Ghosts

Something white at the window 


 I was sat in the office writing notes when a large morphing white figure slowly pressed itself to the frosted window immediately to my right. 
It was almost dark outside and there was a bang of something hard on the glass
I shat myself 
And let out an unmanly squeak 
I am the only person working at this part of the hospice.
Another white figure appeared .
Looking out of the dark

I opened the window very carefully.
Ten Kashmir goats, were happily grazing on the hospice gardens as gales started to lash the Orme

48 comments:

  1. Holidayed for years in LLandudno as a child - never saw a goat. Are they a recnet addition to town. Last went on 1993 with my new husband neither of us recall goats.



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    1. They have lived on the orme for over 150 years , but have come into town more since lockdown

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    2. They first arrived in the late nineteenth century. I suspect these are offspring from several generations of breeding 😂

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    3. Yes mave a gift to queen Victoria

      The headland is also home to about 200 Kashmir goats. The herd, which has roamed the Orme since the middle of the 19th century, is descended from a pair of goats that were presented by the Shah of Persia to Queen Victoria shortly after her coronation in 1837.[11] Numbers are controlled by compulsory sterilization; the action was taken because competition for resources was forcing goats off the Orme into gardens and property.[12] The Royal Welsh, a large regiment in the British Army, is permitted by the British Monarch to choose an animal from the herd to be a regimental goat (if it passes selection, it is given the honorary rank of lance corporal).[13][14] Due to Covid 19 in Wales, many goats have been entering the town because of the lack of people; at the same time, the goat population on the Orme has grown rapidly because park wardens have been unable to administer sterilisation injections due to pandemic restrictions.[15]

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    4. You both are fountains of knowledge like the lovely Stephen Fry and Sandi Totsvig xx

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  2. Great creepy spooky suspense writing. And a funny ending.

    lizzy x

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  3. ROFLMAO! You were brave to open the window, look out. I'd have run screaming other direction.

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  4. Scary and amusing! Not sure I'd have been brave enough to open the window. Those goats are getting too used to having the town to themselves! xx

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    1. We at the hospice will never complain about them , they saved us last year x

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  5. I have been to LLandudno too and saw no goats. Indeed I barely saw any people either as we briefly left the car, gazed at the sea for a while, then moved on, wondering if the population had been warned to avoid us. It was mid-summer maybe ten years ago. We were puzzled.

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    1. Some 200 of them have lived on the orme , their numbers were reduced by contraception but because of covid their numbers have increased a little

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    2. Would it be pronounced differently if it only used one L?

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    3. Yes. When I was taught the Welsh alphabet, a double L is regarded as one letter, in the same way as a double d - so we learnt a,b,c,d,dd,e,f,ff,.....

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    4. Double ll in welsh sounds like someone clearing their throat

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  6. I haven't been to Llandudno for about 60 years.

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    1. It hasn’t changed much

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    2. Anonymous8:33 pm

      Were you not married in llandudno ??

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  7. There's only so much butchness you can muster in one week x

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  8. I went to Llandudno 40 years ago with a dysfunctional man whose boss was marrying a local lady who lived there.We stayed in a hotel with green carpet.The brides cottage had carved wooden spoons by the fireside-and the groom was eccentric and had several suits of armour x

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    1. Carved wooden spoons are welsh lovecspoons common here

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  9. Barbara Anne8:34 pm

    How creepy! I, too, wouldn't have dared open the window. You're a braver soul than I am, Gunga Din!
    I wonder if goats have ghosts because there is still the question of what caused the white shape?

    Hugs!

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  10. naughty goats, scaring you like that!

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  11. Thanks forinfo I will look out for them if we get to come again.

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  12. Ghostly goats...I bet they can clear a garden overnight, too...

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  13. I wonder what kind of noise I would have made. What a relief.

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  14. I hope you keep a change of clothes handy, and something to calm your nerves, I want to come see the goats.

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  15. Yes I read they were down off the Orme again and roaming the streets

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  16. We saw your famous goats on the news here in NZ.

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  17. Looks like a white orb.

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  18. Looks like the reflection of a white goat in that window ... nothing to really be afraid of even if it were a ghost ... which it was not! Ghost - goat! Hmmmm!

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  19. "I shat myself
    And let out an unmanly squeak "

    HaHaHa!

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  20. Anonymous2:11 am

    I would have had a shout too!

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  21. You are braver than me to open that window! Are you sure it wasn't a ghost goat? You know there can be animal ghosts!

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  22. I reckon it it was an astral Spector, followed by a warrior goat to save you! You’re a Legend opening that window!

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  23. Thank you for making me laugh this morning

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  24. I love the way the goats have taken over the town.

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  25. We had a fat pigeon fly into our patio window, both our sleeping cats flew out the catflap and both hubby and I had the same reaction as you above.

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  26. Bloody goats! Would have scared the shit out of me too.

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  27. Has your heart settled down yet?

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  28. John, you are the best story teller. I'm sorry but I laughed so much. Having had two goats for my two sons, as well as cats, dogs, fish, canaries,...goats are so sweet and playful...and curious. Yours were simply saying "hello." I love it every year when you mention them coming into the village, etc. You are such a blessed fella. Hugs from the base of the mini-mountain in Maine.

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  29. This is definitely one of the better ghost stories I've read. :)

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  30. Enough to stop your heart or start it if you're dead.

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  31. Speaking of ghosts, John, have there been any more sightings inside the hospice building?

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