Coincidences

[reohn2]

I find coincidences happen quite a bit,the latest being that I sold my Kona Dew Drop to a forum member from Bingley West Yorks.Two days later the bike I bought to replace it was from a shop in Halifax,not exactly in the same town but near enough to be noteworthy.
TBH I bought the bike online as it was a good deal brought to my attention by another forum member.
I didn't take much notice where it was coming from,as it was being posted to me,until I rang the shop to ask if it was in stock.It was and when I did find out where it was I decided to pick it up.

Some year ago we bought our Santana tandem through an ad on the for sale board,and was taken aback when the seller told me he lived in a village less than 10miles away.

As a result of borrowing our friend's Cannondale tandem taking it out for a ride one Sunday and agreeing it was going to be our next bike.
On returning home saw the exact same bike(second hand but as new)on Ebay(it's quite a distinct dark blue fade to light blue colour and we've only seen ours and our friend's like it)the bike had been put up that morning, and unusually for Ebay there was a phone number,I rang it to find the seller lived within 15miles so we had our tea went to take a look and bought it there and then.

I find this happens quite a bit,not just with bikes either.
When looking for our present car we'd decided on a Ford Cmax,had a ride round and looked at a few but couldn't settle on one for one reason or another.
I was looking on Auto Trader,spotted one that looked like it was worth a tyre kick,but didn't look where it was located.
We used to do some work for our daughter's Ebay business when they were pulled out on Monday's with w/end orders.
It turned out the car was 500m from their warehouse,everything checked out and we bought it.

I could mention a few other small incidents but won't go on.

Anyway,does it happen to anyone else?

[meic]

I could go on forever, it happens because there are thousands of connections that go on each day but we only notice the ones that involve a coincidence and fail to notice when there isnt.
My first day in NZ, I went into my first cafe there to buy my first food and bumped into a two close friends from Swansea.
I was chatting to some guy in a hostel in Australia and discovered we had both had the same girlfriend (I dont know about him and her but I havent had many!)
I sold one of my BMWs that I used to despatch on and then many years later while telling a friend about it we came across it (I had sold it as a non-runner with about 250,000 miles on the clock a long time ago).
I was given a lift by the same car in three different states while hitch-hiking in Oz.
I met many people in several countries but that is a to be expected as we were all following similar paths.
I have bumped into the same couple on a tandem three times while passing through the Forest of Dean area around 100 miles from here. That one does challenge probabilities but also leaves me expecting to see them again some time!

Oh and you and I share a surname.

[SteveHunter]

Yes, seems to happen a lot.

I was looking for a new (secondhand) car for the misses, We knew roughly what we wanted, some form of estate car.
I have found anything, I was at work and one of our contractors asked me for advice on a car he had seen on Auto trader, just so happens I recognised the car, belonged to the got that lives opposite me. I went home from work, walked over the road and bought it.

Went to eat in a pub in Cornwall and the landlady was my old dinner lady from a Primary school in Norfolk.

[mrjemm]

Yes, seems to happen a lot.

I was looking for a new (secondhand) car for the misses, We knew roughly what we wanted, some form of estate car.
I have found anything, I was at work and one of our contractors asked me for advice on a car he had seen on Auto trader, just so happens I recognised the car, belonged to the got that lives opposite me. I went home from work, walked over the road and bought it.

Went to eat in a pub in Cornwall and the landlady was my old dinner lady from a Primary school in Norfolk.

2 obvious questions...

1) Was the contractor peed when he saw your new car?

2) Did you get dinner in that pub?

My car one... Years ago was talking to a gf about favourite cars (yes, I was a 'lad' once (of sorts), really), and talked about what I considered a rare car that I'd only seen once in the flesh- a Renaul 5 Turbo 2 (mid engined, big wheel arches, etc.). Got in my mini and drove off to town, and there overtaking us as we drove away was one of those silly things I'd just described.

Had several others, that I mostly forget, but as meic says, these things jump out at us. I actually find myself uncomfortable with coincidence, but then I am of a nervous disposition.

[reohn2]

Had several others, that I mostly forget, but as meic says, these things jump out at us. I actually find myself uncomfortable with coincidence, but then I am of a nervous disposition.

Like when you see people in the tin box cafe on Morecambe seafront,and suspect but aren't sure enough to ask if they are who you think they are?
I'm the same

[[XAP]Bob]

I bought a trike, then discovered that the owner before the seller was a member here - instantly recognised it when I posted my first proud piccies
And the live about 10 miles down the road...

[Vantage]

I think this qualifies...
Cycling back from Urmston via a detour through Glazebury, I was thinking how nice the bike felt quickly but smoothly rolling along on the Hypers despite fully laden panniers full of shopping and thought to myself "I really must mention these tyres to my Dad as he'd appreciate the difference to his Marathons" and then I got a puncture.

[bikepacker]

Last year on a tour of Scotland I was unable to get in at Torridon YH because of an iron man triathlon that weekend so I went to the Legowan bunkhouse. There was a guy there doing some Munro bagging and chatting I found out he was from Wolverhampton near to where I grew up. Further more I found out that 55 years ago I had dated his sister for a few weeks.

Also on a visit to Los Angeles I called on a company in Radio City to find that the receptionist was born and prior to leaving to work in the USA, lived directly opposite my Gran in Walsall.

Coincidence or just a small world?

[ferrit worrier]

Many years ago I was in the plod, Our Sergeant and myself were stood outside the international arrivals hall at Manchester Airport. American guy comes over and asked for a good route to London. "Where about's? " said Sarge, The chap mentioned a particular road and he got the directions, then the Sarge asked "What number?" the chap replied with the number and sarge said "Oh that's Mrs whatever" the guy looked at us and said "You know every body in this goddam country" to which we both smiled. as he disappeared I asked how he knew, "I was born round the corner from there she's a mate of my mums"

[Mick F]

Someone - "Oh, you're in the Navy?"
Me - "Yes, I'm a electronic technician."
Someone - "My friend is in the Navy, his name is John and he has something to do with electronics I think. Do you know him?"
Me - "What's his surname?"
Someone - "Sorry, I can't remember."

[[XAP]Bob]

http://m.xkcd.com/882/

[colin54]

A few months ago I visited Hawick in the Scottish borders to visit some cousins. About a month after I returned, I got chatting to a gent on a bike on the towpath about 20

miles north of Leeds where I live. His accent sounded kind of familiar so I asked him where he was from, he (of course) said Hawick. I mentioned the name of my cousin and

his age .It turned out he'd been on a tour of Scotland with him over fifty years before, I think they were in the same club.I didn't even know my cousin had ever been a keen cyclist.

It was only at the end of the conversation I noticed he was wearing a Hawick Cycling Club Ken Laidlaw sportive shirt , I'm not very observant.

Loved the story about the American at the airport, you can't write the script sometimes can you ?

[Spinners]

On this weeks 'University Challenge' a team answered the starter question and then their three bonus questions were on famous quotes from 1960's films where they had to give the film name and the actor's name. I can't remember the first question but the team incorrectly gave an answer of "Physco - Anthony Perkins" which was the exact answer to the very next question

[colin54]

Didn't The Two Ronnies do a sketch along those lines, where they gave the answer to the question before last ?

Here it is.I wonder if the question setters set it up as a potential gag, with this in mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvmRI6K8TS8

[Cyril Haearn]

Sir Robert Reid was Chair of BR (Network Rail) 1983-1990
His successor was Bob Reid (BR of BR)