Cambridge Coincidences Collection

I have a friend who is a Reiki master, during treatment you require peace and quiet. i live in a Cul-de-sac of 10 houses, one day while she was performing Reiki on me the re-cycle van was in the Court emptying the re-cycle bins. During all the clutter and clanging that was happening outside, I inwardly thought "I wish that noise would stop". (not in those exact words!). When we went outside later in the day, everyone's re-cycle bin had been emptied - except mine!

I took my husband's shoes to be re-soled, and then forgot about them until he reminded me a couple of weeks later. I went to the shoe menders with my receipt. They said they had already been picked up! I disputed this and showed them that I still had the receipt, but they were adamant that the shoes had been picked up. They had to reimburse me, but a fraction of the cost of the shoes (really expensive Barkers). Sometime later - amonth or so- I was at work in the charity shop in Teddington, where I volunteered one day a week, when a woman came in to the shop with a donation - of a pair of shoes. Barkers, size 10, with a splodge on the heel, where I had spilt nail varnish! She handed them into my hands. My husband's shoes! Then she disappeared.

I have travelled widely, both here in the UK and around the world. I prefer to explore off the beaten track using only a locally purchased map and my nose for adventure. As a result I often get a little lost and find myself standing at junctions trying to work out what to do next. On literally thousands of occasions I have, at such times, inadvertently obstructed or bumped into other pedestrians. On nearly every occasion (see my earlier post for the one and only exception) the other person has been a complete stranger with no connection to me whatsoever! Is this a coincidence?

My life is filled with bizarre coincidences every week which I have become so used to that I barely note them any longer. However, one particularly convoluted and strange one does come to mind. Some years ago, a good friend, who lives in Mauritius, went travelling (as he does for several weeks each year). On this occasion he visited the Galapagos Islands. On the island there is a large barrel in which the Whalers of old would place letters or cards, the idea being that if anyone who followed were to be visiting the area to which the correspondence was addressed after leaving the islands, they would take the card or letter and deliver it. My friend observed this tradition and took a postcard which had been placed in the barrel, addressed to someone named "Berry English" in Southfields, near Wimbledon, wishing him a happy 21st Birthday. My friend had family in Croydon and was travelling there next. Unfortunately, he forgot to deliver the card on that trip and two years later, at the end of another visit to the UK, he met with my partner and I for lunch at our home in Wimbledon. He asked if we would deliver the card, which we agreed to do.