Some Thoughts and Memories

Brian, and Wilma Rittershausen were relatives on my father's side. Back in around 1980, I went to their orchid nursery. It was quite fascinating, and I was escorted around by Wilma whom I got on very well with. Later, I saw Brian (her brother) at home, and he seemed a pleasant enough chap. Sadly, both brother, and sister are no longer with us...They died quite recently, but their legacy to the world of orchids lives on thankfully. The following is a basic account about them, and their work. However, it is in the present tense...but it gives a good basic insight into their world......RS   Brian and Wilma Rittershausen are the professional landscape designers in UK. They are the brother and sister pair in the field of flowering Orchids. Brain and Wilma Rittershausen have orchids in the blood. It has been their family occupation, knowing everything about Orchids. Orchid fascination has been continuing since three generations. The Brian and Wilma Rittershausen fam...

A long time ago, I saw a ghost of a Victorian Vagrant in my bedroom as a child at my Windsor home. The following is from The Realization of the Psychic, and is followed by an article on Windsor Ghosts in general... Ghosts have been reported all over the world. Evidence seems to suggest that most of them are probably replays of minor, or major happenings of the past.Usually, they are of a tragic nature. Strong negative emotions seem to impose themselves most easily onto the ether unlike positive uplifting ones. My own personal experience occured in around 1968 in a house which had just been built in Windsor, Berkshire. I awoke one night, and felt an unnatural clammy coldness even though it was very still summer night. At the bottom of my bed I saw the form of a man dressed in Victorian garb (a "vagrant"). He looked perfectly solid. I froze with terror, and just stared at him. The "phantom" or whatever it was merely stood totally stationary for a short while. ...

Ref Wikipedia Back in the early 1980s I used to attend the Slough Writers Group. I would on occasion read out some of my manuscripts which notably included a historical novel called Hearts in Thorns (formerly entitled The Devils Dance), and a comedy about psychic research...which caused some merriment. The former was about a power struggle saga between rich nobles in late 14th Century England. It was purely fictional but with accurate period detail based on research which I had been undertaking. This novel opened with a dramatic duel which held my small audience in thrall. The SWG attracted a small range of interesting people which included Chris Webb the poet postman who published his stuff in the local paper. Another notable was Alan Taylor a charming old boy type who had published books on DIY. He even gave me a signed copy of his paperback opus on Garden Construction. Arthur Nicklin was a prolific freelance writer for various magazines including Prediction as he had...

As a child I went to a number of countries during the late 1960s, and early 1970s. They were France, Germany, Portugal, and notably Spain which was visited three times. What follows are just some holiday highlights that happened along with a number of historic places visited. First on the list was something amusing in Portugal. ( I should add that the links to places visited may not be complete in the sense that I may have forgotten one or more of the sites visited. It was all a long time ago). Portugal Marriage, and Funerals..................! When I went with mater, and pater via ship to Lisbon, the light was so bright, and sunny that it was almost impossible to see anything. Continually, one had to shield one's gaze by means of the hand to act as a shade to perceive anything properly. The most remarkable thing I saw apart from the famous statuesque monument to  the Discoverers was a Church. On one side of it, a number of couples were lined up t...

 When I was in my teenage years, and probably a little earlier I was fascinated in psychical research, or parapsychology as it is more popularly known. This in the main was due to my childhood experiences which are narrated in The Realization of the Psychic . http://thoughtsandvisions-searle88.blogspot.com/2010/08/realization-of-psychic.html About 16 years of age, or so I wrote two manuscripts. One was a fiction piece concerned with post-mortem existence, and another one which had the rediculously pompous title of Explanations for Paranormal Events . Colin Symthe a publisher (notably published The Link by Matthew Manning) lived in Gerrards Cross, and not far from Stoke Poges where I was living. He turned it down with a polite, and encouraging rejection letter. As for the long fiction work which included direct speech it too met a similiar fate from some publishing house in London. None of this though quenched my thirst for a better understanding of the psychic, and s...

Back in circa 1997 I heard on the news at Talk Sport Radio the emergence of the Mediaeval Baebes. Later on it transpired that James Whale was to have them on his show. It was a first for him, and for Talk Sport, if I recall rightly. His show was a phone-in, and I was the first to engage with one, or more of the Medieaval Baebes. I briefly mentioned among things about David Munrow being the greatest populariser of early music. However, I got the distinct impression that they did not seem to know, or appreciate him. The reason why possibly was because many of them were probably too young to know anything about him. The same thing seemed to happen when I complimented a Madrigal group made up of young females in Windsor high street Anyway, on the radio I tried to attract the Baebes attention to certain early music groups notably the Clemencic Consort, and Ensemble Unicorn as being good examples of colourful interpretations of medieval music. James Whale asked me whether it matte...

From about 1966 to 1977 I lived in a house  at 74 King's Road, Windsor. It was set behind some grand old buildings overlooking the Long Walk. It was situated in an exclusive area.  A narrow drive just off King's Road itself led to not just 74 but also to number 76. Both the houses were apparently designed in a very modern style for their time by an architect who lived at the latter. His name was Edward Whiteley.  I used to visit his wife Beryl now, and again as a child. She was a very idealistic, and intellectual woman. She kept her home spotlessly clean, and there was very little furniture in the place. Sadly, she had no children by Edward. Sometimes, I would read books aloud to her outside her front door. She notably introduced me to Alice In Wonderland, and Alice Through The Looking Glass. I introduced her to the comic world of Catweazle which was a well-known TV series. I read the book based on it to her, and she was much taken by i...