I have always believed in the paranormal, it was always a favourite topic of discussion amongst my parents and some of their friends, and I loved listening to their scary stories.

When I was 22, I had my own paranormal experience. Much more than I ever cared to have, might I add.

It was 1992 and my then fiancé at the time and our son, moved into a beautiful big brick home in Prospect, it seemed ideal! The rent was very cheap considering how nice the house was, and it wasn't very far from my family either.

Not long after moving into the house though, we began hearing some funny sounds throughout the house after we had gone to bed.

It sounds weird, but there was an odd popping sound which I swear sounded like someone had sat on my closed toilet seat and then got up, and the toilet seat popping back into shape!

Footsteps were also heard, constantly up and down the hallway. My son who was only a tot at the time, would wake up screaming every night at precisely midnight, until I put him into my bedroom with me. I would hear my sons toy train, which had it a little bell on it, ring, I would go to see if my son was awake only to find him snoring soundly.

My fiancé didn't believe in ghosts, and always managed to try and find a logical reason for the sounds we were hearing at first. But after one incident late one night when we had gone to bed, all was quiet when suddenly there was the loudest crash, We both jumped out of bed and raced towards where we'd heard the sound, expecting a burglar only to find absolutely nothing, nothing had fallen, nothing was unlocked and we were alone.

After that he decided he had been a bit hasty on his no such thing as ghosts theory.

I also have witnesses, so I know I'm not entirely crazy here!

I had my entire family over for Christmas dinner. (12 people) when my windows began vibrating with such a force, (it is impossible to replicate it!) then as my Mum walked out of the lounge room to go to the bathroom, the lounger door slowly swung shut behind her. My mum returned to find 11 people sitting there with their mouths wide open!

I would hear rustling in my kitchen, like someone was going through my empty shopping bags! Things also moved about, I would return from shopping to find my coffee mugs had been taken off the mug tree and placed onto my kitchen windowsill.

And I often caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye, a blonde child's head peeking around my lounge room doorway, but whenever I looked directly it vanished.

I feel I possibly had 2 spirits in this house, one was a man, and although I hadn't seen him myself, friends who had been visiting had, and had asked "oh is your other half home?"

"No" I'd reply, and they'd always say, "Oh, well I just saw a man walk into your bedroom!"

The first year I lived there I was so scared, I found the only way I could get to sleep without strange noises was to set up a tape recorder in the hall way, It was funny because whenever I did that, all would be quiet.

I really had wanted to move, but it seemed everything was against me moving, so I persisted and stayed. I learned to live with my visitors, when they scared my guests I'd tell them to go away and stop it, and they usually did, but they always came back. There were so many occurrences in that house that I'd be here all day telling you about them all!

I stayed in that house for almost 3 years in the end, and I can't say I was sad to leave my friends behind, but I often wonder if they're still there!

UPDATE 04/12/02