GLYNIS ALLEN - GHOSTS OF THE NHS and other spirits i have known.

I was born in the snowstorm of 1947! My Grandma Mac delivered me she was known as the local Wise Woman and everyone came to see her for advice. She held me in her arms and said to my mother, You have a gifted child here, Mary, and she will bring happiness to many people.

Her reason for saying that was because I was born with the caul over my face and the old wives tale is that such a child is a Caulbearer, one who will have second sight. The caul is a piece of membrane that covers the new-borns head but only very rarely, about one in eighty thousand births. Some people refer to it as being born behind the veil and Caulbearer children are often regarded as strange by other people because we have unusual perception, perhaps a sense of knowing something before it happens. That was certainly me as a child. I would also see colours around people, quite unaware then that these are called auras.

My first encounter with Spirit was when my Grandad died. We were a Catholic family and it was the custom to keep the deceased in the house until their burial. He was laid in his coffin in a bedroom with the curtains closed and candles burning at the side of the room. For an eleven year old child, it was rather scary. I sat sewing downstairs with my Grandma when she turned to me and said, You need to see your Grandad.

As I walked into the bedroom there was a mist floating above Grandad in his coffin and I could see a silver cord reaching up towards the ceiling. Grandma said, Kiss Grandad goodbye. As I bent down to kiss him I heard his voice clearly saying in my mind, Look after your Mam.

I turned to Grandma and told her what Id seen and heard. Straight away I could feel she was going to tell me something important because she was a very straight talker and she had her serious face on.

I never told you this before, she said, but you have an amazing gift you can talk with spirits. I can also connect with Spirit but Grandad forbade me to do so because of our Catholic faith. You must use your gift wisely, although I must also warn you not to tell people you can see these things. You might be taken away and locked up because folk say youre mad.

I asked her why was there a silver cord hanging down below the ceiling and she told me that we all have a cord attached to us from the Heavens, and this breaks when we die. Not everyone can see this, she said, and it proves to me that you are one of Gods helpers.

Feeling a little bolder, I asked her why people brought their cups with tea leaves in them to her, and then sometimes cry. How did you know about that? she said. I told her that Id seen her and Peggie through the window looking into Peggies cup; Grandma was shaking her head and Peggie was crying.

You dont miss much, you sharp beggar, she said. Lets just forget about it for a while. As Grandma was talking to me, her aura changed from green/blue to a wonderful purple edged with yellow. I loved her so much.

For a while I found myself thinking back to what Grandad had said, Look after your Mam. She didnt look ill, she wasnt complaining about anything and she was still going out with her friends. But a few days later my father left her for another woman. Mam took it very badly, she wouldnt get out of bed or wash and she lost weight. The doctor wanted her to go into a psychiatric hospital to recover from the breakdown but she refused. My daughter and Mam will look after me.

I then realised why Grandad had said what he did he must have known that father was leaving us. Mam was devastated but I wasnt, in fact I was glad he had gone because he was an alcoholic and physically abusive to me and Mam when he had the drink inside him. He was a womaniser, too, and a thief: he would take money out of Mams purse and he even sold a watch I had for Christmas, said Id lost it and gave me a good hiding. Then a girl at school was showing everyone her new watch it was mine, he had sold it for a couple of pints of beer. He also sold the free coal we had so we were left cold with no fire.