Rich Landscape

I was listening to the excellent "Folklore Podcast" and the host was talking about ghost stories and said that the "landscape around the uk is rich in" (ghost & folk horror legends & stories).

I'd agree that the landscape of the UK is rich in those stories.  I supposed that that the lascape was rich in these stories, at least in part, because of how long it has people living in it.

While thinking about that I realized that great antiquity isn't what's needed for ghsot stories to inhabit a landscape.
What's needed is youth. All it takes to have a ghost story set in a specific landscape is to have kids that know there where people here before them. Even if those people are only one generation removed from them, they can still see it as a very long time ago.  Remember what you 8, eight years is a lifetime.

The though that someone died or was buried near by is all that's needed for a ghost story. So, for a landscape to be rich with stories requries only one thing. People that tell stories.

That's my story for today.

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How I Halloween | #3 - LibravoxGhost Story Collections

Ghost Story Collections

There's nothing like a creepy story on a cool autumn evening. Personally I like to listen while walking. Preferably around dusk and with one ear bud out, so I can also hear the rustle of the leaves as the red and orange drain from the sky and I'm enveloped in . . . I'd like to say darkness, but usually it's the glow of streetlights. At least there's darkness and shadows between the houses and sometime even between the streetlights. It's not that the darkness itself is scary, or that something might jump out of the darkness, the thing about the darkness is that you see less & listen more. The story becomes more absorbing if your not looking at a hundred things all the time. Once you've begun concentrating on the story and are paying less attention to your surroundings, that's when the shadows can start to become just a little bit ominous, adding to the story in a whole new way.
 

For the 3rd post you have a selection of downloads from librivox.org.  As mentioned in the 1st post librivox is a project that provides reading of public domain materials for free. The books are read by volunteers and sometimes several volunteers will contribute part to one book. Due to the variety of readers there can be variety in the finished product. This can range from volume to pronunciation and rhythm. They are all 'up to the task' as they say, but some really do a great job.

One of the things I like is how they create "Collections". Like the 'coffee break collections' that are shorter snippets of stories & poems that (I suppose) are supposed to be long enough (or short enough)  for your coffee break. Another example is the series of ghost story collections we will be looking at today.

Everyone's taste is different but I've made a few suggestions for each collection. I wouldn't say these are the 'best' or even all of my favourites. The suggestions are a product of my strange taste with an allowance for variety. There are tragedies and comedies. There are tales that are creepy and sinister as well ones that are amusing. There's  a tale or two of insanity and a morality play. There is even a few straight forward ghost stories.

The suggestions are there for you to take or leave as you wish. 

There is a link to each of the collections.  You can download a zip with the whole collection or skim through the titles and download the individual stories that catch your eye.


1) Ghost Story Collection 001
Suggestions: Man Size in Marble - The Empty House - Uncle Abrahams Romance

2) Ghost Story Collection 002
Suggestions: The Ebony Frame - A Psychical Prank - The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall

3) Ghost Story Collection 003
Suggestions: An Astral Onion - The Chromatic Ghosts of Thomas -  The withered Arm

4) Ghost Story Collection 004
Suggestions: The 9:30 Up train - Green Tea - The Haunted Orchard - The Signalman

5) Ghost Story Collection 005
Suggestions: The Yellow Wallpaper - The Ring of Thoth - The Phantom Coach

6) Ghost Story Collection 006
Suggestions: Children of the Moon - The Man who was not on the Passenger List - Rattle of Bones

How I Halloween | #2 - Podcasts

Podcasts

For the 2nd Post in the series "How I Halloween"  I'm covering podcasts. To be fair, only one of them is specifically a Halloween podcast.  Therefore I have split them into 2 groups. The first is more closely connected to Halloween, Mostly in a ghostly sort of way. The second batch of shows can & do have episodes on ghosts, supernatural creatures and other things closely connected to the holiday. But, they also have lots that are general mysteries and Fortean Topics.

My suggestion, follow the links and try out some free episodes. Then go back and get more episodes of  the shows you like the most.

Closely Related to Halloween & Ghosts

1. The Campfire - As described in the 1st post people call in and tell their stories. From Ghosts, and UFO's to Strange creatures and "head scratcher" there all kinds of campfire stories.
2. Halloween Haunt - A short cast made for only one month a year. It covers various Halloween topics from Vampires to candy statistics.
3. Anythng Ghost - Another show where people tell their stories. This time only ghost stories & some are sent in writing and read by the host.
4. The Folklore Podcast - A more scholarly show with each show being a look at a single topic in folklore.

General Paranormal & Mystery

1. The Paranormal Podcast
2. Created by the same person as the campfire, it is more of an interview show with guests that are mostly writer about paranormal and unusual topics.
3. Blurry Photos - A show that cover legends and  mysterious stories with a mandatory debunking at the end.
4. Expanded Perspectives - This show also covers legends and the unexplained but, is more open to the idea that something strange could be going on. 
5. Gralien Report - Mysteries & Conspiracies from an under ground bunker deep in the heart of Appalachia.
6. Mysterious Universe - Many podcasts have subscriber version where, for a fee, you can access additional or extended shows and other material. MU is the only one I pay for, I say this to demonstrate how much I enjoy their show. They cover a large variety of topics. They can be funny, sarcastic and  informative all in the span of 10 seconds. I can keep trying to explain it but, the best thing is to listen to an episode and see for yourself.

Bonus: CBC Radio Archives  (not really a podcast but too good to leave out) 

CBC Archives have lots of neat stuff from radio & TV, & not just for Halloween but for just about anything you might want to search for.

PoTd - October 29

Pic-of-The-day

Pic-of-The-day - "Ghosts of Halloween Past" part 1.

Halloween in the 80's.

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Halloween Pic - October 8th

Today's Halloween Pic is "Orange Ghost".

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Halloween Ghost Tours - Anyone interested?

I Called the Fort to see what is available for Halloween Ghost Tours.

Oct 31st    10:30 SOLD OUT

                 10:15 16 Tickets left

                 10:00 16 Tickets left

Didn't ask about earlier ones.

November 1st    7:30  Completely Open - Last Tour of the night/season
                        7:15  Completely Open

                        7:00  SOLD OUT

There are other days, but I kept it to Halloween & the Day after.

I'd be leaning towards the 10:15 on Oct.31st  as a first choice,  then 7:30 Nov. 1st as a 2nd choice.

If your interested let me know ASAP!

These numbers could be out of date by tomorrow.

***Also: Taps pumpkin Ale is scheduled  to come out some time this week!

Ghost Tours Start this Sunday

Right now there's a group of  dedicated volunteers dusting off their black capes & "oldy tyme'y " lanterns, but most importantly their practicing stories designed to give believers the creeps and make skeptics look over their shoulder 'just in case'.  It's ghost tour season again.

'Ghost tours of Niagara' begin their season of Fort Erie Ghost tours this Sunday May 3rd. Tours will run Sundays at 8:30 through May and June with more days and times during the summer. (Full Schedule Here)

The season wraps up (some might say culminates) with the Halloween Tours in October. If you want to be in 'the most haunted location in the most haunted town in Canada on the mist haunted night of the year' (as it is billed by some of the tour guides) get your tickets early. They go on sale July 2nd and can sell out before Labour Day.

I 'm hoping to make  it out a few times this summer (if that pesky job doesn't get in the way) to hear stories of 1812 soldiers, little girls from the era of the fienian raids & unseen forces that like to torment lone ghost ghost guides & skeptical Quebec exchange students (among others).

If some of us do make it out to the ghost tours this sumemr it might be fun to post something here about our night, and maybe some of the the retired tales from the early days of the ghost tours. 


BTW: there are two books filled with stories from the ghost tours. They are written by ghost tour founder, lover of history & science Kyle Upton. If you ever get the chance to pick one up  DO IT. There a good read and currently out of print.