I’ve always tried to keep a reasonably level head about hauntings and other psychic phenomena. It’s not a simple ‘do you believe in ghosts?’ question, although that’s one way of starting the debate. It’s ‘Do you believe in this particular account of a haunting?’ because at this stage in our knowledge I think every episode should be considered individually. It’s a lot more work of course, but it does prevent believers and unbelievers splitting into two opposite camps and spitting fire at each other. At least, it does most of the time.

So yes, I believe in some ghosts. I believe there are very odd things happening in my house and garden. I lived in an unpleasantly haunted house when I was a child. But that’s not to say that every footstep outside my door, every weird happening has a paranormal explanation. If I thought that I’d probably be in a straightjacket by now.

So when something ‘odd’ happens I get out my notebook and jot down as much info as I can. I look at possible explanations. I try and reproduce the sound, smell, visual effect for myself. For example, one very convincing ghost photo I took a few years ago was later explained by the fact that someone had lit a joss stick nearby and the smoke blew across to the end of the kitchen where I was photographing.

But that doesn’t explain the time one of my daughters opened her mouth and a load of white – well what? It wasn’t smoke (she doesn’t smoke, never has); it wasn’t steam or her breath (it was summer when it happened); and it certainly wasn’t talcum powder. Once it came out of her mouth it moved sideways, hovered about a bit and then disappeared as quickly as it had come, i.e. it didn’t disperse. Some might say it was ectoplasm, but for the moment I’m keeping an open mind. We had other, similar occurrences around the same time. Maybe something or someone was trying to materialise. Maybe there is some other, good reason for it.