What are the odds?

[Lons]

To cut a long story (relatively) short......

I’ve been exchanging emails for several years with Steve a previous UKW member from Biggleswade who originally contacted me for advice and we have similar other interests in F1 and football etc. He anounced a few weeks ago that he and his wife had booked a few nights stay in our local town so we all met up for lunch earlier this week. We had never met before but all got on very well so they came back to ours for coffee and during the conversation my wife mentioned that her teenage years were spent in Rottingdean near Brighton.
Steve said “oh we have a drinking buddy in Biggleswade who grew up there, his name is Andy S......... “ My wife’s face was an absolute picture as for years she’s unsuccessfully tried to find her best friend at the time who had the same unusual surname.

A quick phone conversation with Andy confirmed that his sister Hilary was indeed that person, exchange of numbers and and texts means they will soon be reliving schoolday memories. Hilary now lives in Devon I think.

What are the odds of complete strangers in different parts of the country finding a connection like that?
Maybe it's time to put the lottery on this weekend? In any event I’ve claimed “commission” by way of brownie points for the introduction.

 

[Mike G]

Fantastic, and what great fun. It is said that any two random Brits, meeting anywhere in the world, are 5 questions away from finding something, somewhere, or someone in common.

 

[AndyP]

Such a shame that good news stories such as that are buried underneath the bad press that Social Media gets.

 

[Lons]

Coincidence is always surprising. We we walking through the park towards the Sydney Opera house and needed a double take when we saw a couple from our village walking towards us, neither with any idea we would be the other side of the world.

My wife was a nurse in a prison at the time when a number of years ago on our way to a holiday in Italy from West Midlands Airport we came face to face with one of the female prison officers she knew very well. A very brief hello fancy seeing you here and she shuffled off. I said that she looked embarrassed and my wife said she should be as the male officer with her wasn't her husband. Awkward doesn't quite describe it. A quiet conversation assuring confidentiality took place before the flight. Apparently she was with a group of mates going to a hen party in prague.

 

[TrimTheKing]

Lovely story, I’m happy for your wife.

We went to Disney a few years back and had a day at Discovery Cove. As we’re sat in the briefing at the start I noticed a guy sat across from me who was looking at me, and looked familiar. Afterwards we were getting our wetsuits and turned out was a lad I played football with about 6 years previously in Manchester, we had a mutual friend.

At lunchtime we head into the buffet area and I hear a voice behind me that sounds familiar, turn round to see a guy I used to work with in Watford about 4 years prior, who was also there with his family!

It really is a small world.

 

[RogerS]

I have two events in a similar vein.

A few years ago, we were on a train heading back to Evesham for Xmas. We settled down for the long journey. There was a gentle hubbub of conversation from the other passengers. Suddenly LOML's ears perked up. "I know that voice" she said standing up to go to the seats behind us. "Linda!" she cried. Indeed it was. Linda, her old school chum, not met for 40+ years as Linda had married a Dane and moved to Denmark.

Second story. I was sitting outside a pub near Euston, soaking up the sun with a decent pint prior to catching the train. A couple approached me and asked if I minded them sitting in the vacant seats. 'No worries" says I. After a while we started making small talk. They were en route back to Norfolk or somesuch having spent the day at museums. I told them I was on my way back home to Northumberland.

"Oh I used to spend holidays up there on my Aunt's farm" she replied
"Where was that?" I asked
"Oh it was at a small village near to Haltwhistle. You'll never have heard of it" she replied
"Try me" I smiled.
"Gilsland" she replied "I said you'd never have heard of it"
"I live there" I replied " What farm was it?"

Turned out the farm had changed hands a few times and I knew the farmer.

Small world indeed.

 

[AndyT]

As children, on train journeys with mum and dad, we used to play a variant of I-Spy where you worked your way through the alphabet.

One day, near the end of a long journey, we'd got as far as the letter V, which was always a bit of a challenge.

Just as mum was looking around for something to spy, our train drew to a halt alongside another train going the other way. Mum was delighted to spot her friend Vera sitting on the opposite train, and so were we!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I was working (W. Cornwall) alongside an Australian who informed me one day that his good friend, a South African was my next door neighbour. I had a chat with Mike, the S. African and it transpired that they had met in a Bar in Byron Bay (Oz) that was run by a Cornishman ............. who turned out to be old school friend of mine.