Page 217 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

I put it on my back and took it home. Even now I just do not know how I carried a 32 lb full
gas cylinder across those fields, then cycled the remaining mile and a half or so with it still
on my back!
I never used it though, it sat in the corner of my shed as a sort of trophy!

2013
It is 2013 and we have had a banger going in a neighbouring field here in France for a
couple of weeks and only during the day. An inoffensive sort of bang and no problem, then
today it seemed to get worse, banging more often and louder. Tonight it kept going so at
11pm I decided enough was enough and went to turn it off.

One learns from experience, to note where these things are during daylight hours once
you begin to hear them, then if you need to take action, nuff said.
I found the original one and it had stopped but there was a second one, louder and going
about every 10 minutes. I crossed one field on foot and realised how daft this was leaving
a perfectly good mountain bike on the roadside. I had to go down a green lane, back again
when found my way barred by another dyke and go about a mile towards the town and
across another field.
There it was, all new and shiny with a complicated clock arrangement attached to the gas
pipe. Hum I thought, this one is very different and quite capable of keeping good time, plus
the reserve of gas in its system could keep it going for maybe a half hour even when the
gas cylinder has been closed.
All the pipes were quite new and clamped with tough hose clips so I had no choice. I had
to put a small knife cut in the pipe just before the cannon section. I did turn the gas off first
though.
I hope he gets the message!

THE FINAL STORY
Ever since I was very young I have been affected by spirits, just for the sake of this story I
must mention, not the liquid type you understand.
While living at the old London Road House in Boston in the 1960's I was frequently
plagued by “things” visiting me at night. There was one bedroom right at the top and rear
of the three story house that I would never sleep in. This room was constantly used by
lodgers who never mentioned any problems. My bedroom was on the same level but at the
front of the house.

Ivy House was haunted. I felt something unpleasant from time to time and was very
uneasy going down to the cellars and in the old maltings building at night.
The cellars were accessed from the studio room at the far north of the house and next to
the side entrance of the house.
There was also a second access from below the main staircase in the beautiful main
entrance hall. We always kept that blocked off and my excuse was to prevent draughts!
Just now and again I also felt uneasy on the upstairs landing and in what we used as the
spare bedroom. This room was where the portrait of Sir Peter Lely was kept during the
time the Lely family lived at Ivy House. Even Ruth was loath to use this room.

Just to leave this story for a few moments I give an example on the different way that

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