and a half, two tops"

"No, my poor deluded husband. A song from inception to 'it's a wrap' " Lou grinned as she stood doing inverted commas in the air for the last part of her wager, she rubbed her hands together in anticipation of the winnings as John grimaced.

"How do you know that lingo?"

"I've been on the telly remember, can't be much difference, can it"

"Miles apart" John pulled Lou inside the elevator with him and banged the button for the ground floor "Shake on it, Lou that's how it's done" Comically they shook each other's arm off as they agreed to the bet. "I'm not going to fall, you know that"

"We'll see...."

Betting Update:

~ All payouts to be collected by one Louise Lennon.

Report from the track:

At quarter to twelve local time one John Winston Lennon had tumbled no less than twenty times.

Having rested on his bottom for a few minutes he had one last futile attempt at standing and had somewhat achieved success but alas, upon spotting Louise in what looked like a lip lock with the ski instructor from his far away position, he fell again.

Louise was indeed going in the studio.