I have to say I find this sort of stuff fascinating, and I can't possibly say I don't believe in any of it, as I have had far more inexplicably strange incidents in my life than is credible really!
But we Irish are renowned for having the second sight and are extremely superstitious despite any strong footholds in the Catholic church, who frown very much on this sort of belief! But they expect you to believe that Jesus was killed, rose from the dead and that his mother never had intercourse with a man but she carried him in her womb and gave birth to him. double standards or what!
Anyway I digress - here is one of mine. Many years ago when OH and had only been married about three weeks we lived in a lovely old cottage in a very remote area in the middle of one of the 'shires'. We had actually spent every weekend in the cottage for a good few months before our marriage, and my Dad often came out for the weekend as he loved the solitude and our dogs and horses, and always said it reminded him of Ireland, the land of his and our birth and that he missed very much.
On this particular morning my OH had left early for work as usual, about 40 miles away, he worked with my father and had got in the habit of picking him up for work on the way through. Just ten minutes before I left to walk into the village to catch the bus into work my OH telephoned me, to say he had been given an unexpected day off work and not to get the bus, he would be back within the next twenty minutes or so to give me a lift to work.
I was slightly puzzled as this had never happened before (the unexpected day off) but initially delighted as it was a horribly long journey into town on the bus, with many detours etc. etc. so I made a fresh pot of tea and sat in the kitchen to wait for him., hoping he wouldn't make me late for work. As I sat there I noticed through the doorway one of our labs whimpering in the hallway, with hackles slightly raised and staring up the stairs. The other two were in the kitchen with me, but as I got up to go and see what she was mithering about, quite worried she might be ill, they followed me and also started to walk about in the hallway restlessly and obviously not happy at all.
Whilst this was happening I became more and more aware of a definite aroma of Condor Twist tobacco - the closer I got to the bottom of the stairs the stronger it became. I can't really think what made me do it, but I felt I had to go up the stairs and follow the familiar smell of the pipe tobacco, as I had subconsciously guessed it led directly to the spare bedroom. I opened the door and noticed that just one of my dogs had slunk up the stairs with me, plastered to my leg and still with hackles raised, although now silent.
Everything was as it should be in the room, but the smell of the condor pipe tobacco overwhelmed me. I sat on the bed, of course the bed my father always used when he stayed with me and I wept and wept. I knew without any doubt whatsoever that my Dad was dead, and that was why my OH had telephoned to ask me to wait there for him and not go into work on the bus.
I was vaguely aware of my lab nuzzling my hand and whimpering again. I left the room and went downstairs and sat on the chair in the corner of the hallway, all three dogs were now settled, and just sat quietly by my side. Within about 20 minutes my OH arrived back, walked through the door and I just said 'He's gone hasn't he?' He just nodded and walked over and took me in his arms.
My father had never had a days illness in all the days I can remenber, he died suddenly and without any warning. Much later when I told my mother about this she just smiled, and said 'He would have come to tell you, it was the happiest he had ever felt at your cottage, since we left Ireland all those years ago.'
I never again smelt his pipe tobacco in the cottage. But very rarely, over the many intervening years, I get a slight sense of that almost vanilla smell of his chosen tobacco, it just gently wafts pass me for a nano second, and tis always when I am struggling and life is difficult. I like to feel he is still there at my side, just occasionally at some of the more difficult times in my life.
