Cambridge Coincidences Collection

New years day 2000. Myself and a friends two children celebrated the day at a charity fun day at Park Beach recreational area, New South Wales, Australia. The highlight of the day, as always are the duck races, all monies raised donated to charity. At a cost of $1 you buy a plastic duck with a number written under the bottom of it. When all the ducks are sold { about 100} they are lined up behind a barrier and released in the creek with the tide outgoing. I bought 3 tickets in each race, the tickets having the corresponding number to the number of a particular plastic duck. I held the tickets and the two children each chose one ticket each leaving me with mine. First race, the ducks were very spread out. I was delighted when one of the children had the winning ticket. Second race, exactly the same outcome, same child holding the winning ticket. A friend joked saying, "this must be rigged". Third duck race, no win this time but still amazed at previous two wins. Fourth race. The ducks were tightly bunched up except for one way out in front and one straggling a long way behind. I said to my friend " I bet that duck way behind is one of ours".

While waiting in the wee hours of the morning for Aeroflot to find us a plane in Erevan, Armenia, for a flight to Leningrad (1989) I wrote and mailed a postcard to a dear friend in America with the usual "wish you were here" line somewhere in it. About twelve hours later, after rerouting over Riga and other delays, as I was crossing the lobby of one of the largest hotels in the city I heard this woman's voice calling my name. She had just checked in to the hotel with a tourist group she was guiding. Neither of us had had any idea that we were going to be in Russia this particular summer or knew of the other's plans.

My dad used to take me swimming every Sunday in Salford, Manchester. One Sunday, we came across two pound coins on the pavement, one sitting half on the other one and half on the ground. I remember bending down to check they were real and was made up when dad said I could have them. The following Sunday, we set off for Broughton baths again. In the exact same place, in our path were two pound coins in the same position, one half placed on the other one. If they'd been dropped, they would have landed apart, it was as though someone had carefully placed them there for us. It was like time repeating itself. We hoped it would happen again but it never did. Another coincidence involved my dad. He stopped to chat to a guy who lived on the corner of our street one day, a gentle giant who I remember had a kind face. They were about to go their separate ways when the man suddenly said to my dad oh I nearly forgot to give you this, and handed my dad a packet of fruit pastilles, and walked away before my dad could say anything to him. Dad thought it was very strange but put them in his pocket anyway. Later that day he went to visit my gran who was in a care home at that time.

My daughter moved to Sydney Australia a few years ago and now has a year old baby and a 5 year old stepson. As an older mother she felt in need of a 'Mummy Friend', someone in similar circumstances of a similar age, so she went to a playgroup and sussed out the mums there - spotting an older woman with two children and she nervously approached her. As she did so the woman got up to leave with her children and my daughter just said 'Hello' to her as she left. To be honest she was a bit disappointed. However, the woman came back a few minutes later and they started to chat. They arranged a first 'play date' with the children which was a great success and decided they could be friends. As they chatted it transpired the woman's husband had been Best Man at the wedding in the UK of my daughter's friends who had also emigrated to Australia. My daughter had met her husband at a party held by these friends. As an added coincidence, my daughter's husband has known another English woman socially for many years.