Cambridge Coincidences Collection

Well I Never!

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

Unexpected Enclosure

When I was buying my first flat in 1972, I received an envelope containing not only the surveyor's report but also a job application from someone in South Africa with the same surname as mine. My surname is pretty uncommon. I am in my eighth decade and have only met people with that name outside my immediate family about twice in my life. My surveyor worked in a government department but also had a small part-time private practice for which he used some of the office facilities of a firm of architects.

Baptism date coincidence

I was confirmed at the age of 14 but had never been baptised (a long story). When I was asked, some 25 years later, if I would be willing to become an administrator of the chalice at my church, I was pleased and honoured but confessed the omission in my spiritual history. My priest explained the situation to the bishop and it was decided that I should be baptised and then re-confirmed as soon as the bishop could find a slot in his busy schedule. This turned out to be 14th December of that year.

15 to 1

In Nov 2000 my Mother, then almost 80, was watching the quiz show 15 to 1 on the TV. One of the participants was a Gladys Mude of Westcliffe on Sea. Mum was surprised to hear this, as in her youth in the 1930s in Westcliffe she had a friend of this name with whom she sang duets in festivals and the like. She had had no contact with Gladys since Mum's family moved away from Westcliffe in 1937 and she did not know what had become of her, except that she knew that Gladys' father had bought Mum's family's house from them.

White doves telling of death

Remembrance Sunday 1998. We were walking with old friends in our wood when I chanced to look up and through the tree canopy there was a gap of bright blue sky. "Oh! LOOK! The doves! THE DOVES!!" My walking companions - three men - somewhat filled with a good lunch that had been arranged the night before at a celebration party of old friends (Thank goodness for Sunday shopping.) and much wine consumed (by them) around our circular dining room table upon which I had earlier placed a vase with the herb rosemary added.

Two fathers

During the second world war adoption was not arranged in the way it is now. My natural mother gave birth to me early one morning and by tea time I had been delivered by the district nurse to my adoptive parents in another area of the county. When, after many years, my adopted father needed residential care he chose a retirement home some miles away from both villages. When we applied for a room for him we were told that they only had one place available and that he would have to share.

Nile passengers knew my parents and sister-in-law

Some years ago my husband and I booked a Nile cruise. This was from a national company and we booked independently. However, when we were getting to know our fellow passengers it turned out that one of them had a holiday home in the town where my parents live, attended the same church when on holiday and actually knew them. Another passenger, not connected to the first, came from the same small area of East Kent as my parents and had bought a painting done by my sister-in-law at a local exhibition.

Chance meet on the train

We live in France.My brother and his family live in Somerset.Unannounced my husband decided to take a trip to visit his family in Scotland and for the first time travelled as a foot passenger.As he settled down in the train after it's stop at Reading our sister in law came and took the only seat opposite him!She just stared,disbelieving before saying "I know it's you but what are you doing here,you live in France"! They chatted and laughed upto London before saying goodbye and going their seperate ways.

Camera Cuss

I was born in 1934, an only child born to loving parents. I grew up during WW2 and it seemed quite normal for me to sleep in air-raid shelters. In1944, I walked the streets of West London with my parents and grandmother at 1 a.m. homeless, having lost everything but our lives. My father's eldest brother had been killed in WW1 and this had a profound effect on him. He left school early, misled the Army about his age, as did many others at that time. My father was, therefore, determined that I would have the education he lacked.

Meeting a future neighbour in NewZealand

In 2001 my partner Claire Hagon and I (Paul Knight) were travelling around the World we spent about 8 weeks in New Zealand in March 2001. We stayed at a guest house in Nelson in the South Island. It was called Short Bread Cottage. We met another couple there of a similar age. We were about 31 at the time. They had taken 3 months off work to cycle around New Zealand. I remember gently teasing him. He talked about wanting to build his own house one day. She had red hair. We had a pleasent evening and that was it. We returned from travelling in October 2001 with Claire being pregnant.

Humphrey Head , the last wolf shot in England

My wife and I sat at a table in a hotel in Ibiza and a couple were sat with us by the head waiter . They were from Lancashire , we are from West Yorkshire and I asked the man what they usually did for holiday in the UK when not going abroad . He said they went touring for a few days at a time, they had an estate car and they slept one night in the car and then found a B and B the next day , it saved them money .

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