'Ghost train' hunter killed by train in North Carolina - CNN.com

'Ghost train' hunter killed by train in North Carolina - CNN.com
Don't forget health & safety (and common sense) on paranormal vigils... thanks to Deb for this http://ghosthuntersofasheville.blogspot.com/

Käpylä Hiidenkirnu - Devil's Kettle, at Käpylä, Helsinki

During my recent trip to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, I found out about these Hiidenkirnu - large holes created during the time of the Ice Age. Much research unlocked potential visits around the outer areas of the city - free things to do, which are actually really interesting. Well, I think so!

I did eventually find one of the glaical rock-bore holes; in Finnish folklore they are attributed to giants, goblins, and are entrances to the otherworld - places of liminality and to be approached, if at all, with care. (Assuming I've got the understanding of the Finnish translation correct from using Google Translate!).

It's a few minutes walk from the bus stop , in the Käpylä area of Helinski , east of Tuusulantie, Vaakalinnuntie, Tursontie, Louhentie, and off the corner of Louhenkuja and Ilmatarvägen, behind a school and what was once a ski slope.

This is my YouTube clip from the hole - about 1 metre deep and 1.4 by 1.7 metres across.

Residents phoned 999 dozens of times over 'ghost and UFO worries' - Telegraph

Residents phoned 999 dozens of times over 'ghost and UFO worries' - Telegraph

Ghostly figure could be Grand National earl - Telegraph

Ghostly figure could be Grand National earl - Telegraph
Paranormal activity is being investigated at an historic country house, said to be haunted by a former Earl of Sefton.

Ghostly 'white lady' sparks hunts by spirit hunters - Telegraph

Ghostly 'white lady' sparks hunts by spirit hunters - Telegraph

Cars have been lined up nose to tail every night for the past three weeks as news of the vision on the Mullaghmoyle Road, near Coalisland, has spread.

Bees make shape of cross outside cathedral - Telegraph

Bees make shape of cross outside cathedral - Telegraph

Finnish poltergeists

Trip to Finland and Estonia coming up... notes on respective hauntings for Helsinki and Tallinn:

Finnish poltergeists

Haunted Tallinn in - Estonia In Your Pocket city guide - essential travel guides to cities in Estonia

I'm really looking forward to visiting Tallinn in Estonia soon... must see / do places include a Tallinn Ghost Walk in the atmospheric old town. Details here but for the moment, there's some in depth spookiness at this link:
Haunted Tallinn in - Estonia In Your Pocket city guide - essential travel guides to cities in Estonia

Thoughtful Bit

"Anybody who thinks there aren't two sides to every argument is probably in one".

Unattributed

A Famous Poltergeist and an Ancient Tree

(Originally posted December 2007)

Well the seasonal time for visiting friends and family is nearly at an end. Yesterday saw a long drive back from the South Coast, through Salisbury, to a friend near Burford, and a most horrible journey up the M5 & M6 in awful rain and spray.

The earlier part of the journey saw us go through the Savernake Forest, and a few miles before that Tidworth. This set my mind ringing with thoughts of "The Drummer of Tidworth" which is a famous 17th Century poltergeist report involving pounding noises, moving furniture & floorboards, and even children being struck by the invisible force. Levitations were also reported (reminiscent of the Enfield Poltergeist of the 1970s).

A finger of accusation pointed at William Drury, a wandering drummer whose drum was confiscated by John Mompesson (also a magistrate) - the phenomena being centred upon the Mompessons' house.

There are some who point to hysteria and fraudulent activity behind all of it - but nothing is proven.

A few miles up the road towards Marlborough, on the right-hand side right next to the whooshing traffic, is the splendid and majestic Big Belly Oak. This oak was a sapling when William was becoming a Conqueror in 1066. King Henry VIII is said to have met Jane Seymour in this forest - by which time the Oak was some 500 years old, and a good specimen by then. One could almost think of them snogging in the shelter of this hefty tree. Perhaps 'courting' might be a more apt term for a regal description.

I had the opportunity to stop and take some photos on an earlier drive past, and the forest at the right time is indeed suggestive of a haunted, mysterious landscape. It's worthy of a Tim Burton film - Sleepy Hollow, Nightmare Before Christmas, or whatever. Brilliant. The picture above is one of mine taken just before dusk, and you wouldn't think the main road runs through the picture.

Imagine staying the night here on the safer side of the Oak. If trees have dreams one wonders how many dreams this must have had. Most Entish.

A wonderful tree designated one of Fifty Great British Trees by the Tree Council.

Thoughtful Bit

"It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it."

J Joubert

Thoughtful Bit

"Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen."

John Steinbeck

Thoughtful Bit

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up."

Thomas Edison

Thoughtful Bit

"If you wouldn't write it and sign it, don't say it."

Earl Wilson

Thoughtful Bit

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

R W Emerson

Thoughtful Bit

"Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times."

Unknown

Christ Church in the Snow (1)

After the unexpected snowfall at the start of the school term in early January 2009, a mission to photograph Christ Church in the sunshine with snow around was obligatory...

Thoughtful Bit

"Compassion should be unbiased and based on the recognition that others have the right to happiness, just like yourself."

Dalai Lama on Twitter

Christ Church from Delamere House

A view of Christ Church from the east side of Delamere House in early December 2008.

Thoughtful Bit

"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."

H. Jackson Brown Junior