I was 13 years old and on a fabulous, long awaited for dream riding holiday. Mum and Dad had generously agreed to let me go and it really was my dream come true that year. My best friend had come with me and we were having such a great time. The farm was a lovely huge, rustic, old building with several rooms upstairs and downstairs and nooks and cranny's for games of hide and seek!
There were about 20 girls (yes all girls) of slightly differing ages - ranging from 12 - 16years but we all seemed to get on, as our common love was the horses.
The days were filled with mucking out, grooming, riding, learning new skills and preparing for a gymkhana at the end of the week. We were all pretty shattered most nights, a combination of fresh air and hard work! Bedtimes were fun too - we were separated into groups of 6-8 and in 3 "dormitories" with bunk beds and a lot of girlie giggles, pillow fights and running in and out of the rooms playing tricks on each other.
One night I woke up at about 3am. At this point I was not really sure what woke me - I did not usually wake at this time of night - but I decided I needed the toilet, so got up out of the bed and set off to the tiny room right at the end of a long .... dark corridor.
I had gone a few paces when I felt suddenly really cold - goosebumps raised on my arms - I just decided to move a little quicker, dismissing the coldness as the damp of an old house and nothing else ... plus ... I was still half asleep and getting a little desperate for the loo!
I got to the tiny room, switched on the light .......... and carried out my business.
I then noticed that the room, which had been warm as I entered also seemed to get very cold, very quickly. I hurried up ..... and turned off the light.
As I came out of the room and entered the corridor ............... I heard a blood curdling scream ............ and then crying .............. and then ............
" Jane, Jane get back here NOW"
I ambled back with no real concept of a need to run ...... I saw the girls from the other Dorm in a bit of a state at the other end of the corridor - they asked if I was OK and ..... because I was still half asleep ..... I said yes and .......... just ambled back to my bed !
There was a lot of commotion in the other Dorm but my Dormitory was peaceful and quiet ... so I just drifted right back off to sleep!
When I got up in the morning we went down to the breakfast room. all the girls were in there and the farm owner was dishing up breakfast whilst comforting 2 girls in particular. It seemed as though she was also trying to keep them calm and to not talk too much about why they were upset. BUT girls will be girls and gossip is our favourite pastime. Neither of them however would actually look at me and I began to feel a little paranoid ....in fact .... I noticed no-one from that Dorm was actually talking to me ...... had I upset someone?
So when we all settled and the owner had gone out of the room I intended to ask what I had done but one of them quickly rounded on me and asked if I was OK and "didn't I feel anything ?"
Anything about what ?
Then she told me what she had seen ................
One of them woke up in the night thinking she saw a figure run through their Dorm. She was so convinced she cried out (which I think is what woke me initially) and all the girls from her Dorm woke up trying to suss what it was. By the time they had worked up the courage to check outside the corridor .... I was coming back from the toilet ..........
They SAW in front of me - what appeared to be a wolf and a shadowy figure behind me that turned and then seemed to RUSH through me and out of the window, with the wolf following.
THEY ALL SWEAR THEY SAW IT.
And then ......... from the corner of the room ....... the grandma spoke ...........
"That was Old Mac ..... our wolfhound ........ 50 years ago he chased a burglar onto the balcony ...... it's not there any-more ....... it was riddled with woodworm ...... it collapsed under their weight ...... they just both fell to the ground and died"
There was absolute silence from 20 girls.
None of us slept the next night. Thankfully it was the last night and although I never actually saw it - I know I felt the icy coldness !!!!!!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Fireworks. Diwali. Bonfire Night
Arrgghhhh !!!
OK - so maybe I am an old fogey - a party pooper - BUT why, oh why, do people insist on setting off fireworks at 11.30pm at night !!!!!!!
I actually really like bonfire night - particularly the more English traditional "Penny for the Guy" (does anyone do that any more?). Sparklers. Bangers. Baked potatoes. Cold noses and warm hats, gloves and scarves.
AND Firework displays ....... whether that be larger organised ones or smaller home led ones. It actually is another one of our family traditions - with home videos of the children growing up - having firework night at Grandy and Grandpa's with sparklers, baked potato, baked beans, cheese .... mmmmmmmmm.
SO ..... I do enjoy it all. UP TO A POINT.
And there is a point - and that point should be up to about 10pm - 10.30pm at the latest!
Most younger children who love and enjoy these displays should be in bed by 9pm anyway (if not before) and as for the teenagers, then they have an hour or so afterwards. BUT by 10pm - many people are thinking of turning in - those who have to work the next day - those who may be postmen, post-women, Nursery Nurses on an early shift, ANY early shift workers, Mum's and Dad's with young baby's trying to sleep etc. etc. etc.!
Even before I had our 3 children, Mark and I had a group of friends (the Granada lot) and we would have parties at one of the houses - including bonfire night ones - and would always be finished outside by 10pm.
I understand that most of the organised displays DO finish earlier - and no one can really control some of the teenagers who choose to buy the odd firework and set them off late at night (unless the Police happen to be in the right place at the right time). What I would really just like, is that all the others - families with private parties - decide to finish at a decent hour !!!
Last night we put up with it till 11.30pm - 11.30pm !!!!!
No - I am not a party pooper - but that is just plain RUDE and inconsiderate in my book!
So for the next few nights of Diwali, Halloween and Bonfire Night PLEASE PLEASE have a bit of consideration for others when setting off your displays !!!
Thanks :-)
OK - so maybe I am an old fogey - a party pooper - BUT why, oh why, do people insist on setting off fireworks at 11.30pm at night !!!!!!!
I actually really like bonfire night - particularly the more English traditional "Penny for the Guy" (does anyone do that any more?). Sparklers. Bangers. Baked potatoes. Cold noses and warm hats, gloves and scarves.
AND Firework displays ....... whether that be larger organised ones or smaller home led ones. It actually is another one of our family traditions - with home videos of the children growing up - having firework night at Grandy and Grandpa's with sparklers, baked potato, baked beans, cheese .... mmmmmmmmm.
SO ..... I do enjoy it all. UP TO A POINT.
And there is a point - and that point should be up to about 10pm - 10.30pm at the latest!
Most younger children who love and enjoy these displays should be in bed by 9pm anyway (if not before) and as for the teenagers, then they have an hour or so afterwards. BUT by 10pm - many people are thinking of turning in - those who have to work the next day - those who may be postmen, post-women, Nursery Nurses on an early shift, ANY early shift workers, Mum's and Dad's with young baby's trying to sleep etc. etc. etc.!
Even before I had our 3 children, Mark and I had a group of friends (the Granada lot) and we would have parties at one of the houses - including bonfire night ones - and would always be finished outside by 10pm.
I understand that most of the organised displays DO finish earlier - and no one can really control some of the teenagers who choose to buy the odd firework and set them off late at night (unless the Police happen to be in the right place at the right time). What I would really just like, is that all the others - families with private parties - decide to finish at a decent hour !!!
Last night we put up with it till 11.30pm - 11.30pm !!!!!
No - I am not a party pooper - but that is just plain RUDE and inconsiderate in my book!
So for the next few nights of Diwali, Halloween and Bonfire Night PLEASE PLEASE have a bit of consideration for others when setting off your displays !!!
Thanks :-)
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Living in the Now
Why is it that all my best "blog" thoughts come to me when I am:
a) walking the dog
b) in the bath
c) in bed at night drifting off to sleep
Seriously - it drives me nuts - I can "write" in my head a whole Blog - have a conversation with myself (in my head - I'm not that mad yet) about whether it will be good or not ... but then ..... when I get in front of the netbook ... whooosh ... it's all gone!
It's not all completely gone (otherwise there would be no blogs at all !) but the topics sometimes drift away - or what sounded brilliant in my head doesn't quite flow when I have put it down on here. So this week I had such a choice ......
Gaddafi - all those shocking images;
Dale Farm and how that rolled out (Tony Ball for PM ?);
Westlife - so sad they are splitting up - Jessica's first concert with me was a Westlife one !
I even thought of mentioning how majorly hot Matt Goss is looking in his 40's (sad I know) - oh .... well - there you go ..... I have mentioned it !
Then I visited Jess on Friday afternoon and ... after cuddles with Kovu, conversations with Jess and my niece - my niece said ..... surely you should blog about this !
AND SHE IS RIGHT!
All these other things are happening and we are part of the world in which they are happening BUT at this point in time they don't affect me directly - I'm not saying "I'm alright Jack" just that we all need to live in our own moments - our own time and place.
Part of my diploma for the Life Coaching dealt with "helping clients to learn to live in the now whilst promoting them to be the best they can be" I think that is great and totally agree with that concept BUT also, we must remember that each person's own individual best may not be at the same benchmark as yours or others.
Some people find success in academic achievement, some in sporting greatness, others find it in balancing their finances that month, having a roof over their heads, being a good Mum or Dad or friend - the "best they can be".
ME - I am basically very VERY lazy - I push myself with my lists because otherwise I would achieve nothing - honestly - I could easily just sit and read a good book all the time or walk H or watch telly. I have identified my biggest weakness and deal with it by giving myself deadlines and goals so I actually can look back and think - hey yeah - I DID THAT !
BUT it doesn't really matter - success is measured on a truly individual scale and for most people it should NOT just be about financial success or possessions or material wealth - it should be happiness - that individual feeling for each and every one of us (ok so money can help and some people can and do have both).
I sometimes think that some of us have lost that simple goal in our often hectic lives.
YET, on Friday I was blessed with another wonderful glimpse of that "living in the now" moment - watching a Lion King DVD with my grandson snuggled in my arms ... my niece and I chattering away ... as Jess pottered about tidying her house, chattering back at us.
I would recommend each of us to take a 2 -5 minute break today - perhaps after reading this blog - stop - and just think about what you have, where you have been and where you are now - without wish lists, targets, goals or thoughts of the past - and hopefully most of us will find that our moment - right now - is good !
a) walking the dog
b) in the bath
c) in bed at night drifting off to sleep
Seriously - it drives me nuts - I can "write" in my head a whole Blog - have a conversation with myself (in my head - I'm not that mad yet) about whether it will be good or not ... but then ..... when I get in front of the netbook ... whooosh ... it's all gone!
It's not all completely gone (otherwise there would be no blogs at all !) but the topics sometimes drift away - or what sounded brilliant in my head doesn't quite flow when I have put it down on here. So this week I had such a choice ......
Gaddafi - all those shocking images;
Dale Farm and how that rolled out (Tony Ball for PM ?);
Westlife - so sad they are splitting up - Jessica's first concert with me was a Westlife one !
I even thought of mentioning how majorly hot Matt Goss is looking in his 40's (sad I know) - oh .... well - there you go ..... I have mentioned it !
Then I visited Jess on Friday afternoon and ... after cuddles with Kovu, conversations with Jess and my niece - my niece said ..... surely you should blog about this !
AND SHE IS RIGHT!
All these other things are happening and we are part of the world in which they are happening BUT at this point in time they don't affect me directly - I'm not saying "I'm alright Jack" just that we all need to live in our own moments - our own time and place.
Part of my diploma for the Life Coaching dealt with "helping clients to learn to live in the now whilst promoting them to be the best they can be" I think that is great and totally agree with that concept BUT also, we must remember that each person's own individual best may not be at the same benchmark as yours or others.
Some people find success in academic achievement, some in sporting greatness, others find it in balancing their finances that month, having a roof over their heads, being a good Mum or Dad or friend - the "best they can be".
ME - I am basically very VERY lazy - I push myself with my lists because otherwise I would achieve nothing - honestly - I could easily just sit and read a good book all the time or walk H or watch telly. I have identified my biggest weakness and deal with it by giving myself deadlines and goals so I actually can look back and think - hey yeah - I DID THAT !
BUT it doesn't really matter - success is measured on a truly individual scale and for most people it should NOT just be about financial success or possessions or material wealth - it should be happiness - that individual feeling for each and every one of us (ok so money can help and some people can and do have both).
I sometimes think that some of us have lost that simple goal in our often hectic lives.
YET, on Friday I was blessed with another wonderful glimpse of that "living in the now" moment - watching a Lion King DVD with my grandson snuggled in my arms ... my niece and I chattering away ... as Jess pottered about tidying her house, chattering back at us.
I would recommend each of us to take a 2 -5 minute break today - perhaps after reading this blog - stop - and just think about what you have, where you have been and where you are now - without wish lists, targets, goals or thoughts of the past - and hopefully most of us will find that our moment - right now - is good !
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