Birthday Clock

20 years ago, on the morning of my 40th birthday, I came downstairs and went into my living room. The clock, which had been above my mantlepiece for many years, had fallen down in the night and smashed on the stone hearth. Later in the day, some friends called round and gave me a gift for my birthday. you guessed it, it was a clock, same model as the one which had smashed! I summed it up as follows: 1. To give a clock as a 40th birthday present to a single man was not unusual. 2. The clock was the same make and model. My friends had been to my house many times, would probably have seen my original clock, so may have known I liked that style. 3. The clock was shaped like a 50p piece with 8/10 sides, unusual, but was probably fairly common in the 1980's. (One of hundreds of possible styles). 4. If they had seen my original one, why buy me a second one which I wouldn't have needed? 5. The coincidence of giving me a clock on the same day that mine had broken! 6. When questioned, they said they hadn't really given the matter any particular thought, other than they had decided my present would be a clock. Phil.