THE GREEN MAN

Have you ever walked through a wood or forest and thought you saw faces among the leaves, perhaps you have? My mother who is well into her eighties tells of a walk through some woods near her home. She was accompanied by her aunt and two young children, it was a bright summer's day, and she was in her early twenties at the time. One of the children ran off into the deeper part of the wood and my mother ran after him, and just as she caught up with the boy she glimpsed a movement beside her, and turned just in time to see a twisted little figure of a men between the trees. She always says that she was afraid that the boy would see it and be upset so she hurried him away.

She describes a gnarled figure twisted like a tree trunk dressed in brown and green, she took a good look at it and swears it's face moved - it blinked and seemed every bit as startled as she was. Of course, she knew everyone would laugh at her and so she said nothing for over thirty years, until I had a similar experience and mentioned it to her. My green man was among some oak branches and I was sitting in the tree reading a book, it laughed out loud at my astonishment and them vanished. I really expected her to laugh, but instead she gave me a huge hug and told me her story. I do not expect anybody to believe these stories, it does not matter if you don't. I saw what I saw and to find some one else shared the experience was a great relief to me. I have never seen anything like it since but I keep looking, I am sure there is an eternal spirit inhabiting the last remaining woodlands. Go and have a look for yourselves.

I think we all need a little magic at times, if not, then why are 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Harry Potter' so popular. I am convinced that the truth is out there.

Having now convinced all and sundry that I am barking mad, I think I shall change the subject.

Today is a major cleaning day for me and I hate it with a passion, I will happily cook and bake all day but, I HATE HOUSEWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To all those poor souls who share my affliction, I say, get a steam cleaner. You can pick a good one up for about fifty pounds. No more mops and buckets, it cleans windows, tiles, sinks, the loo, and just about everything else. You will also save a fortune on cleaning products because all it uses is water.

I hope the discussion of this last mundane topic has restored my credibility. Oh by the way I also believe in ghosts!