Cambridge Coincidences Collection

to protect the person I'm going to talk about please keep my identity secret! I occasionally used to hitchhike in my younger days, back and forth between home and University. One day I was picked up by a fella who started a very conversation by saying "I've just had a wasted journey" and went on to describe how he was caught with his hands in the till at work. His boss was going to sack him unless he agreed to be punished by being whacked with a cane across his backside, and the boss was reluctant to do it himself but insisted on seeing the wields, so this fella had to find someone who would do it for him. He said he'd just been to see an uncle to perform the task but his uncle had gone away on holiday for a month and there was noone else he could too. This conversation went on for about 40 miles, and not being too stupid I quickly realised that it was all a complete lie and the fella just wanted me to spank him for his perverse pleasure! I suugested lots of alternatives, all to no avail, the deed had to be done or he was doomed. Of course I said I was a pacifist, otherwise I'd have helped him out. To be honest I was getting a little worried.

My name is Simon and I was born during the summer of ’69. Four days before my 11th Birthday I fell 75 feet from a conker (horse chestnut), tree. I was with seven of my friends. Prior to climbing the tree, we saw a very large tree stump that had been recently cut, and we decided to roll it into the small stream to act as a bridge for us to cross. Half way there we decided to stop as we were exhausted and come back to it later. Ok, so I climbed the tree. I was at the very top, and could see for miles around, and remember it being very windy. The next thing I remember is lying on my back looking up at the tree with my friends screaming and shouting. Obviously I had fallen. Some say I should have died, some say I died several times in the ambulance but most say I was the luckiest boy in the World! You see, I fell on my side, directly on top of the tree stump we had moved. I hit the tree stump and bounced approximately 10 feet in the air before landing beside it! It is said that if it were not for the tree stump my complete body would have suffered the impact of the fall, and I would be dead! What are the chances of this?

When my husband and I met, we found our families were exactly symmetrical up to first cousins, with male and female being reversed. I have one just one brother, he has just one sister; my father is an only child, his mother is an only child; my mother has just one sister, his father has just one brother; we both have just one first cousin, mine is male, his is female. Best of all my paternal grandparents were called Doris and Frank and his maternal grandparents were called Doris and Frank!

My Mum and I were on hliday in Paris. As we strolled down the Champs Elysee we decided to stop at the next cafe, to sit outside and watch people. As we approached the outdoor seating area we plonked down our shopping bags and went to take a seat, when I noticed some graffitti scrawled on the table. It read "GUY" Guy is my last name.