Robin, June, and a Spanish Waiter
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understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.
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My wife June and I have been married for over 40 years,
and spent the first 9 years working and living in Holland.
In 1973 we took a package holiday to Spain from Holland.
The hotel in Benidorm was full of Dutch and German visitors,
and at beakfast, the waiter struck up a conversation with us.
I can assure you the following is true, even if I cannot remember
the conversation precisely:
Waiter: "you are eengleesh I think ?"
Robin: "yes, sorry about that."
Waiter: "I know England: where in England you come from?"
Robin: "You would not know it: a small town called Wokingham, maybe 30 miles west of London."
Waiter: "I know Wokingham: where in Wokingham you live ?"
Robin: "You would not know it: Luckley Road, about a mile south of the town."
Waiter: "I know Luckly Road: where in Luckley Road you live?"
Robin (already having doubts about this waiter): "Number 45, near the rail bridge".
Waiter: "I know where: I worked in kitchen in school behind you."
That's when I realized it was genuine: There was a private girls school behind us,
and my mother also worked for a brief time in the kitchens there - but probably
not in the same period as the waiter: that WOULD have been a coincidence! :-)
We are very relaxed about our names and details being public,
since they already are on our family and business site www.gpss.co.uk
We heard the Professor on Radio 4 this morning, so decided to share this with you.
Best Wishes from the Lovelock family in Sunninghill, UK.
Date submitted:Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:21:49 +0000Coincidence ID:3819
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