Christmas incident

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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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One year my horrid in- laws were going to visit for Christmas dinner. I had really tried hard and pulled out all the stops. Bought a little picnic table that could fold up into a carry case. I’d put the table up which folded out into two benches and a table with an umbrella. I was in South Africa then so it was warm at Christmas. Well that table looked great in the garden and my small daughter was so excited with the decorations from the middle umbrella to the house roof. And I had put the lamb leg roast and ham out with the vegetables on the table. Rachael was watching the whole scene and the door bell rang as they were here. Excitement high I ran to the door. Greeting and telling them to run to the back to see what we had done. These were people who could not be easily entertained. I arrived at the garden to disaster. My daughter had bounced on the edge of one of the foldout seats, destabilizing the table and the whole thing folded out and the vegetables and meat had flown to the ground with the velocity and my bulldog greeted them and me at the dog with lamb in his mouth. My mother in law made sandwiches with the bread!!!!! She has brought to share. That was Christmas dinner 1993. What are the odds of me actually pleasing people who don’t see my worth or my ability as all I try seems to go wrong when they are around :)
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Date submitted:Fri, 18 Oct 2019 20:56:42 +0000Coincidence ID:10361