Pea Soup Andersen’s

Pea Soup Andersen's is a restaurant chain in California.  It was founded in 1924 by Anton Andersen and his wife Juliette.  Born in Denmark, Anton Andersen had trained as a chef in Europe and New York, also helping with the opening of the Biltmore Hotel.  He and his wife purchased a property in the small town of Buellton, California in Santa Barbara County, neighbouring Solvang, a Danish community of recent immigrants.  

The land in Buellton had previously been part of a Mexican Land Grant owned by Jose Maria Corarrubias and Joaquin Carillo of Santa Barbara.  The land was purchased by the Buell Brothers in 1865.  R.T Buell turned the land into a prosperous horse and cattle ranch and a dairy farm called Ranch San Carlos de Jonata.  Buell married Miss Emily Budd in 1892 and they had five children.  When Buell died in 1905 he was buried in the family plot which would later become the car park for Pea Soup Andersen's.  His body was later moved to Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard.

The area of Buellton, located in the Santa Ynez Valley, changed rapidly and by 1911 Danish immigrants, attracted to the area, were settling there opening businesses and farms.  When the highway was diverted through Buellton and electricity was bought to the valley the Andersen's saw an opportunity.  They opened a small restaurant called Andersen's Electrical Cafe.  The name was in honour of their prized new electric stove.   

With a menu of simple foods including hotcakes, ice-creams, sodas and coffee, the café was created cater to the people that travelled the highway.  Initially the customers were mostly people that were travelling between Los Angeles and San Francisco.  The café also happened to be on the road to Hearst Castle at San Simeon. This was the heyday of the Hearst Media empire and writers and journalists such as Arthur Brisbane, one of the best known newspaper editors of the 20th Century and O.O McIntyre, a newspaper columnist of the 20s and 30s, stopped to eat at Andersen's. In this way praise for the establishment and the food it served was sent all across the country.

What would become the famous pea soup, a family recipe belonging to Juliette, Anton Andersen's French wife, was first added to the restaurant's menu three months after it was opened. Juliette was a fabulous cook and was responsible for preparing many of the popular recipes on the menu. As the establishment became more popular in 1928 the Andersen's built a hotel and dining room as well as sinking a well.  the Andersen's called the new establishment The Bueltmore, a play on the name of the Biltmore Hotel.  As Anton had worked in many well known restaurants, many famous chefs stopped by the Bueltmore.

In the 1930s Robert, Anton and Juliette's son, returned from Stanford University.  Robert became instrumental in the marketing aspect of the restaurant.   He discovered a cartoonist called Forbell who created a cartoon entitled "Little Known Occupations" for a magazine called Judge.  The illustration depicted two chefs creating split pea soup using a chisel to split the peas.  Andersen obtained the rights to the image.  Robert famously used billboards as part of his marketing strategy.

Robert Andersen married Rosemary Mohan who opened a gift shop attached to the restaurant.  the couple had a son called Robert in 1942.

During WWII the restaurant was closed to the public and  instead served as a place that military personnel and their family were served meals.  When the war was over Pea Soup Andersen's reopened.  Robert commissioned a Disney trained artist to draw the two mascots for the restaurant Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee, whose names were chosen through a competition.

In 1947 the new coast road was rerouted through the centre of Buellton.  That year the name of the restaurant became Pea Soup Andersen's. In 1965 Vince Evans, a successful business man and leader in the Santa Ynez Valley, purchased the restaurant.  He was said to have bought Pea Soup Andersen's on a whim because he enjoyed the soup. He promoted the restaurant like it was a Hollywood film putting huge billboards up and hiring new chefs.   Thriving under Evans management, the restaurant was said to be producing three quarters of a million bowls of soup a year.  Evans added a small wild animal park and aviary filled with parrots as well as a miniature train to further attract customers.  By the 1970s this was all demolished to make way for a Danish themed hotel.  In 1967 a second location was established in Santa Nella, California in Merced County.  The property had a restaurant, hotel, gas station and a gift shop as well as a working windmill.

Two short-lived restaurants were opened in Carlsbad and Mammoth Lakes.  Following the death of the Evans family in 1980 the restaurants passed through several owners.  Buellton and Santa Nella are now owned by Milt Guggia, a central coast restauranteur.

The Buellton Pea Soup Andersen's is said to be haunted by former owner Juliette Andersen.  Strange sounds, unexplained music and doors opening and closing have all been reported.  Furniture is also said to move on its own accord.

I have been to Pea Soup Andersen's several times on various trips to California and I always find it charming.  The soup is very delicious and the gift shop always has unique and interesting wares. 

Omni King Edward Hotel

The Omni King Edward Hotel is located on an entire block that is bounded by King Street, Victoria Street, Colborne Street and Leader Lane in downtown Toronto, Ontario.  The King Edward was designed by Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb, known for his Richardsonian, Romanesque and Victorian Gothic styles and Toronto architect E.J Lennox, who was responsible for the design of many prominent buildings in Toronto.   The building was commissioned by developer, businessman and politician, George Gooderham for his Toronto Hotel Company.  The hotel cost $6 million to build. When the hotel opened it was billed as the most luxurious hotel in Toronto, equipped with electricity, telephones and all the modern facilities in each room for guests to enjoy.  All guests rooms had private bathrooms and showers and were beautifully carpeted and decorated with rich colours and soft furnishings.  

The hotel was named in honour of King Edward VII and opened in 1903 boasting 400 hundred rooms and 300 baths.  The hotel claimed to be fireproof. In 1922 an18 storey tower was added with 530 additional rooms.  The top two floors of the tower contain the Crystal Ballroom, the most lavish in the city. High above the city with floor to ceiling windows the Crystal Ballroom boasted the best views in the city. When stricter fire codes were introduced in the 1950s in Toronto the Crystal Ballroom didn’t comply and was closed.  As part of the luxurious style of the time four large murals depicting Canadian history, painted by American artist William de Leftwiche Dodge were commissioned for the hotel.  The four murals depicted the French fur traders, First Nations People, exploration of North America by John Cabot and General Wolfe’s victory at the Plains of Abraham.  The fourth of the mural depicting Wolfe and the Plains of Abraham was not to the liking of architect Lennox, and following a court ruling in favour of the artist, Lennox replaced the mural anyway with a work by Canadian artist Frederick Challener.  The mural painted by Challener was titled Trading at Fort Rouille.  Sadly these murals disappeared during the renovations of the hotel in the 1980s.

 The hotel became an exclusive destination for gentlemen to smoke cigars and women who sipped tea in the hotel's elegant sitting rooms.  In  accordance with the strict gender role expectations of the time, the King Edward was sensitive to females travelling alone and had a seperate entrance for such women for the check in process.  This entrance was known as the Ladies Booking Room and served as a place that women could use the telephone, make bookings for events and even receive guests.  A Ladies Parlour on the second floor was a place women could relax and look down at the going on at the hotel.  The Palour was furnished with beautiful soft furnishings and artworks, including an ivory jewel box owned by a French Noble woman during the renaissance in the 16th century, Diane de Poitiers. For men the hotel boasted a mahogany newsstand and cigar store, that was situated in the main lobby.  The Bar and Gentlemen’s Cafe, located on the main floor of the hotel was strictly for men only.  The Grill Room was a place that men could have the finest grilled meats and like the male only Billiard Room was located in the basement of the hotel.  A well equipped and modern barber shop was also located in the hotel for the use of its male patrons.

The artwork in the hotel is worth over $75 million.  When the hotel opened, the art installations in the hotel included, paintings, carvings, metalwork and pottery.  Some of the art work was purchased from the Clemenceau collection of Paris. Clemenceau was a physician, the Prime Minister of France  and reportedly a good friend of Monet.  Some of the artwork was purchased from a church in Bruges, Brussels. Other rare pieces include the terracotta statue of Venus dating back to 300BC and the Japanese Bronze Temple Lantern from the 15th century.  Paintings by John Constable, Jean Baptiste Regnault, Charles-Francois Daubigny, Adolphe-Joseph Thomas Monticelli and Caspar Netscher adorn the walls of the hotel.  

The Omni King Edward was also famous for housing one of the first radio stations in Toronto. CKGW, a Toronto based station, was owned by Gooderham and Worts Ltd, the local distillery that belonged to George Gooderham.  With Radio stations becoming a popular source of promotion, Gooderham and Worts set up offices and studios in the King Edward Hotel.  CKGW began broadcasting from the hotel on March 5th 1928.  Having the lasted equipment the station shared its wavelength and broadcast only six hours every other day.  

The hotel passed through a number of hands in the following years.  In 1933 the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company became the owners of the hotel.  Between 1941 and 1950 the hotel was owned by C.A Ripley and Vernon Cardy. The Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, the Royal ConnaughtHotel in Hamilton, the General Brock in Niagara Falls, the Prince Edward in Windsor and the Alpine Inn in Sainte Adele Quebec were all owned by the Cardy's hotel chain.  In 1950s Sheraton bought the Cardy Hotel chain.  Following several years of decline the King Edward Hotel was bought by Trans Inc in 1979.  They paid 6.3 million dollars for the establishment.  The hotel was closed for a 30 million dollar restoration completed by Stanford Downey Architects Inc. The property reopened in 1981 as part of the Trusthouse Forte Hotels, after Forte had acquired the Meridien Hotels from Air France.  In 1994 the King Edward was renamed Le Meridien King Edward.  

On the hotel's 100th anniversary Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled a commemorative plaque.  The Crystal Ballroom was also renovated with a $6.5 million dollar makeover. In 2005 Starwood Hotels purchased the property.  A huge restoration ensued and Omni Hotel assumed the management in 2013.  The hotel was renamed Omni King Edward Hotel buying it outright in 2015.  

Many notable people have stayed at the hotel including Mark Twain, Rudolph Valentino, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley and Ernest Hemingway, who lived there for a period of time.  The Beatles stayed in the hotel,.  Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor carried on a notorious affair in the hotel.  Leonard Cohen wrote a musical set in the hotel called "I am a Hotel".

The Omni King Edward is a source of many paranormal reports. The service elevator to the Crystal Ballroom behaves erratically, stopping for no reason.  Chandeliers have been known to swing with vigour for no apparent reason.  Guests staying in rooms below the deserted Crystal Ballroom have reportedly heard music and the sounds of celebration and people talking. 

I thought that the Omni King Edward Hotel was a beautiful place to stay.  My suite was huge and opulent with gorgeous views of Toronto.  The breakfast was served in an opulent room that was adorned with magnificent art and tapestries.  The foyer of the hotel is grand and luxurious.  I would definitely recommend this gorgeous hotel.  

La Maison Pierre du Calvet

Located in the heart of Old Montreal at the corner of Rue Saint-Paul and Rue Bonsecours, La Maison Pierre du Calvet was built in 1725.  Pierre du Calvet left Bordeaux, France in 1758.  He intended to travel to New France and become a merchant.  Du Calvet headed to the port in Quebec City aboard the merchant ship, Le Lion.  The ship got into trouble about 100 miles from the port and sunk.  Although du Calvet survived the shipwreck the merchandise he had bought from France to begin his business did not.  

Once he arrived in Quebec City du Calvet was forced to seek employment.  Appointed by the government of New France, du Calvet became a storekeeper in Acadia, territory disputed between France and Britain.    He was responsible for ensuring that supplies were given to thousands of Acadians displaced by the British government in 1755.  He remained there until 1759 when he embarked on a mission transferring British prisoners of war to Halifax.  He traveled between Montreal and Acadia performing missions until 1762 when he settled in Montreal as a trader, establishing an import and export business. 

 In 1764 du Calvet travelled to London and Paris where he was well received and appointed as the Justice of Peace at the new Court of Common Pleas in Montreal.  

On October 3rd 1771, at the age of thirty six, du Calvet married Marie-Louise Jusseaume.  She was twenty years old and the daughter of a friend of du Calvet. The couple settled in the house in Montreal and had a son, Jean-Pierre, who died within a year.   Their second son, Jean Dumas, was born in 1773.  Their third child, Guy, also died within a year of his birth in 1774.  His mother died soon after him.  

Pierre du Calvet went on to become outspoken about the abuses of justice by some of those in positions of power in the colony, making him both friends and enemies.  The first Continental Congress addressed a letter to all inhabitants of the Province in which the form of government given to the people by the Quebec Act, an act of the Parliament of Great Britain, set procedures of governance over the people of Quebec.  Under an air of suspicion accompanying the entry of the Congress army du Calvet was arrested but he was acquitted and freed by a jury becoming part of a committee who greeted the occupying Continental Congress. 

 During the six month occupation du Calvets stores were requisitioned by the army. He later claimed back £56394 from the Congress.  It is said that Benjamin Franklin had meetings in the du Calvet home discussing the revolution against the British. Du Calvet was sued for libel and acquitted but in 1780 he was arrested as a political prisoner and imprisoned without a legal trial from September 27th 1780 to May 2nd 1783.  

Once released from prison du Calvet travelled to London with the intention of putting the governed Haldimand to trial for violating the British Constitution.  While in London and desperately neeeding finances to fund his lawsuit he decided to try and reclaim the money owned to him by the American congress.  He travelled to Philadelphia but was only reimbursed some of the money.  He took a Spanish ship from New York to travel back to Paris.  The ship disappeared and was declared lost at sea. 

La Maison du Calvet was built in the Breton style from local grey limestone and represents an impressive example of the type of architectural development in New France. The stone facade with three foot thick stone walls is reminiscent of a small fortress.  The huge walls have a special s shaped anchor to stop them from bulging and the steep sloped roof was designed to stop snow building up.  The residence has French windows with metal shutters.  

Following Pierre du Calvet the house was inhabited by Jaques Viger, the first Mayor of Montreal.  The founder of the Beaver Club and a wealthy trader, Gabriel Cotte then purchased the house.  Following his death, Cotte's widow, Angelique Blondea sold the house to Pierre Delvecchio.  In the seventies the building was purchased by the Ogilvys and restored to be used as an art gallery.  Eventually the property became the very elite Hostellerie Pierre Du Calvet .  The boutique hotel has nine rooms, a restaurant, a private dining room and a Victorian Greenhouse.  The building is adorned with antique furnishings, family heirlooms and artwork.  

La Maison du Calvet is said to be haunted by Marie-Louise Jusseame, du Calvet's wife.  She has been known to visit guests in their rooms, even flirting and winking at the men.  A male and female ghost have been reported sitting on the edge of guests beds.

I was lucky enough to attend a dinner in the private dining room in the Hostellerie Pierre du Calvet .  The staff informed me that they did believe the building was haunted and infact the exotic birds in the gorgeous Victorian greenhouse react sometimes to unseen things.  This building is so beautiful and has such an interesting history it is well worth a visit.

 

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The Prince of Wales Niagara-On-The-Lake

Located on King Street and Picton in the historical precinct of Niagara-on-the-Lake, The Prince of Wales hotel was built in 1864 by William Long.  Niagara-on-the-Lake, once known as Newark was the first capital of Upper Canada and the bustling shipping town had served as the First Seat of Parliament and headquarters of the British Army during the War of 1812.  The 1864 cornerstone of the hotel, still visible today, shows that the building was constructed three years before the Confederacy, the uniting of the British Colonies of Canada, Novia Scotia had New Brunswick to create one Dominion of Canada.  

William Long called his hotel Long's Hotel and it originally catered to all manner of guests.  Long was a hotelier as well as an auctioneer.  He often used the hotel dinner bell to advertise sales during his auctions. The hotel was completely rebuilt in 1888.  Built in red polychrome bricks the building is designed in the Second French Empire style.  Adhering to this architectural style the Prince of Wales has a unique mansard roof, beveled corners and quoins.  In 1890 Long was involved in an accident involving runaway horses.  His recovery was drawn out and the ensuing stress meant the hotel was eventually sold in 1899 to Patrick J. O'Neil.  The hotel was renamed Niagara House.  

The hotel was marketed by O'Neil as an "Uptown Summer Hotel" that was catering to the well-to-do travellers coming to Niagara-on-the-Lake from the United States and Europe.  Among the guests that came to stay at the hotel were the Prince of Wales King George V, son of Queen Victoria, and his wife Mary.  In honour of the visit the hotel name was later changed to The Prince of Wales.  Following O'Neil's death the hotel was sold to the Brownlee family. The hotel lost popularity during the depression.  In 1975 the Weins family purchased the hotel.  They refurbished the hotel, extending it along Picton and King Street.  John Wein added a South Wing, the Court Building and the Studio.  

In 1997 the Prince of Wales was added to the Vintage Hotel properties owned by Jimmy Lai.  The hotel was closed in 1998 for extensive refurbishments. Lai placed his sister, Ms. Si Wai Lai in charge of the renovations.  She went on to hire design architect Victor Tarnay to assist.  On July 1st 1999 the Prince of Wales reopened.  The renovations captured the essence of the hotel's history.  A large stained glass wall, created by Gundar Robe, decorates the foyer.  Ms. Lai also payed homage to her Chinese heritage acquiring an ivory table, dating back to the K'ang-his dynasty of 1662-1722, engraved with a battle scene, that once belonged to the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi. The Prince of Wales has the largest collection of Victorian style rooms in Canada.  

There are many conflicting accounts of the hauntings in this building.  One account suggests that a wooden house on the land prior to the hotel was the home of a young woman.  During the siege of Niagara-on-the-Lake in the War of 1812, an American soldier was asked to search the supposedly abandoned building.  After searching the first floor and finding it clear the soldier had proceeded upstairs to the second floor.  He saw a figure by the window, rushed towards it and ran his bayonet through what he thought was a British soldier.  He actually murdered Molly McGuire, an innocent woman, who had been looking out at the lake hoping her husband was returning.  The room that sits in the location of the place in which Molly McGuire was murdered is room 207 in the Prince of Wales. Lights have been known to flicker in this room and water faucets turn off and on by themselves.  

Another source confusingly cites the origins of the ghost, whose spectral form has been seen wandering in the foyer, along the halls and in room 207 as actually being a woman from the early 1900s.  The woman supposedly fell in love with a soldier training at Camp Niagara during World War One.  With the soldiers departure date approaching the young couple decided to have the ceremony and honeymoon at the Prince of Wales.  Following the ceremony the soldier was sent to France.  For a year they wrote letters of love and longing before the woman received a cable explaining that her husband had been killed.  The woman refused to believe it was true and locals in Niagara-on-the-Lake got used to seeing the forlorn bride standing at the window of her room in the Prince of Wales looking out at the street.  She became so distraught and convinced her husband had deserted her that she never left the room.  The woman was found deceased in the room clutching a picture of her husband.  In relation to this haunting there have been flickering lights, the sighting of a wispy spectral figure, rapping on doors and an ethereal face staring from the window of room 207 when no one is in the room.  

One of the problems with the paranormal not being taken seriously is the fact that many of the supposed "experts" or "investigators" writing about these reported events do no research and dates are wrong.  Ghosts and hauntings are described with all sorts of errors in the events.  These pieces of information are then shared and a game of Chinese whispers ensues resulting in erroneous details being shared and hence giving skeptics fuel.  

I have been to Niagara-on-the-Lake many times and always stay at the beautiful Prince of Wales.  I enjoy the High Tea served in the Drawing Room and the beautiful suites decorated authentically.  If this lovely hotel is haunted it doesn't ever feel like something bad. I have had a little experience here myself while lounging in one of the beautiful baths in the corner suite.  My radio turned on unassisted.  I just enjoyed the bath and the ethereally chosen music.  

 

The Olde Angel Inn

The Olde Angel Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake was established in 1789. Originally known as the Harmonius Coach House it hosted a variety of patrons, including politicians, military personnel and writers.  Among its more esteemed patrons were Prince Edward ( the father of Queen Victoria), Irish poet, Thomas Moore and even the Scottish explorer Alexander MacKenzie, best known for being the first person to traverse the North American continent from West to East.

At this time Niagara-on-the Lake was known as Newark, and was chosen by Governor Lieutenant John Graves Simcoe as the capital of Upper Canada in 1792. However due to its close proximity to the American border Simcoe changed his mind and York became the capital in 1797. Newark was officially renamed Niagara.  Being a meeting place for many prominent citizens, that had political influence, it is said that the First Act Against Slavery was enacted in 1793 and celebrated at the Coach House. 

In 1815 John Ross rebuilt the Coach House after it was razed by American troops in the war between the British and the Americans of 1812. The Americans conquered the town and burnt many of its buildings. John Ross renamed the Coach House, The Angel Inn, for his wife. In 1826 Richard Howard bought the establishment and it was then purchased by a John Fraser in 1845.  The Angel Inn become known as Frasers Hotel or the Mansion House. After serving as a library, apothecary, a billet for soldiers and a dental office the Ling  family purchased the building, refurbished it and rename it The Olde Angel Inn.

It was as early as the 1820s, when John Ross owned the establishment, that stories of ghostly occurrences began to circulate. The ghost was said to be that of a British soldier called Captain Colin Swayze.  Captain Swayze was apparently given orders to flee the town, with a raid by American soldiers imminent.  It is said that instead of leaving he stood at the intersection of Regent and Market Street till 10 o'clock waiting for his love.  When she didn't arrive the American soldiers were already swarming through the town.  Captain Swayze sought refuge in the Couch House.  He was forced to hide down in the cellar in one of the wine barrels as the American soldiers ransacked the town.  Three soldiers went down into the cellar and started to stab at the wine barrels with their bayonets.  It's said one of the wine barrels started to " bleed".  They had killed Captain Swayze.  Leaving his body in the cellar the soldiers burnt the Coach House to the ground.  

The ghost of Captain Swayze is said to click silverware, clink glassware, and rearrange table settings.  Most of the paranormal phenomena allegedly occurs in the cellar where Captain Swayze was murdered.  Guests of the Olde Angel Inn have reported hearing phantom footsteps, whistling and whispered conversations.  Several guest have sighted Captain Swayze standing in one of the rooms they have hired at the top of the Inn. It is said that the Union Jack must always  fly in The Olde Angel Inn.  Many owners have tried to take the flag down and the paranormal activity has increased. They believe Captain Swayze is angered if the Union Jack is removed. 

I love the Olde Angel Inn and I have been there many times.  It's a cozy place with low beamed ceilings and the feeling of a bygone time.  I do think that the long staircase down to the women's washroom, which is situated next to the cellar, has a strange feel about it.  As you descend towards the cellar there is something electric in the air.   The Olde Angel Inne is a wonderful place to visit. 

Amsterdam Brewhouse and the Sconce

This post is about one of the photographs I have personally taken with an anomaly in it. This photograph was taken in taken in Toronto.

I met up with a Facebook friend to have lunch. Both loving photography, we walked along the Toronto harbour front taking photographs and decided to stop and eat at the Amsterdam Brewhouse. The Amsterdam Brewhouse is situated in Pier 4. 

The Pier 4 building, originally known as Transit Shed #4 was constructed along the East side of John Quay in 1930. Spanning almost 14000 square feet, the building has housed several restaurants including Wally Magoos Marine Bar and the Pier 4 Restaurant that operated for 35 Years. The Amsterdam Brewhouse took over the premises in 2013. 

The day I went the Restuarant was busy at the front in the bar area so we were led to the back of the restaurant to a seat in the corner looking out at the water.  There was no tables behind us.

We ordered food and as I love to share my adventures on social media I was taking pictures all the time, alternating between my camera and my iPhone camera.  I saw the sconce on the wall between where we were seated and loving steampunky stuff  I took a picture of it.  The sconce was no bigger than a dinner plate, the shards roughly 10cm at their widest.   I was sitting side on to the sconce, my friend was facing it.  I turned and took the picture.  The only people anywhere near me when the photograph was taken was my friend, facing the sconce and me side on.  No one was behind us or around us. 

The next day I cropped the picture and placed it in a collage with a photograph of the exterior of the Amsterdam Brewhouse and the yummy meringue I had eaten for dessert and placed it on all my social media but didn't notice the  "face".  I was inundated with private messages asking about the "creepy face" reflected in the sconce.  When I saw it my stomach turned.

The next night I went back to the Amsterdam Brewhouse and I approached the wait staff and showed them the picture on my iPad.  Their response was like mine, creeped out.  Even though there was a private party and it was busy they led me to the table to look at the sconce.  That table was empty despite the crowd.  We all sat with the iPad open at the table and tried to reenact the picture.  Within seconds knowing and seeing it was impossible.

Freaked out I sent the picture to a friend that is a video production person.  He broke the picture into shards on the screen.  He explained that each shard of the sconce was reflecting normally.  The centre of it was concave and the images in it were upside down, also normal.  The one shard that wasn't normal was the one with the face. He  said it seemed like the face was not reflected but was inside the shard looking out.  He could not explain the anomaly. 

Another friend placed the picture on his paranormal show forum.  All that happened was people saying it was photoshopped. I wish it was. Firstly I have no where near the skill to do something like that in Photoshop but most importantly it's on the Raw file on my camera. 

There is all sorts of mythology and belief around the spirit world and mirrors. 

Ancient Chinese myth has a notion of the mirror as an alternative universe.  Some cultures believe that mirrors have the power to capture and trap souls, even going so far as to cover mirrors when a house has illness or death.  Mirrors are also used in divination. catoptromancy and enoptromancy, practices in which mirrors are used to capture the reflection of the moon to foresee the future. 

The picture and the reflection in the mirror sconce remain a mystery.  

Abbotsford

Caressing the south bank of the river Tweed is Abbotsford, the beautiful home of renowned Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. Lovingly referred to as his 'Conundrum Castle' I visited his auspicious home just as spring was starting and the first of the seasons flowers were bravely poking their heads up in search of the sun.

 

As soon as you walk into the walled gardens of the property you feel as though you have slipped back in time. Throughout the gardens are statues and other such follies, all adding to the magical feeling of the place.  What is most impressive is Scott's collections which decorate the house and even the garden in the form of ancient stones.  There are gifts from Lord Byron, Flora MacDonald's purse and even the key for the tower Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in. His collection is eclectic and astonishing.

 

It is said that Sir Walter Scott saw a ghost in his own home.  He was awakened by loud noises and armed with a sword went looking for the source of the disturbance. He couldn't find anything but the noises apparently coincided with the death of the head builder of Abbotsford, while the building was in progress.  The builder, George Bullock died in London before the building was completed and has apparently been seen at Abbotsford a few times since his death. 

I am not sure if it was merely being overwhelmed by standing with in touching distance of such things as Byron's mourning ring or a sword belonging to Rob Roy but I believe I saw something at Abbotsford.

It was a cool day and I was standing looking towards the River Tweed from the room in which it is said Sir Walter Scott died, when I saw the figure of a man, his back to me. He was wearing a black, grand coat with a high collar.  I didn't see his face and the second I was distracted he was gone.  It was a quiet day and all the other tourists that had arrived at opening time when I did where still inside.  The figure had appeared and disappeared.  I have no idea who it was but his clothes seemed incongruent to the time.  I like to think it was one of the many ancient visitors that had come to Abbotsford to spend time with Sir Walter Scott or perhaps Scott himself looking at his beloved river in the shadow of his adored Abbotsford. 

If you are interested in more information there is a wonderful website 

http://www.scottsabbotsford.com/