Non-motoring > Odd Coincidences Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bromptonaut Replies: 17

 Odd Coincidences - Bromptonaut
I have a long standing friend (female), originally met at work but we both left during a shakeout, who has the forename Shirralee. Today, after a long period where our only contact was Facebook and other SM, we spoke on the phone. Essentially she wanted to bounce some stuff off me relating to somebody's probs at work.

This evening another FB friend put up a message about the 'theme tune', a riff on Ilkley Moor Bah't 'At, that Yorkshire TV used to play before regular broadcasts - school stuff - started around 09:30 back in the seventies/eighties before the Breakfast TV era. I'd not heard it for years but hearing it sent me off down a rabbit hole about who wrote the music. Not, as some sources suggested Eric Coates but a composer called Derek New. Turns out that he composed, or at least had a role in, the music for a film called The Shiralee.

www.imdb.com/title/tt0050961/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_5_msdp

After messaging her, she's aware of the film, the track by Tommy Steele which is associated and tells tells me she's forgiven her parents for naming her after an Aboriginal word for a burden....

The YTV tune is here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoxa5CQHs3E&ab_channel=KevinWakelam

Start 2 mins in unless you like the whistle tune of the same era...
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Tue 16 May 23 at 22:16
 Odd Coincidences - zippy
>>The Shiralee

It's a decent film, occasionally shown on Talking Pictures.

>>Coincidences...

Sometimes spooky and one of several I could recount but this is the most recent...

The first May bank holiday weekend (on the Sunday), I was going through some old photos with / at my parents and there was a photo of me aged about 4 holding the hand of a girl aged about 7. Our parents were friends and the girl and I were partners in crime.

They moved to South Africa in the mid 70's.

On the bank holiday Monday I was walking in a park a couple of towns distant from where we lived when I was younger, when a lady comes up to me (60s now) and says hello, actually using my childhood nickname of the time and it was her. They had moved back in mid April.

Apparently my eyes haven't changed a bit.
 Odd Coincidences - Falkirk Bairn
Something similar.

My wife went to Robert Gordon, a poly in 1963 now RG University.

Walking into a local garden centre a woman approach her and called her by her first name.
They last saw each other in around 1965. They then spent a short time chatting - probably around the same time they had spoken nearly 60 years ago as they had been in the same entry year but different courses/buildings but really only knew each other through common friends. She had lived all over UK & Europe but was now back in the UK visiting somebody local to us.

Recognising somebody after nearly 60 years and recalling a name!
I now forget the names of some I met fairly recently - I might know the first name/ surname. but recalling both is getting harder.

Before I retired 17 years ago I had roughly 30 customers and spoke regularly to 5/6 people in each site. I could recall most of the direct dial phone numbers (not Mobiles!).

How things have gone into reverse a combination of aging memory and ready access to phone numbers on a smartphone, you no longer need to remember - unless you mislay your phone.!
 Odd Coincidences - legacylad
In the late 90’s, after a spot of unpleasantness and living in rented, I decided to spend what was left of the house sale after paying off the mortgage and treat myself to a new car.
Reg was R575 GYG.

It meant nothing to me, but a few years later I found myself, having saved up a deposit, buying a house in Giggleswick, 25 miles away, a village I don’t think I’d heard of.

Still there. Loved both the car and the place in equal measure.
Last edited by: legacylad on Wed 17 May 23 at 07:04
 Odd Coincidences - martin aston
A different sort of coincidence happened to me a couple of years ago. I was waiting on a bench for Mrs A to finish shopping and bought a newspaper to read. I came across an article about Sheila Hancock referring to a novel she had written several years earlier. Still killing time I then wandered into a large charity book shop. I idly picked up a book from the middle of one of the many shelves. Of course it was the very novel from the review. Very odd.
 Odd Coincidences - Ted

I have a strong connection with Giggleswick. I didn't know about the place at the time but in my trainspotting days, I lived across the field from the main line from Manchester Central to St Pancras.

A regular locomotive on the expresses was the Patriot class locomotive named Giggleswick. We thought it a strange name and it was so regular that a comment was " Not Giggleswick again ".

I renamed my model Patriot in it's honour with a new number and nameplates !

Ted
 Odd Coincidences - R.P.
Wow ! Giggleswick came up in a very random conversation with my sister earlier. I had to google it to find out where it was though !
 Odd Coincidences - legacylad
>> Wow ! Giggleswick came up in a very random conversation with my sister earlier. I
>> had to google it to find out where it was though !
>>
Nothing bad I hope...
 Odd Coincidences - tyrednemotional
>>
>>..... had to google it to find out where it was though !
>>

...LL has to do that when he leaves the pub in Settle after a session....
 Odd Coincidences - Kevin
>Apparently my eyes haven't changed a bit.

www.imdb.com/name/nm0001204/
 Odd Coincidences - zippy
>> >Apparently my eyes haven't changed a bit.
>>
>> www.imdb.com/name/nm0001204/
>>

If only you knew!

:-D
 Odd Coincidences - VxFan
>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoxa5CQHs3E&ab_channel=KevinWakelam
>>
>> Start 2 mins in unless you like the whistle tune of the same era...

youtu.be/Aoxa5CQHs3E?t=120
 Odd Coincidences - Ted

Away from home on a long job, I was playing a tape of Richard Strauss's tone poem Ein Heldenleben.
It was coming up to the hour so I flicked on Radio 3 to catch the news.

They were playing the same piece at virtually the same place in the music.

Ted
 Odd Coincidences - Robin O'Reliant
Working in a small village on the foothills of the Preselis about ten years ago I called on a customer who had a south east accent. On comparing notes about where we came from it transpired that her parents were my next door neighbours in Newham when I was growing up.
 Odd Coincidences - Bobby
When me and my missus were going out, I had to attend the funeral of my Granda on the same day that my missus’ dad was attending the funeral of his uncle……
 Odd Coincidences - Runfer D'Hills
>> When me and my missus were going out, I had to attend the funeral of
>> my Granda on the same day that my missus’ dad was attending the funeral of
>> his uncle……
>>

Do you have a banjo Bobby?
;-)
 Odd Coincidences - Runfer D'Hills
A car I used to own pulled into a parking space in a multi storey right next to mine. It was about 150 miles away from where I had traded it in and a couple of years later.
I was getting some stuff out of the boot of my car and the driver of my old car must have noticed that his car had caught my eye and we just sort of engaged in conversation.
Not yet wanting to admit my direct connection with the car, I mumbled something about having had one of those in the same spec and colour.
I went on to ask if he was pleased with it.
He said he was very happy with it and added that he regarded it as a lucky car as he’d found a tenner under the driver’s seat just after he bought it.
Grrrr.
 Odd Coincidences - Bobby
Sister sold her Talbot Samba whilst she lived in Edinburgh.

Moved to Porthcawl. First summer there she saw her Samba parked up at the caravan site.
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