File this under in the “If true, it’s very important” category:

Col. Halt, famed in ufology for his taped commentary of strange sightings outside a nuclear weapon-packed US Air force base in 1980, has apparently stated in an interview cited in UFOWeek.com:

“I wish to make it perfectly clear that the UFOs I saw were structured machines moving under intelligent control and operating beyond the realm of anything I have ever seen before or since. I believe the objects that I saw at close quarter were extraterrestrial in origin and that the security services of both the United States and England [sic] were and have been complicit in trying to subvert the significance of what occurred at Rendlesham by use of well practiced methods of disinformation.”

The significance of this remark, if confirmed that he did indeed make it,  is that he scores very highly on the credibility scale as the former deputy base commander outside which strange phenomena were observed over Christmas 1980. Much has been written and much pored over in the pursuit of the facts in this case, considered by some to be second only to Roswell in importance. This statement is completely at odds with those researchers who claim that what was seen by several people over three nights was simply a misidentified lighthouse.

If it isn’t already, this should be one of ufology’s stop-the-press moments and if the mainstream media would get out of snigger mode it would be breaking news.

The All News Web site is predicting disclosure of alien contact by a European country next week. The site’s author is also claiming that “first contact” with an alien civilisation will happen within weeks and that this is potentially connected with the loss of Flight 447.

Paranormal Spy is claiming that France is “poised to disclose presence of Extra Terrestrials on Earth”. They are getting this report from MINA, the Macedonian News Agency, which states “France is set to concede that it is aware of an alien presence on earth by no later than Friday.”

The trail goes cold there.

None of these sites are familiar to me and none cite sources for the information so until it is picked up by one of the major news providers like the BBC or CNN, this stuff is clearly to be taken with a generous pinch of salt. History is littered with fortean hoaxes.

Local news: The Hill, Coleg Gwent’s Education and Conference centre in Abergavenny is due to close, under plans announced recently. A real shame if this does happen.

Politicians condemn Hill closure

Blackthorn blossom

Originally uploaded by Monnowman.

Spotted this next to the Wye today.

A couple of Tuesdays ago, a few of us held the last meeting of the Wye Valley Chorus in Monmouth. There was no singing and the mood was sombre as we took votes to decide on which charities would receive the remainder of the bank balance. Instead of the usual banter, there was awkward smalltalk. As individuals left afterwards there was no “see you next week”;  instead there was, “Well, I suppose I’ll see you sometime…”.

The chorus had been for many years a familiar part of the barbershop scene in Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. In the last two years though, despite the heroic efforts of director Paul Mills, membership dwindled and at a meeting before Christmas 2008 the membership voted to wind it up.

Some of the membership have joined Synergy, a chorus based in Abergavenny.

Americans who want a harmless hacker extradited from Britain must be from a different planet, says Boris Johnson.

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I have bought a boudin noir from the Trealy Farm stall at the Monmouth Farmers’ market. Now what do I do with it?

Speeding muppet

I couldn’t supress a small giggle at this.

This was the view this morning from the Kymin, the big hill behind Monmouth, looking towards Abergavenny, the Blorange and the Skirrid. I’ve never seen it so clear.