I find it hilarious that there are people who call me a debunker (I am NOT I am a sceptic who has an open mind and follows the evidence) and yet have only seen blog posts -and obviously misunderstood some of those! They have very obviously never read any of my books either.
Firstly, although I do not like the term "cryptozoology"; on the small side of things while a youngster living with my grandparents in a house with big park behind it, I saw an approx. 6 ins (15cms) long what I assume was a caterpillar. This was noticeable as it was climbing up the coal shed wall near the window and was a light fawn-ish colour with long hair. It was like an old "window mop" and to this day -some 50 years on- I have been unable to find anything that matches.
While at secondary school where science was my big subject I was one of two boys (the other lost interest) the science tutor asked to help as he analysed a rather mysterious substance found spotted over teachers cars. After a long investigation (of two weeks) we not only identified the substance but found the culprits: the substance was bee waste and the rural science teacher maintained bee hives. Nice warm car in a sunny spot.
In Germany, along with four others I observed something with black, slightly shiny fur jump up from the edge of the forest into the conifers and heard it as it made its way through trees. A primate in 1970s Germany? Oddly, my grandfather noted that he had seen a "sturm geist" (sorm ghost) some time before sat on a tree stump near the same spot and told me that it had jumped up a fair distance into the trees and made off.
One hot night I looked out of the window in the farmhouse where I was staying in Dalborn, Germany, and jst below the window was what I could only describe as a black fox with white face markings. I was a big joke after asking around about this. I even had a daylight sighting. Back home I found out I had seen a raccoon dog -the first reported in that part of Germany.
I have had to look into a number of "mystery creature" sightings that were all explained but I've spent decades studying sea creature reports which most debunkers do not!
UFOs I have seen on five occasions. NOT "UFO" as in "alien spacecraft" but a natural phenomenon(na). All have been at fairly close quarters barring a distance sighting in Germany (where I was 'on holiday' having dealt with a local flap back home!). These sightings helped me realise how confused UFO reports could be and, before anyone asks, yes I can account for every minute as I either looked at my watch or had a clock in sight. So I do not dismiss all "UFO" sightings and since looking into some almost resulted in my death and probably left me physically affected after going into too many landing areas I did a lot of checking up.
Before I was born both my mother and father, again in Dalborn, observed a large bright object moving slowly around the area/forestry. That would be around 1957. There are other incidents. My current neighbours both saw two fast moving bright points of light with me. During the day time in clear skies and both objects stopped before one retraced its path and the other continued on the original heading.
The paranormal. Right, I have seen poltergeist events in a house the family were living in. Others also saw strange things. On one occasion while I was sleeping in the dark downstairs I told my brother's friend who was visiting that he could put the light on if he wanted as I was not sleeping. After 10 minutes I got concerned that he had not returned so went to the bathroom door to find it open and the light off. NO ONE had come downstairs until after daylight.
There was "the monk" as we jokingly called it. What seemed to be a schoolboy sized figure in rust coloured 'duffle coat' that was seen passing the front gate but however fast I rushed out -it was nowhere. One day my mother and sister were in the kitchen when they caught a dark figure go by outside and assumed that it was my other sister. No one came in.
On one occasion I saw in the living room with my younger brother and sister and there was some paranormal rubbish on TV. I said, jokingly out loud, "If there is just a thing as Satan burst the red balloon" and as I finished saying "balloon" the red balloon popped. Now, this was before Christmas so we had trimmings up and balloon, however, there was only ONE red balloon. Work out those odds of it being the one to pop.
At our old St Werburgh's hose (in Bristol) was a back room that my mother refused to sleep or go into unless with someone and she never said why. My brother and I got the room and it did have a odd feel to it. One day I was sat downstairs (room below the bedroom) with my parents and grandparents. My brother was upstairs reading. Suddenly there was a loud bang and I was told top stay where I was. My brother was found stunned on the bed and he told me later that he had been picked up and thrown against the ceiling/wall. We were told that was nonsense but were moved to another room.
Points; I do not believe in ghosts. Satan was a later addition to the Bible so....
On a visit to another sister in Bath I needed to use the bathroom. This involved going down a long flight of stairs. I was about two steps from the bottom step when I got hit by an overpowering feeling of dread and fear. I had to physically stop myself from turning and running back up the stairs -it was that overpowering but I did start back up the stairs quickly but keeping my eyes on what "might" be behind me. Back in the living room my sister's partner said "Didn't get all the way down then?" It turned out that he, an ex-soldier and tough guy, had the same experience and my sister dreaded going down the stairs and would wait until he got home before bathroom visits. There was a story that a woman had died in the bathroom but that was it. What I felt was totally irrational and I have never run from even physical threats before. Unfortunately, my sister moved before I could investigate properly -electro magnetic effect?
I have theories and I've spent decades looking into those so, if you start thinking "debunker" or telling people that's what I am...you are going to look silly.
