Those Spirits Who Drift Through Our Lives...

Do you believe in ghosts or spirits...not old blokes tramping around castle turrets with their head tucked neatly under their arm, dragging rattling chains behind them...or wistful girls draped in white, who wring their hands and wail in murky graveyards. They are silly sorts of ghosts altogether...

I once watched a programme...it was a series, but one episode was enough for me...it was presented by that smarmy Derek Acorah...all quiff and hair grease and dripping in gold jewellery...he used to go ghost-hunting with a female presenter who squealed every time she heard the slightest noise and I could have cheerfully smacked her.

Derek used to hunt famous ghosts...he didn't bother about the little serving maid who died from TB and over-work...he only sought out the rich and famous of the time, as if he thought for one minute they'd appear when he had a camera crew and all that entails trailing along behind him.

And he very nearly wet himself when he saw 'orbs' on a staircase...I looked orbs up afterwards and discovered they are a very common glitch when using digital cameras...little balls of light that bounce about...

But what about proper spirits...that feeling of vague unease or of some undisclosed happiness that can be felt when visiting certain places...lay your hand on a tombstone warmed by the sun with a barely decipherable name and date inscribed upon it...feel that faint drift of happiness coming down from Tomas, whose body lyeth here...1719. Tomas perhaps lead a good life...he had a wife and children and work and died in his sleep while dozing by the fire...

There are other tombstones I cannot bear to even stand in front of and read...I don't care if they date way back to the 1700's...I don't care if someone else's plastic flowers have blown onto the rough grass and I don't kneel down and try to puzzle out the inscription...those graves give me a feeling of dread for absolutely no reason at all...

We were once investigating an old burial ground near our home...it is the site of a very early Christian community, though little remains now but for the foundations...something brushed my shoulder while I was reading a head stone which listed many children of the same family...all of whom died before adulthood. There was nothing there...no bushes or trees...no large birds flying away...but the touch was enough to startle me.

It doesn't have to be a graveyard of course...it can be an area or a house...a castle or a street...knowing an event which was traumatic or bloody gives you some fore-knowledge I suppose...visit Glen Coe in Scotland and the screams of dying men and horses practically fill your ears. Would it be the same if you were unaware of the terrible battle which took place there...would you feel those restless spirits then.

The very minute a person announces a place is haunted my cynical side comes out...Rubbish! I say...so why did I see three small children walking down the boreen which led from our first cottage down to the road...a sunlit afternoon and I was sitting on the front doorstep with a cat on my lap thinking about nothing in particular when I saw two little girls and an older boy...they were barefoot and the little girls had shawls around their shoulders...they all turned towards me and smiled. Happy smiles.

I saw them just once more in the same place...the boy had his arms around the little girls...they turned and waved...then simply faded out of sight.

Wondering about my sanity, I asked a neighbour if there were ghosts perhaps around that cottage and she answered immediately...and of course there is the poor Nun. You've seen the poor Nun? I said I hadn't, but what was the story of the poor Nun...she'd been the elder daughter of the people who lived in the cottage a hundred and fifty years ago...and she'd fallen in love with an unsuitable lad so her Father sent her to the Convent. She'd only been there for one month when she hanged herself...

Many local people had seen her apparently...she'd wander about in front of the cottage dressed in her long black habit and white wimple. We never saw her...not once.

I told no-one about the children, though I've often written about them and can see them still in my minds eye on those beautiful end of summer warm afternoons...

[Hidden]

Like you I watched that programe on haunting as I did have some encounters in my life with the real thing but like you we both saw him for what he was a charlatan and nothing that came out of his lips was true, the nursing home I am in (well my wing for one) is haunted by 3 ghosts one a very old nurse dressed in black uniform we take her to be one of the old Matron's of the place, number two was the man in black he died when my part of the home was still not built he just cut through one night taking a short cut to one of the shrimper's cottages as it was dark he got knocked down and killed just outside our front gates why he must carry on haunting I do not know, and number three I do not know what it is he/she just stands beside me at my computer desk I start feeling cold then get very cold until I just say out loud "shift it frosty nickers" so by that non-de-plume I sexed my ghost for as soon as I say those words the spot warms up again (just to prove the point on sexing I once gave it a masculine name and nothing happened).

Before that I worked and lived in a hostel that was once a rectory that had its share of ghosts also the room that was mine was the Vicars wife in days gone by (c 1895) and she had a rather horrid child birth from which she died. The chair which was original to the room (even though we could not prove it an antiques dealer did date it for us to be around the time) did amazing things most of all was the time the dog went berserk just standing there hackles up facing the chair and snarling when all of a sudden the cushion went down as though some one was sitting there.

Finally (well for now) when we moved to York my step father was the caretaker of the church there one of his duties was boiler stoking at midnight Saturday I went one night with him and as we were walking down the path this old rector came to meet us but just as he got in touching distance poof! he vamoosed, next dad and I was talking to the then vicar he took us into the vestry where on the wall was a rouges gallery of previous ministers to the church and he pointed to one in particular saying that was the one that kept him company when he first moved to the church in those days vicars got paid a percentage of what was taken in the Sunday collection, the vicarage per se was six old (1920's) rail carriages which he and his wife made into a nice home.

I could go on all night about ghosts ghouls and other horrible things that walk the small hours of the night so I will leave with what I think ghostly sitings could be it is what is known as the imprest system such a system works over ages of time and can only be picked up by a receiver that being a person who because of something in their life is going on and making them down in the dumps or even depressed.

What happens is (old buildings especially) that over a period of time events good or bad that have happened in that building are impressed onto the fabric (walls, brick and plaster) then comes along the present resident he/she for some reason or other go through a period of depression and they in turn become a receiver that is they pick something up from the fabric of the house possibly an unnatural death or an untimely death so in effect they re-play that piece of the buildings sad history.

The imprest system was explained to me by a doctor who had all his marbles about him (in fact he was over qualified as a GP goes) and I was the depressed person at that time. What I experienced I will never want to go through it again in my life, I was just getting ready for bed one night when all of a sudden there were the sounds of heavy foot steps outside my door you get from people running, the room went icy cold followed by an eerie shriek of a woman. That lasted only 5 minutes but it seemed a life time to me. The next day I went to the news paper office and asked for the papers around the year before the house we occupied were built and bingo the very year before the house was being built an angry father had chased his daughter down the street to the spot where the footings were being put in, she engaged his anger by becoming pregnant while in service, the other foot steps I heard must have been the Peelers but it was to late he had in his rage killed his daughter and was hung at Preston jail at the end of the month. So to me in my low state I was able to pick up a pivotal piece of the houses history.

For those who managed to get this point sleep well and see you tomorrow.

Ant X: X: X:

[victoriablue in reply to Hidden]

Hi Ant

Interesting reading, made me think about when I was very ill after an op in 1969 I was in intensive care I woke to see a little old lady sitting next to me knitting. I spoke to her and said I am going to die she replied no your going to get well.

It didn't scare me at all but no one had been in with me just curtains round me and a light over my bed? Never forgot her and can see her in my mind now.

[Hidden in reply to victoriablue]

She sounds like a very nice sort of a ghost to see!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Such interesting ghosts you've met Anthony!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes I have been blessed with that gift the remaining one that I hold dear in my mind is that of my grandfather after he moved on he often visited members of the family and me I knew it was him as I always smelt his pipe tobacco he had a special blend made for him and even in retirement that was his last luxury, the final night he appeared I felt my bed go down as if some one was sitting on it and then that aroma of granddad's pipe tobacco as quick as he came he left with me hearing his voice one last time "well I am going now me mam (his name for my Nan) is on her way" one hour later we got the telephone call to say my Nan had passed over.

[sassy59]

Now that is a very emotive subject vashti and I am not quite sure where I sit - on the fence I suppose. I cannot bear to watch the silly Derek Acorah and Yvette Fielding as it is not my cup of tea. I never see or hear anything and don't know what they are on about but I daresay that spirits go a wandering in all sorts of places for whatever reason. I am not afraid but have never actually seen anything or anyone.

Very interesting and off to bed for me now. No ghosts here just Pete and our cat. Son James is out somewhere and all is well.

Take care xxxx

[medow in reply to sassy59]

Once saw a much loved friend while we were all at his wake, he was across the road, smiling, watching us, I wasn't the only one who saw him, non of us were scared, just full of love for him, and he was the sort of chap that would let us know he was happy. Do I believe in ghosts? Still not sure x

[sassy59 in reply to medow]

Fascinating medow and I would not be scared either. Food for thought eh? xxx

[Hidden in reply to medow]

And isn't that such a comfort that your friend was smiling and quite obviously happy...

[Hidden in reply to sassy59]

I've only ever watched the one episode and thought it plain daft...your cat would be the first to know if there was anything untoward so I wouldn't worry if the cat isn't....lol

[Hidden]

Spooky vashti! Um what is a boreen please?

I am like you in that I am a reluctant believer in ghosts. I have had a couple of strange experiences. I was working in one job many years ago which had a mezzanine floor and was a bit of a rabbit warren. I was a gopher One day I was on the mezzanine stairs when I suddenly saw a middle aged man hurry down the stairs mutter something and seemed to disappear very quickly to one of the floors. I was a bit curious as I have never seen him before and rarely saw anyone on the stairs. I was told that a previous editor had hanged himself on the stairs a few years previously. To this day I don't know if I saw his ghost.

The second one occured in my parents new house. I lived in London and had come on my twice annual visit, My parents had 2 dogs - a very dark spaniel and a golden lab. I was in the kitchen making coffee when I sensed the spaniel behind me. I turned round and she wasn't here. As soon as I turned back to the kettle the feeling came again so strong that I actually searched the kitchen to no avail. I took the coffee into the lounge and both dogs were fast asleep by the fire and my mum said neither of them had stirred in the past half hour. I told them my experience and she and my sister both said at once 'oh you have seen the ghost dog' My mum explained that she had felt it's prescence many times and my sister had actually seen the outline of it going up the stairs. That gave me the shivers I can tell you.

I loved Derek Acorah and Yvette Fielding! Ha ha ha. x

The

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

A Boreen is a narrow country road

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

You're only saying you loved them to annoy! Ghost animals are said to be fairly commonplace but I've never seen one myself...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

dogs are regular visitors vashti. x:

[bulpit]

Once again Vashti, your posts are so entertaining, Ghosts, I would love to believe so after a strange incident that happened to me on the 5th of Decemper this year. It was the the date of my darling husbands birthday, He sadly died over a year ago, from the dreadful IPF, We always had a drink before dinner about 5pm, I had gin he always had a couple of large whiskies, After his death I put the half finished bottle of famouse grouse under the stairs, on a shelf and it had been there ever since. On the late afternoon of the 5th December I was sitting in the sitting room, the cupboard is in this room and there was quite a loud bang, . Went round the house, no signs of anything so decided the bang must have come from next door, Didn't think any more of it, The next day I wanted something from the cupboard under the stairs and to my surprise, my husbands bottle of whisky was on the floor, hence the bang, Ghosts, I do hope so, Keep up the stories Vashti, Keep warm, Bulpit

[Hidden in reply to bulpit]

Isn't that really quite odd...bottles don't usually fall over on their own...there is much more in this world than we can grasp I think!

[Shirleyj]

When I was very ill a few years ago I was lying in bed half asleep when I felt something jump on my bed, I felt the bed move and thought my little dog had jumped on the bed and settled into my back. I felt this lovely heat generating up my back, it felt lovely and comforting so I put my hand behind me to give her a stroke and there was nothing there. I had another Jack Russell dog who died a few years before, she was a beautiful loving dog and I am convinced it was her coming back to comfort me. Some of my friends think it was my guardian angel. I never felt scared just this lovely feeling of peace and warmth, I'll never forget it. Shirley x

[Hidden in reply to Shirleyj]

Your little dog gave you comfort when she knew you needed it...I think that is lovely xx

[redted]

I always say don't knock what we don't understand,I have never seen a ghost,but have felt the touch of an Angel,I have since been told it was my guardian angel,who picked me up at a very low time in my life, I was told they leave a white feather,and how strange I remember a white feather being on the arm of my chair,and wondered where it had come from.

[Hidden in reply to redted]

I'm not too sure about angels actually...but I've heard they'll leave a white feather to tell of their presence and any happening which leaves you feeling better or uplifted is surely all for the good.

[Lolly2]

I also experienced this and the white feather.....you are right Redted......don't knock what we don't understand!

[Hidden in reply to Lolly2]

I think there is an enormous amount we don't yet understand about how our world works...wouldn't it be grand to still be here when so many mysteries are finally explained!

[Hidden]

How lovely to see happy children. We live in a very old stone cottage and my middle daughter told me often that an old lady used to come and walk through her room at night. She was not at all perturbed by it and "knew" she was coming to check on her! My husband was out in the garden - looked up at the window and saw an old woman, he instinctively waved to her and later realised no-one was at home.

I know what you mean about Derek Acorah - he has the sort of face that you could slap and so damn clever about everything! And as for the screaming girl - dear god I can only assume she enjoyed trauma, if she was so frightened why would you present a programme on ghosts? (that never actually appeared!)

My very best friend passed away two years ago, I was distraught when I heard the news and know that her husband (who had passed two years before that) sat with me all night and comforted me. She however had some very strange experiences and I remember her telling me that she had once gone to a party in a rather grand house but within a few minutes felt really quite ill as though she was being suffocated, much to her first husbands annoyance they left. Later she found that there had been a murder in the house.

On to happier things, I know my Gran is with me regularly and during one particularly harrowing episode my Grandad was with me. I am blessed by the spirits that pass through my life and so lucky. Take good care my friend and keep writing! xxx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

It does sound as though your friend was 'tuned' into the troubling atmosphere she sensed in that house...

Lovely to feel your much loved people around you...

[Nikkers]

Very well written Vashti - fascinating! I agree with you about the daft programmes that they have on tv. Derek Acorah is a big Jesse who has made his money from the gullibility of other people anyway, and the way he acts sometimes is laughable. How anyone ever took him seriously is beyond me. As for that stupid Anette Fielding, screaming at every given cue - what a farce. If she was still that nervous (after recording so many programmes) why do it in the first place?

One thing that really amuses me is - why do they always do these programmes at night, in the dark and indoors??? Surely, if there are such things as spirits/ghosts or whatever, they'd appear anytime, anywhere? How come we never see ghosts of sheep or cows or the like - or dinosaurs come to that? All too staged for me I'm afraid.

I have had a few "weird" encounters myself, but have never really classified it. I worked for years in a restaurant that was in a very old building (built in the middle ages) that Elizabeth I actually stayed in at one time. Lots of things used to happen on a daily basis - cutlery flying around, things vanishing almost under your nose, radio, vacuum cleaner being turned on and off etc., We named it (whatever it was) Percy and when things happened we (the staff) used to shout, "leave it out Percy, we've work to do!" The language was a little more colourful at times when it got really bad. As my youngest Daughter was still small at the time, I used to stay at the restaurant with the owners every weekend so I could be on duty late. There were a couple of incidents involving my Daughter with "Percy" , but he (it) never harmed her. She did say she "Saw a man in funny clothes" one time, but she was not old enough to elaborate.

There is a book called "Sussex Ghosts" and these encounters are mentioned in there. It says "The head waitress" - that was me, just in case you ever get to read it? We also had the BBC came at one point and filmed for a programme, but like all good "ghosts" nothing happened while they were there - typical! lol

[Hidden in reply to Nikkers]

When things are hidden or begin to move about of their own accord I think that is poltergeist activity...often associated with teenage girls...though no-one can really explain why it should be so...

Derek might know...lol

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Derek was scared witless with his team when he supposedly came across a poltergeist I can still see him now, poltergeists as you say appear in house where pubescent females or males live there is something about the supernatural and pubescent male or females but this type of activity can be very frightening to experience one I think Derek would poop his pants if he came across the real macoy.

[Nikkers in reply to Hidden]

I'll tell you something Vashti, if I were a teenage girl anywhere near Derek - I'd be moving - fast to the nearest door and away from him!!! lol

[Dragonmum]

One of my favourite subjects - alas it's 19 minutes past midnight and I need my bed, otherwise I would tell you a story to confound all the skeptics. I'll keep it for another day; we have nothing to fear from the dead but I have grave (sorry) doubts about some of the living!!