The Weird And Wonderful...

[mosaix]

Just thought I'd start a thread where we could recount our odd day-to-day experiences. Neither good nor bad - just a little strange.

My daughter is moving house and yesterday I booked, on-line, a hire-van for the week-end. Normal info was required, name, address etc.

They wanted to know my age. When the pointer hovered over the box a little window opened: minimum age 25, maximum age 999.

Ok, I can understand they would want the more experienced drivers behind the wheels of their vans. But as another road user would I prefer the reaction times of a 24 year old or those of a 999 year old when it came to reaching for the brakes?

[Ursa major]

Perhaps the number, 999, has some other significant meaning.

[Abernovo]

I put a bit of seed out for the birds in the winter. Not entirely selfless, as I love to see them in the garden and they spend a lot of time in my trees, knowing that it's a feeding area.

Anyway, I went outside a few minutes ago, walked up the external steps. As I did so, there was a commotion in one of the trees and the sound of something crashing into a branch. I turned around just in time to see a beautiful female sparrowhawk snatching a sparrow from its perch and fly off with it. It must have been watching from one of the trees nearby, just waiting for the perfect moment to swoop in.

Amazing sight to see from less than two metres away. Admittedly, I might have been an unwitting accomplice in the death of a sparrow, but 'red in tooth and claw' and all that. Anyway, it hasn't affected the other birds. They're back in the tree, ten minutes after shooting out in all directions.

[Metryq]

Abernovo, your story sounds like an anecdote from my sister, who was renting the guest house on a small farm. The owner had a collection of exotic chickens in his coop, and the outside pen had no top on it. One morning while feeding them, a hawk swooped down and snatched one of the exotic birds—a recent purchase, too. He just stood there slack-jawed, helpless to do anything. He later remarked, "It was the most beautiful thing I ever saw!"

[Abernovo]

Yes, Metryq, that's pretty much it. By the time I could have reacted, the hawk was away over the wall. It was a perfect predatory operation. Beautiful and impressive.

[Vertigo]

Mosaix: maybe they figure longevity is just round the corner and want their website to be ready

Abernovo: I live out in the country and I too feed the birds in my garden. The hdege along the back runs along the back of about four further houses all of whose occupants feed the birds and we all use the hedge for the feeders. Result is that we have a local sparrowhawk or two (can you tell the difference between individuals?) who makes regular patrols along the hedge. The birds are wise to him and literally just drop into the hedge when he appears. Still he catches them pretty often though. He can be extremely sneaky in his approach; I have watched him hopping along quietly between my shed and the hedge until just below the feeders and then leaping up before they realise he is there. I just figure I'm feeding the larder birds as well as the smaller ones!

[Mouse]

I had a near death experience yesterday. If I'd left the house a minute earlier yesterday morning, I'd not be here. I almost got broad-sided by a lorry on my way to work. Very impressive squealing of brakes and some nice rubber on the road. Guy didn't even look.

[StormFeather]

I've seen a sparrowhawk in my garden - swooped down and caught a finch just a couple of feet away from my kitchen window. Pretty cool! I too feed the birds in my garden, and I reckon that a hawk is a sign of the local bird population being fairly healthy with all the extra feeding they get . . . the circle of life in the raw so to speak.

Mouse, that sounds dreadful. I've had a couple of close calls, one with a bus (which was my fault, but still too close), and the thoughts, heart racing and gratefulness at still being alive stayed with me for days. I hope you settle soon (and go out! ) Sending hugs your way

[Mouse]

Cheers, dude! I didn't even beep my horn at the guy or anything. And he just waved apologetically and carried on!

[Aaron Stone]

Also had a kinda-near-death-experience, four days ago. While hiking in the mountains, I bent down to examine an oddly-shaped pine-cone. I reach out to pick it up, and suddenly it rolls sideways, and I see a yellow and black blur slither away into the underbrush. I thought nothing of it, though it was rather jolting.

Later that day, I'm back at my lodgings talking to some friends. One of them starts telling me about this extremely poisonous snake that makes its home in those mountains. He describes it, and I realize that that was what I was within two inches of. Yipes!

[Ursa major]

I saw a tour bus today, I believe from Germany, operated by a company called Kollerer.

I wonder whether their customers are encouraged to bring their own water.

(Oddly enough, I'd just bought some bottled water to take with me to Eastercon: I get very dry in hotel rooms, and I don't always want to drink tea or a soft drink.)

[Mouse]

This does not count as wonderful just very, very weird.

Just had the worst, freakiest evening. Been chatting to a guy online and we arranged to meet up today.

I knew something wasn't right before I even met him as I text him asking if we were still meeting, then I tried ringing him twice before I even got out of the car and got no response at all. What sort of person doesn't have their phone on them, or answer their phone, if they're meeting someone for the first time?

So I rang mum and she said he was probably just looking for somewhere to park.

Anyway, so I went into this pub where we'd arranged to meet and there he was, asleep!!

So I gave him a poke and he woke up after quite a bit of prodding and he was sooooo out of it. I thought he was on drugs. He said he was drunk. I could not understand barely a word he was saying. He'd already ordered me a drink - which I didn't want to drink as he could've done anything to it! And he had a whole glass of wine sitting there he hadn't touched.

Anyway, I asked what the drink was and he couldn't/wouldn't tell me. So I had a couple of sips but didn't really want to drink it.

He was quiet for ages so I sort of tried to make conversation but couldn't get anything out of him other than how gorgeous he thought I was. Then he told me he loved me. Then he asked me if I would 'be his'. And he kept grabbing my hands tight and touching my leg and stuff.

Then he started crying - after he'd fallen asleep again for a bit. Then told me I was going to leave him and that he loved me and all this weird stuff.

My adrenalin had kicked in so I had the whole tunnel vision/concentrate on the psycho thing going on. Pretty impressed with how calm I was! I was trying to work out how he was going to get home as I told him he couldn't drive and again, couldn't get any straight answer out of him.

I told him I'd go and speak to the guy at the bar to get a taxi for him and he wouldn't let me go, kept grabbing me and telling me to kiss him. When I asked if he'd driven in, he said no. He said he'd been in town all day (he doesn't live there as far as I know) waiting for me!

I have no idea how he got there or how he's going to get home but I just wanted to get the hell out of there in the end. When I got up to leave he got up too and blocked my way out and grabbed me again, even though I was pretty much yelling at him by then to get off me!

You know, there were two other people sitting there and not one of them helped me. I managed to get away from him, listening to him yell 'f*** off' after me.

Pretty much legged it round the corner cos I didn't want him to see which way I was going. Then rang mum again to say I was coming home. I think the adrenalin dropped away then because I was just shaking like mad.

Really horrible.

[springs]

horrible, and you did the right thing, Mouse. I once read a fascinating article about how our sub concious is better than thinking in these circumstances, and how important it is to listen to it! Well done you.

[Mouse]

Yeah it's like someone else took control of my mouth for a while, the stuff I was saying to him to get him to let me go - all calm (even lost my accent!) was totally not me.

[allmywires]

Mouse, that sounds awful, glad you got out ok. I just came in here to say that last night somebody genuinely used the chat up line, 'What's a beautiful girl like you doing alone in a place like this?' on me. I was so shocked I almost gave him the benefit of the doubt...