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Basing House - Spooky Goings On

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WARNING THIS POST HAS INFORMATION FROM BASING HOUSE GHOST TOUR SO IF YOU ARE INTENDING ON GOING TO THIS TOUR STOP READING NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT. It is worth saying that the ghost tours at Basing House have been running for 8 or 9 years now and so they are well done. The Red Barn is the most recognisable place as it is the only building still standing and is used as a venue for all sorts of events, primarily weddings. Me and my Fiancée had been in the barn for a wedding fair only a few months before this tour. In 1642 the Parliamentarians located in Lychpit under the instruction of Oliver Cromwell were cannonading the Red Barn (later known as the Bloody Barn) as it was a strategic location, as it stored arms, munitions, food and animals. The location was of real value to the Royals who were holding it as well as the Parliamentarians who were looking to take it. They were aiming for the roof of the barn to break up the floors and kill as many people as possible. Eventually the Parl
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Buried alive, not once...but twice

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In my home town of Basingstoke, there is a true story of something so tragic and horrific, it just makes your skin crawl. When I was a young boy of around 10 or 11 years old, a lady I knew (I can't remember where from) informed me of this horrific story and I was so shocked I just couldn't believe her and went and found out information for myself. To my amazement, the story she told me was indeed true.  This true story is about Mrs Alice Blunden, the wife of a well off Malt Merchant, Mr William Blunden. The year is 1674 and Mr Blunden is away on business in London, when Mrs Blunden, a woman known for her large size and enjoyment of Brandy, found herself feeling rather unwell.  She called her maid and sent her to the local apothecary to fetch some to ease the pain. The type of pain relief back then, would have been an opiate derived from poppies. So Mrs Blunden drank the poppy water given, and fell into a very deep sleep. So much so that she could not be revived. The doctor was
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What does morbid mean?

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Image sourced from  https://letterpile.com/personal-essays/My-View-about-Death-Dying-and-Heaven It struck me this week that we use the word morbid so much, but do we truly understand what it means? So let's take a look at the Oxford dictionary definition of morbid below:  'Having or expressing a strong interest in sad or unpleasant things, especially disease or death.' So looking at the above definition, we see that they are already asserting that disease or death are viewed as sad or unpleasant. But when a doctor is treating a disease, do we claim that their interest in it is sad or unpleasant? Nope! It's actively encouraged, I mean how else would we have cures so many diseases, if not for interest in finding a cure!  Therefore we can clearly see that disease is not in and of itself, morbid.  So why is talking about death morbid?  So looking at this pragmatically, I can see that someone who is interested in death in a way that is unhealthy and all consuming, can lead t
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Death - The Difficult Questions

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Artwork by Sarah Byng   The path of death is not a lonely one, should you choose to share the burden. The hard questions. Well what do I mean by hard questions? Well these are the questions that we skirt around or avoid talking about on the topic of death.  Death is one of the hardest things to talk about. Just the mention of death in a conversation and it will stop very quickly. I think the topic has been swept under the carpet so much over the generations, that most people don't even know why it is morbid. Whilst I understand this avoidance stance on discussing death, isn't it one of the most important things to happen in our life? Discussing death gives us a sense that things will not last and could give us the jolt into the present moment some of us may need. Making us do the things that we really want to do, for ourselves, family or others.  So how do we discuss these hard questions? Well to start with, speak to someone you know a friend or relative. Maybe ask them if they
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Book Review #2 The Five Invitations

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"Death is not waiting for us at the end of a long road. Death is always with us, in the marrow of every passing moment. She is the secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us to discover what matters most."  FRANK OSTASESKI I found out about this book whilst listening to an interview with the author Frank Ostaseski on the Ten Percent Happier podcast with Dan Harris. Having loved every minute of the podcast, I couldn't help but buy this book. From the moment I opened this book, I couldn't put it down. Frank takes you on a journey sharing the wisdom learnt through his unique mixture of Zen meditation & insight, as well as his experience helping those with life threatening and terminal illnesses. He bares his soul in this book, showing his vulnerabilities and faults, drawing you into his world. I certainly do not know if I would have the courage to approach, let alone face some of the difficulties he went through. He shows the reader that with perseverance and
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We need to plan for this!

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Nothing puts the fear in you, like a global pandemic where death is everywhere. I know mortality has been around for a long time, but a global pandemic makes it feel more real and really in your face. COVID-19 is dominating the headlines, like nothing we have ever seen before. The last 10-11 months of this pandemic have been a real shake up in all our lives. Yet I feel now more than ever, we should be seeking to get our affairs in order. It doesn't matter what age you are, ok so maybe kids and teenagers shouldn't do this, but adults should start to plan for any eventuality, including their untimely demise as soon as they can. So why should we plan these things in advance? Planning our death, funeral arrangements can really help if you die suddenly or without warning, as you can leave the grieving people with clear instructions explaining what you want. This may prevent family arguments and keep a grieving family together at a time of stress. This plan can be in the form of a si
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Book Review #1 Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

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Having read Being Mortal, I thought I could share my thoughts on it and how it impacted me. This book covers the really heavy subject of being mortal and navigates it with ease. The start of the book looks at our independence as we get older and then the frailties of ageing. It really sheds a lot of light on the complications and the subtle/drastic changes that happen as we get older. Atul uses his experience and relationships with his patients and colleagues, making it so clear and understandable for just about anyone to comprehend. This degree of information and insight into ageing, enables me to understand people who are advancing in age and to have a lot more compassion for them. Knowing the early signs and symptoms can really help, if you care to see them in those around you.  Atul also dispels a lot of myths around getting old and what we can expect. I think it's great to know about these changes and what to expect from a practical point of view. If for example; I notice
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