Minor Strangeness (IHTM)

[maximus otter]

You look at that and fervently hope that the three Coopers were not brothers...

Sadly, two of them - Frederick and George - were:

https://www.ourwelwyngardencity.org...and-howardsgate/casualties_from_world_war_one

maximus otter

 

[catseye]

A bit of a late response, I'm afraid, but....


I thought I was the only one! I think it's a form of face-blindness, but I'm not honestly sure.

It depends. I get half-recognised out on the street by a lot of people, who say 'hello' in a friendly fashion and then gawp a bit and say 'where do I know you from?'

It's because I work in uniform. They don't recognise me when I'm wearing 'street clothes'. I don't think it's face blindness, so much as out of context viewing.

 

[Trevp666]

A couple of thoughts; I think rural communities were, relatively, quite large before WW!? And, if one was inclined, you might be able to look up the names through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which might pinpoint their birthplaces more accurately.

Which is my point exactly, really.
WGC as a thing did not exist until 1920, therefore there is no point in having a WGC memorial for WW1 - anybody coming from within the area that later became WGC would (should) only appear on the memorial in the area that they came from.
In the part of WGC I live in (Hollybush and Hatfield Hyde, which had it's own farm, hamlet, coaching stop etc) there is a memorial for here, which is correct for the period. Just a hundred yards away from it is our own Commonwealth War Graves area at the local church and cemetery.

 

[Sollywos]

Just looking at the Forteana Forums is a Fortean experience.

Indeed it is!

On Sunday I was about to post on the 'what have you been doing today' thread that I'd been shopping. Yes for the first time since way before lockdown I'd decided to venture forth, on the sabbath, to the den of iniquity that is a supermarket!

However I decided to check all the posts first ... I'd hate to miss something important before gabbling on about myself ... actually I was eating my lunch and didn't want to put it down to free up both hands for typing.

So the next post I checked was on the 'coincidence' thread, this from @Iris

My daughter and I usually go food shopping on Sundays but decided to go tomorrow as she has that day off.

OK opposite actions but it was almost as if Iris hadn't gone on her usual appointed day so I had to in order to balance things up.

We forteans doing our little bit to keep the universe in fine balance.

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

Well, Mr. R and I were at WalMart yesterday, and it might be a long while before we go back.
Went to the self-service checkout, Mr. R finished his order and I was just beginning to check out mine -
A man ran up and scanned his package of steaks right in front of my hand, my husband asked what this man thought he was doing, and he proceeded to pay and run out the door.
LOL - Mr. R was stunned, I was laughing, perhaps they should have behavior classes in school?

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

Well, Mr. R and I were at WalMart yesterday, and it might be a long while before we go back.
Went to the self-service checkout, Mr. R finished his order and I was just beginning to check out mine -
A man run up and scanned his package of steaks right in front of my hand, my husband asked what this man thought he was doing, and he proceeded to pay and run out the door.
LOL - Mr. R was stunned, I was laughing, perhaps they should have behavior classes in school?

The world has gone mad, but Walmart customers have always been ahead of the curve.

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

The world has gone mad, but Walmart customers have always been ahead of the curve.

And I see so many of the upscale stores have closed, or are in the process of closing, in our area anyway.
I find myself shopping more and more online in the last few years. And not a bad idea, actually.

 

[Victory]

Yesterday just after I had finished work there was a knock at the front door.

Not expecting anyone, I opened it cautiously, and saw a 60 something man standing on the landing.

"There is a small blond boy outside the flats. I am worried he is alone. Is he anything to do with you?" he asked.

"No. And none of the families in this block has a child like that", I answered.

He then walked away.

I went to the window but could not see anyone outside.

[I am not aware of any small blond children living in my block.]


Today during my lunch break, there was a knock at the door.

Not expecting anyone, I opened it cautiously, and saw a 16 year old or so Afghan/Pakistani man standing on the landing.

"Is Hassan in?" he asked.

"No. No one called Hassan lives here." I answered.

"Oh, I think he lives around here?" the teenager answered back.

"No. I do not know anyone called Hassan", I replied, and shut the door.

[A new family moved in earlier this year. They are Muslim, but I do not know their names, which exact flat they live in, or if they have a child of the same age who is called Hassan. The children seem a bit younger, perhaps 12 or 13?]


A little bit paranoid, I wondered if these were criminals staking out my flat?

But today's knock was fortuitous, as it came just before the end of my lunch break, and reminded me to get back on the computer and sign in to resume work.

 

[Floyd1]

Yesterday just after I had finished work there was a knock at the front door.

Not expecting anyone, I opened it cautiously, and saw a 60 something man standing on the landing.

"There is a small blond boy outside the flats. I am worried he is alone. Is he anything to do with you?" he asked.

"No. And none of the families in this block has a child like that", I answered.

He then walked away.

I went to the window but could not see anyone outside.

[I am not aware of any small blond children living in my block.]


Today during my lunch break, there was a knock at the door.

Not expecting anyone, I opened it cautiously, and saw a 16 year old or so Afghan/Pakistani man standing on the landing.

"Is Hassan in?" he asked.

"No. No one called Hassan lives here." I answered.

"Oh, I think he lives around here?" the teenager answered back.

"No. I do not know anyone called Hassan", I replied, and shut the door.

[A new family moved in earlier this year. They are Muslim, but I do not know their names, which exact flat they live in, or if they have a child of the same age who is called Hassan. The children seem a bit younger, perhaps 12 or 13?]


A little bit paranoid, I wondered if these were criminals staking out my flat?

But today's knock was fortuitous, as it came just before the end of my lunch break, and reminded me to get back on the computer and sign in to resume work.

@Trevp666 mentioned what he thought was a strange, possibly criminal incident on here the other day #12,049 that luckily (especially for us as we could all then take the mick) turned out not to be.
But as I said then, it does pay to be suspicious. You have to be these days, unfortunately. The first incident about the blond boy sems especially odd.

 

[Trevp666]

A little bit paranoid, I wondered if these were criminals staking out my flat?

It's not paranoia;
"Paranoia is thinking and feeling like you are being threatened in some way, even if there is no evidence, or very little evidence, that you are."

It is a common tactic used by burglars to establish if a property is unoccupied to knock at the door to see if anybody comes to answer it.
If someone does answer it then it is simple enough to make up some nonsense of some sort.
This is why things like the 'ring' doorbell are useful. You can see who is there, and speak to them, without having to open the door, or even to be at the premises.
So no, I wouldn't say you are being paranoid - it is sensible reaction to unusual callers.

 

[brownmane]

It's because I work in uniform. They don't recognise me when I'm wearing 'street clothes'. I don't think it's face blindness, so much as out of context viewing.

Exactly. People who wear uniforms regularly are often not recognized when wearing "street clothes". In general, I think that people don't really observe that well and only take in a few cues as to how they identify things. When those cues are missing, then that person is not recognized. When you see them out of context, you get a vague feeling that you know that person, but until you can place them, they remain strangers.

 

[Coal]

When you see them out of context, you get a vague feeling that you know that person, but until you can place them, they remain strangers.

I used to work as an travelling apps engineer and if one of my 'regulars' bumped into me at a trade show (obviously recognising me) I'd have a devil of a time placing them and recalling their name. Context has a lot to answer for.

 

[MorningAngel]

We have fox cubs living in our garden. We also have a metal Shaun the sheep and Timmy (of Aardman fame, Wallace and Gromit’s chums). Anyway the foxes rather like knocking over the the sheep.

Now to the strange part. I went to the loo early this morning, there was day might. I looked out and noted both sheep were still up and wondered how long they would stay that way as I could see a couple of the foxes playing. I went back to bed. We have a motion activated camera watching the back garden which gets a lot of the foxes antics. Anyway looking at the camera Shaun was toppled by a fox well over an hour before I had looked out and when it was still dark. Now I’m confused.

 

[WanderingFox]

We have fox cubs living in our garden. We also have a metal Shaun the sheep and Timmy (of Aardman fame, Wallace and Gromit’s chums). Anyway the foxes rather like knocking over the the sheep.

Now to the strange part. I went to the loo early this morning, there was day might. I looked out and noted both sheep were still up and wondered how long they would stay that way as I could see a couple of the foxes playing. I went back to bed. We have a motion activated camera watching the back garden which gets a lot of the foxes antics. Anyway looking at the camera Shaun was toppled by a fox well over an hour before I had looked out and when it was still dark. Now I’m confused.

Was he in the same position in the garden, though? Not impossible Shaun could have been clattered multiple times during the vulpine roughhousing, and finally ended up on his feet again, just a yard or two or three from where he'd originally been.

 

[MorningAngel]

Was he in the same position in the garden, though? Not impossible Shaun could have been clattered multiple times during the vulpine roughhousing, and finally ended up on his feet again, just a yard or two or three from where he'd originally been.

No he was knocked on his side. Plenty of video triggers to show that’s how he stayed. Timmy did get booted back to the right place several days ago.

Now we’ve discovered Shaun’s ear has fallen off

 

[brownmane]

No he was knocked on his side. Plenty of video triggers to show that’s how he stayed. Timmy did get booted back to the right place several days ago.

Now we’ve discovered Shaun’s ear has fallen off

Careful he doesn't become Shaun of the Dead. I love that you have foxes playing with your garden sheep. Foxes are so cute.

 

[MorningAngel]

Careful he doesn't become Shaun of the Dead. I love that you have foxes playing with your garden sheep. Foxes are so cute.

They are very cute but I do wish they would leave the poor sheep alone

Here’s a video of the little ‘darlings’

 

[brownmane]

They are very cute but I do wish they would leave the poor sheep alone

Here’s a video of the little ‘darlings’

They certainly look like they feel very safe in your yard.

 

[Trevp666]

Them foxes are a pain in the brush.
"Mr Roy.....what's that?"

 

[brownmane]

Them foxes are a pain in the brush.
"Mr Roy.....what's that?"

 

[MorningAngel]

These are the sheep in question. Shaun has had some ear surgery. He was left without a head last night but it did keep the foxes away.

 

[MorningAngel]

It looks like the sheep have started fighting back.

 

[IbisNibs]

Oh, I love the foxes! I hope they continue to play in your yard and that in the future they'll bring their own cubs to play there!

My very Minor Strangeness is this:
For work lately I have had to look up strings of numbers that are randomly assigned for billing purposes.
Given that I would tend to notice sequences that have meaningful associations, it still seems like some of these sequences show up more than others, even tho they are not more meaningful or noticeable.
666 shows up, tho' sometimes the sequence is interrupted by a hyphen.
The 3 digits of my brother's birth month and day, which differs from mine by one digit, shows up more often than the 3 digits of my birth month and day.
My father's birth month and day, which has an 11 in it, shows up more often than 911 (as in 9/11, Sept 11, 2001).
The sequence 248 shows up more than 246; 2468 is the start of a generic cheer in the US, so 246 is a sequence I would notice.
248 is also a geometric progression.

 

[Peripart]

Coal and cycleboy2, losing a parent at any age makes one feel strangely orphaned. Late but true sympathy.

It's true. I've also lost my mother this year (dad died 4 years ago), and although I'm in my 50s, and a bit old to be considered an orphan, there's a very strange, empty feeling, as if I've entered a new phase of life somehow.

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

It's true. I've also lost my mother this year (dad died 4 years ago), and although I'm in my 50s, and a bit old to be considered an orphan, there's a very strange, empty feeling, as if I've entered a new phase of life somehow.

Absolutely. I wasn't even close to my parents at all, but my Dad died one year ago at almost 96, my Mum is gone, and it's as if a huge slice of my past is gone.

 

[Coal]

Absolutely. I wasn't even close to my parents at all, but my Dad died one year ago at almost 96, my Mum is gone, and it's as if a huge slice of my past is gone.

I wasn't close to my parents and don't feel bad about it; when my father died, by his own hand, Mrs Coal a sensible and pragmatic woman, asked me how I felt and I said summat along the lines of not feeling as bad as I perhaps should. I'd never had a relationship with him and this just felt like more of the same. She said, “How you feel is how you feel. Don't second guess it by feeling bad about how you think you should feel.”

This said, I'd recommend writing down what you can remember, because there's a time when it starts to fade...and you may be glad of the memory in writing. Plus, it may help you deal with it - processing events is about turning memories that casuse emotions, into memories of how you felt. Writing stuff down can help with this.

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

I wasn't close to my parents and don't feel bad about it; when my father died, by his own hand, Mrs Coal a sensible and pragmatic woman, asked me how I felt and I said summat along the lines of not feeling as bad as I perhaps should. I'd never had a relationship with him and this just felt like more of the same. She said, “How you feel is how you feel. Don't second guess it by feeling bad about how you think you should feel.”

This said, I'd recommend writing down what you can remember, because there's a time when it starts to fade...and you may be glad of the memory in writing. Plus, it may help you deal with it - processing events is about turning memories that casuse emotions, into memories of how you felt. Writing stuff down can help with this.

My Dad was a bad-tempered man who never smiled. He was only happy when he was belittling someone and breaking their spirit.
He hated and detested women, babies, children and animals. And I was the only girl, I had brothers, so it wasn't great. It puzzled me because his sister, my Aunt, was a kind and sweet-natured woman and I was constantly running away to her house.
When I was a teenager, my youngest brother had the misfortune to walk in on my father strangling my mother, my Grandmother put a stop to it. She had had enough and moved back to England a few days later, and I moved out not long after.
Can't really say that I miss those people, except for my Grandmother.

 

[Sollywos]

@Ronnie Jersey I wonder what makes some people turn out like that? Did I read your post correctly that your Grandmother managed to thwart your fathers attempt to strangle your mother? I hope so but it must have been heart breaking for you that she Ieft so soon after

Families eh? I walked home from town the other day via the route that takes me by the old police station and I always take a moment to reflect on my great aunt's (by marriage) brother, who, coatless, on a cold night about 100 years ago walked there from a village three miles away. I was feeling tired with my heavy bags but I think how much worse it must have been for him. He'd gone to give himself up:-

'I've just shot my father dead but I'm not sorry as now my mother is safe'.

My aunt was in the house heard the shot, but didn't see the deed. Apparently this man had also been known to shoot his dog if it didn't do what it was told. When sober he wasn't a bad man and could be very community minded and hard working. Very sad all round. The judge took everything into account and handed the lad a light sentence and he lived the rest of his life very quietly.

Reading your post reminded me off it. I had intented to put it on the 'what have you been doing today' thread but thought it may as well go here because of the connection between him and your brother not quite the same degree but both grim things for them to experience.

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

@Ronnie Jersey I wonder what makes some people turn out like that? Did I read your post correctly that your Grandmother managed to thwart your fathers attempt to strangle your mother? I hope so but it must have been heart breaking for you that she Ieft so soon after

Families eh? I walked home from town the other day via the route that takes me by the old police station and I always take a moment to reflect on my great aunt's (by marriage) brother, who, coatless, on a cold night about 100 years ago walked there from a village three miles away. I was feeling tired with my heavy bags but I think how much worse it must have been for him. He'd gone to give himself up:-

'I've just shot my father dead but I'm not sorry as now my mother is safe'.

My aunt was in the house heard the shot, but didn't see the deed. Apparently this man had also been known to shoot his dog if it didn't do what it was told. When sober he wasn't a bad man and could be very community minded and hard working. Very sad all round. The judge took everything into account and handed the lad a light sentence and he lived the rest of his life very quietly.

Reading your post reminded me off it. I had intented to put it on the 'what have you been doing today' thread but thought it may as well go here because of the connection between him and your brother not quite the same degree but both grim things for them to experience.

Dreadful, but at least his mother was safe. Thankfully the judge understood.
Yes, my Mum was all right, but things were never the same after that. When my Dad passed on, even my brothers, who we never see or speak to, said 'he was not a good man'.
Seems many have undiagnosed mental problems, or violent tendencies.

 

[GerdaWordyer]

My Dad was a bad-tempered man who never smiled. He was only happy when he was belittling someone and breaking their spirit.
He hated and detested women, babies, children and animals. And I was the only girl, I had brothers, so it wasn't great. It puzzled me because his sister, my Aunt, was a kind and sweet-natured woman and I was constantly running away to her house.
When I was a teenager, my youngest brother had the misfortune to walk in on my father strangling my mother, my Grandmother put a stop to it. She had had enough and moved back to England a few days later, and I moved out not long after.
Can't really say that I miss those people, except for my Grandmother.

Oh! Just a startled Oh! is my first reaction, then, I am glad you had you Aunt and your Gran.