oculus mundi (ghost stories)

sleeping in henry james's house (lamb house in rye) john bayley (husband of iris murdoch) wakes up in the middle of the night.

'it must have been between three or four when I woke abruptly... . I  felt full of an overwhelming depression, as if the day to come was to offer nothing but utter emptiness and loneliness, boredom, the knowledge of all that lacking in life, all the (sic.) had been missed.

it was so overwhelming that I could not stay in bed. I got up and went over to the window. I drew aside a corner of the thick curtain and peeped out. there in the still grey light of dawn, was the view unchanged, that james must have seen every morning on rising. an almost too perfect english vista of cobbled street, comfortable huddled old houses, the little church beyond. wasn't it called watchbell street, an almost too perfect english name.'  

after henry james death the horror writer e.f. benson was to live in the house.  bayley goes on to discuss henry james's the turn of the screw, an unnamed walter de la mare story, thomas hardy, and of course m.r. james's whistle and I'll come to you my lad. (one wonders if bayley's story is the basis for the BBC remake of whistle and I'll come to you). 

bayley thinks that this was the only paranormal experience he ever had. it is from his book iris and the friends - an account of living with iris murdoch after she developed alzheimers. she is no longer there (except in physical form), he is left to his memories. horsemouth finds this the first episode in the book he has enjoyed. 

rye was one of the cinqports but it became landlocked. (horsemouth used to have a book on them but he returned it to the commonweal).

mike (in far off texas) has posted him over a recording of the grateful dead playing eyes of the world. in texas it is filthy hot at the moment (well it is an el nino year). 

yesterday a quiet day (that was the plan but the fishman and the podiatrist came). this morning his mum is just off to unleash the chickens. horsemouth should get off to water the plants before the day heats up.