After the preliminaries - Robin's introductory talk and the slide show - Alfred Perry (who had come for the day from Virginia) and I inspected the cellar thoroughly. Then the remainder of the group came in and all took their assigned seats.

The build-up of the necessary energy took some time, during which we were entertained by the caustic wit and light-hearted charm of 'Emily Bradshaw' from the other side. Then, clearly audible, the overture: the jangling of the cowbells on the luminous string over the table.

At the same time I felt several 'swishings' of cold air across my forehead, accompanied by a cold draught. After this 'ringing in' there were diverse, discreet drumming noises while the first unseen protagonist entered the scene: I felt the probing fingers of what I took to be the hand of a little girl of about three or four years old shyly exploring my right knee and thigh. 'She' then moved on to Ellinor on my right, as if to convince her that I had not fantasised, and then on to Alfred, whose wristwatch came in for special attention.

Next on the programme were the fireworks performed, first by one, then by several, orange-yellow points no larger than fireflies. What struck me was the great variety and ever increasing inventiveness of the displays. There was a flywheel gyrating at great speed on several changing planes, a circle as well as a semi-circle held in place against all natural laws. And the climax: a number of spirals, none quite like the other, all ending in a flame-like upward reach and dissolution at the ceiling. The thought came to my mind that these 'intelligent' formations might hold the key to the still unsolved mystery of the crop formations (crop circles).

The last part of the sitting was devoted to a conversation between the two realms. 'Emily Bradshaw' asked for several delegates by name (or their home towns) in order to pass on messages or to give encouragement in difficult private situations.

'Edwin' tried to answer Alfred Perry's very specific question about new energies that might become available to man after the exhaustion of fossil fuels to be expected in about twenty years' time. A team of scientists on the other side was consulted by 'Edwin', who then referred to the amplification of low voltage electricity as one of several yet to be discovered sources of power.

Robin Foy had placed an empty tape recorder on the north side of the table, from which cracking noises came throughout the sitting until it was audibly shoved from its original position. When the lights finally came on again after the two-hour session (to most of us it seemed it had lasted no longer than about thirty to forty minutes) we were all in for a last surprise. The tape recorder was now seen at the other (south) side of the table, with the four batteries piled up neatly and in appropriate order some distance from it.

Ellinor and I were not alone in feeling the strong uplifting energy that supported the entire sitting and stayed with us for hours after this remarkable event came to a close.