THE DAY I SAW THE GREY LADY IN HARDWICK PARK

The day all the family went to the Hardwick Inn, Derbyshire for my brother in law's 70th and my nephew's 40th birthdays. I re-told the story of the day I saw the Grey Lady in the park.
          
It was a bright & sunny September day in 1962, I was around 8 at the time. My dad & me had gone on our bikes to Hardwick Park to collect conkers. We were going from one conker tree to the next, collecting as we went. I was in front of my dad when we got close to the steps in the hillside, WHEN at the bottom of the steps, I saw a Grey Lady. She had a long grey dress on, which was buttoned up to the neck. Her face was grey. Her hair was grey & her shoes were grey !  I turned round & shouted to my dad to look, but I as turned back round & my dad looked up, it was too late, she was gone ! There was no time in that split moment of time for her to have gone up the steps or move behind a tree, not dressed like that. My dad never said you must have imagined it, because he knew I was telling the truth.
I know what I saw & to this day I still believe I saw a ghost. To quote Max Boyce -  I know it's true, because, I was there !

Old Hardwick Hall reached via the steps.

Bess of Hardwick's New Hardwick Hall.

MABLETHORPE 50 YEARS ON

Early September 2013, I decided to revisit Mablethorpe, 50 years on, don't time fly! On a blustery day, but not to cold, would you believe it, the donkeys are still there, they brought back many memories. I met a couple in the car park, all excited about visiting Mablethorpe, they said they were revisiting, but had not left it as long as I had.

                                                                  Same names but different donkeys ?

My Grandma & Grandad way back in 1963 at Mablethorpe. Grandad had just been for a paddle. It was a  day out organised by Grandad's church. All the family were there. That's my tin bucket & spade, all plastic now. It was such a hot day.
                                                     

                                                           50 years on and the beach is deserted.                          

Those windmills weren't there 50 years ago, only mine in the sand. Happy days.