Cambridge Coincidences Collection

A horse fell through the roof of my garage flattening my car, 25 years later I randomly met and became good friends with the owner of the horse without realising the connection. I come from Birmingham, in 1982 I went to University in Swansea to study zoology / psychology and in my third academic year I lived with a fellow student in a virtually derelict property called Llanerch Farm. The farm was set back a distance off the road and had stables associated with it where local kids kept horses. Because of a severe slope the stables were on 2 levels: I kept my mini in the lower stable using it as a garage while the horse feed was kept in the upper stable. After visiting home for a weekend in early 1985 I returned to find a hole in the roof of my garage and my car roof collapsed: a horse had wandered into the feed store fallen through the rotten floorboards and landed spread eagled on it. I thought nothing more of it, claimed on my insurance, graduated, moved back to Birmingham and then London. In 2009 I moved with my family to The Gower, a peninsular near Swansea.

I have two credit cards, one with my regular bank and one is a store credit card. They both have the same last four digits - it can be quite confusing as mostly on-line or on statements the last four numbers are the ones quoted and I have to remember which card I used. I would love to know the mathematical chances of this happening

During the past few weeks on the radio I heard two obscure songs from the 80s that I remembered and liked. I subsequently purchased these songs namely Drivers Seat by Sniff N The Tears and Waiting for a train by Flash and the Pan. Last week on Chris Evans breakfast show he played two requested songs requested by another listener back to back. Yes the two songs were the same obscure ones I had purchased. Strange but true !

In 1963, whilst serving in a destroyer in the Far East, we visited Tahiti. Later in a bar in Papetee, I was introduced to a middle aged Englishman who was obviously enjoying his stay on the island. It transpired that he regularly "wintered" in the Pacific with his elderly mother before returning to UK in the spring. He said he lived in Cockermouth, and I replied that I knew nothing about the town, except that my wife's bridesmaid lived there, and her (then) maiden name was Wylie. Imagine my astonishment when he said " I sold my previous house to the Wylies"! No connection between two total strangers meeting by chance thousands of miles away in the middle of the Pacific. Some coincidence! Regards, Gerry Burnan Cdr RN (rtd)