Last Friday my other half Paul took me on a Ghost Tour at Hampton Court Palace. As some of you may know I reached a milestone in January and I’m now the ripe old age of ….! anyway, he knew I’d always wanted to do something like this and bought the tickets as a surprise pressie for me. Well, we arrived slightly early for the 7.30 appointment looking around the room watching the other people, a motley crew of individuals varying in age from young to old. On the dot of 7.25 a tour guide / custodian entered the room in all his finery (top hat, sparkling uniform, what looked like army regulation boots) and asked us to convene outside the main entrance. There were 40 of us in total, all a bit wary of what, if anything was to happen. We stood outside the main door to the Court of the Palace and the guide told a few stories of ghostly sightings and experiences over the past 200 years or so. After we’d heard about 5 sightings of what seemed to be the same vision we moved on inside the Court, the huge doors seemingly opening on their own - on closer inspection they were opened by two young ladies on the inside! We were standing grouped together inside the palace doors in front of a huge, and I mean a huge picture of Henry VIII wearing a very impressive codpiece which was covering scaffolding as there is restoration work being carried out. The dude in the hat was telling of more sightings, a woman who heard various noises in her grace and favour apartments, visions coming from one doorway and disappearing into another, pictures being removed from walls, each time he told a story it was followed by ‘believe or disbelieve, carry on’ and behind him we followed. We were taken to all different parts of the palace, inside and outside, even in a lady’s chamber! Different stories each time, we were aware of every sound, every creek, the nerves were on edge - well mine were. He took us to the haunted gallery where we were made to walk alone or in pairs down the haunted gallery, lit by candlelight only. Of course me being brave wouldn’t walk down there alone, not on your nelly! We were taken to a staircase where it is said Jane Seymour has been seen on what is called the ’silver stairs’ as she appears in a white gown/nightgown holding a candle in a silver candlestick. He takes us around the corner where they show CCTV footage of ’something’ bursting through some double doors which look like a fire exit, he walks us there through this lane and that alley, cut through this building and that hall, down this lane and here we are he says in his slightly spooky voice he stands next to the offending doors ‘believe or disbelieve’ and at the moment the doors come crashing open - I let out an ear piercing scream turn around and try to leg it but bump straight into Paul who’s almost doubled over in laughter, I turn back and there standing in the doorway is one of the other tour guides laughing. I have to say I wasn’t the only one to scream like a girl, I’m sure some of the men did too as well as most of the women!

All in all I have to say it was a great night, well worth the trauma of not being able to sleep that night for fear of things that go bump in the night. Remember ‘believe or disbelieve ….

As for the other excitement I’m off to the Brits tomorrow night, courtesy of Affiliate Window, and I have to say I’m so excited my kids have threatened to leave home if I carry on. Will update later in the week.