Cambridge Coincidences Collection

Well I Never!

Professor David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University wants to know about your coincidences!

Transcontinental telepathic VW Beetle

Many years ago, when I lived in the West Indies, I owned a VW Beetle (6V variety). For as long as I had it, over several years, it never let us down, save once. One afternoon, en route to a big family occasion, the engine suddenly stopped, but then restarted after a few moments pause. A few hours later I received a call to say that my mother in England had died suddenly and, as far as we could tell, it must have been within a few minutes of the Beetle's one and only shutdown.

House Renters

Over 20 years ago, we rented out our house for 6 months when we were working away. My husband met the couple briefly to get a lease signed, then our son was in charge. 3 years ago, I was at a linedancing class in Spain, I heard a lady talking and recognized her accent as being like mine and found out she lived quite near to me in UK. On returning home, I phoned to invite her and her husband round for a drink, I told her where we lived and asked if she knew where our road was. She replied that she did, as they had rented a house there quite some time ago. Of course, it was our house!

Meeting in Kenya

In 1976, my partner and I left our jobs and embarked on the trip of a lifetime, travelling overland to Kenya, where he was born. We didn't really think we'd get that far as we had little money and anyway there were swingeing restrictions on the amount of currency that could be taken out of the country. However, after getting work in Libya for three months and finally travelling to Kenya from Juba, Sudan, in order to avoid Idi Amin's Uganda, we made it.

Birthday coincidences

My sister and I are born on my dad's birthday but two years apart- 14th may 1947, 1975 and 1977 and my youngest children are born on the same day, two years apart 2nd April 2007 and 2009.

Same Names

My maiden name was Carol Mary Rosborough and my sister's maiden name was Patricia Anne Rosborough. I married Barry Ellis and his twin sisters are called Carole Mary and Patricia Anne! In addition my husband's father and brother are both called Geoff. His sister Pat married a Jeff. Pat's daughter Helen married a Geoff. Imagine the confusion when we all get together!

When my Mother passed on

Just the other day I emailed a friend to say Hi and then found out she had sent me a text 10 minutes earlier. I also frequently notice the time at 11:11, but the main reason for contributing to this log of coincidences is as follows. When my mother was terminally ill with cancer she would sit looking out at the flowers and birds in the garden. Ever since our dog had passed on the year before, next doors three cats also used to lurk in the bushes at the bottom of the garden looking at the birds.

Meeting a cousin at Wembley.

In 1958 I went on a coach from our school in Wolverhampton to watch the schoolboy international football match between England and Scotland. We parked in the coach park at Wembley - as the next coach parked alongside my friends said that someone was waving at me from that coach. I noticed a familiar face in the window, nearly facing me, it was my cousin from Swindon who was also, unknown to me , going to the game. I believe the crowd that day was nearly 90,000, the majority coming from schools all over England by coach.

old friends

In 1995 we went as a family to work in Ferrol in the North of Spain on a construction contract and became friendly with a local Spanish doctor and his family. After 9 months we returned to the UK and over time lost contact with our Spanish friends. In 2003 we returned to Spain to work in Madrid, where unexpectedly I had to undergo a serious operation. After recovery from that we went as an act of thanksgiving to a remote Shrine in the North of Spain in the foothills of the Pyrenees ( mid-week out of season) and checked into the residence connected to the shrine.

Close House, Giggleswick, North Yorkshire.

When I was working on my wife's maternal family tree, I discovered her great, great, great grandparents living at Close House in the latter half of the 18th century. I was surprised because, for years, I have had a postcard written by my great aunt to her aunt and uncle, addressed to the same Close House, and dated 1909. One evening, a few years ago, my wife and I were enjoying a meal with some friends who live near Giggleswick and I told them of this coincidence. They were surprised and the husband asked his wife, 'Doesn't Mr. D.

Birthday.

I put a film on at about 11PM night before my mum's birthday, at exactly 12am on her birthday, someone in the film said 'it's my birthday' at exactly the same time as my mum. It was really weird.

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