Tales of the unexpected

On our way to meet friends for lunch we drove past a lovely farm shop, crates of fruit and veg laid outside, a red and white striped canopy to keep the sun off them.

We were running late and the pub was just a mile up the road so I said we ought to call there on the way back.

Never did find it again.

In 1984 I was staying at a friend's house in the Suffolk countryside. I decided to go out for a run on a beautiful sunny afternoon and was jogging along a long stretch of road with fields on either side. There were no cars or houses around me. I became aware of a presence behind me and looked behind me. About twenty feet away was a cyclist on a racing bike. He had blonde hair and wore glasses. He was dressed in a tee shirt and shorts. I looked forward again and waited for him to pass me but he didn't. I stopped and walked back along the road but he definitely wasn't there and he couldn't have turned off as there were no side roads or paths.

There’s so much we don’t know or can’t explain, my feeling is that I don’t know if there’s a life after this one, I personally have had one experience whilst in hospital very ill. I know it happened, but when I told my close family they said it was imagination due to meds. I know it wasn’t so I never mentioned it again.

It was a nice (but disconcerting for me) moment. She was very happy though which was a blessing.

Oh dear, poor little girl, that made me feel so sad. What an awful time for you all. I'm so sorry.

Thirty years ago my brother in law died in an accident. It was a terrible time. My little niece, his daughter, then aged two was in the back of my car one day shortly after. While parked at the kerb she looked out the window and began to smile and wave. I looked to see who was there but the pavement was empty. I asked her who she was waving to and she answered, 'My daddy'. She was very happy to see him.

No I'm not. I come from Oxford and live just outside a village in Wiltshire. I've been to Scotland which I loved but I'm not Scottish.

Jaberwok, are you scottish ?

Like you, Aldom, I didn't tell anyone and I certainly wasn't afraid, (I don't think I would have been believed!) I did tell my mother years later and she was fascinated . How strange though that you saw your lady often, and that your brother saw her too! Mine was a one off but I certainly never dismiss anyone who has an unexplained experience, and I'm sure you don't either. I was 13 at the time.

I love these gentle "time slip" stories - they are generally benign.

Jaberwok I'm also 80. I think i was 7 or 8 when I used to see the Victorian lady.

I had a weird eexperience when I was at school way back in 1956! I boarded at what was once a Priory, which dated back to the 12th century. It was cold (February) and we were all in bed, and I was SO cold and just couldn't get warm, so our dormitory captain offered me her hot water bottle. ( we younger girls weren't allowed to have them??!!) which I gladly accepted, D.C then, as I thought walked from her bed,stopped for a second at the end of my bed and looked at me which I thought was odd, before going to the basin and as I thought started to fill the hwb and then she seemed to sort of disappear. After a few seconds I asked her for the bottle, and she replied, to hang on and that she hadn't even got out of bed yet!! At that moment I began to feel warm again and cancelled the bottle! Who I saw and why goodness knows, I've never had that or any other similar experience before or since and I'm 80 now! But I've never forgotten it.

As a child sometimes an unknown old lady tucked me up in bed. She wore a long black dress and had white hair, worn in a bun. She was a loving presence so I felt no fear. I told no one of her visits, until many years later on the morning of my mother's death.
My twin brothers and I were reminiscing about our childhood. I told them about the old lady. My brothers had slept in that same bedroom after I had moved to a smaller room. One of the twins looked astonished and said, 'Did you see her too?' So, years apart, two children from the same family were tucked up in bed by a lady, who from her appearance was a Victorian lady. This would have happened during the 1950's. I have no explanation, but we both saw her. I've never forgotten her.

I believe my mother had a sixth sense. After the weekly visit to her in-laws, on returning home, when the door opened, she said there was an overpowering scent of flowers. She had a sense of foreboding and her father in law died that night (after dangling me on his knee. I wasn’t a hefty baby!)
She hated lilies and their scent and passed that on to me.
,

Yes Delila my husband heard me saying that we would visit the shop next time we had a free moment. I even said it was odd being just out of the town. 🤔

Glad I’m not the only one who things happen to.

Many years ago..when our children were young...we had sailed back from France and decided to visit Oxford...as H was driving along...I could see a lady dressed in dark clothes, riding a bike...I told H to be careful as he wasn't leaving enough space to pass her..H said "what bike..there isnt one...our middle son shouted from the back "yes there is dad,shes right in front of you"....but she disappeared....or she was never there? But two of us saw her...really strange..

I am fascinated by stories like these….more please.

There are more things in heaven and earth Horatio than are dreamt of by your philosophy.

In my case it was a pub, we actually walked past one day on holiday with friends.It was on the main street of a town and looked nice so we noted the name. The next day we went back at lunchtime and it simply wasn’t there.
On asking about it in a nearby shop the assistant said there used to be a pub of that name but it burned down years before and was rebuilt as a W.H. Smith.We were stunned.
Bit like your story NotSpaghetti.
Timeslip?
We don’t really know how time works.

What does your husband remember - for example does he remember you pointing out the antique shop that day?

Have you experienced anything unexplained?

We only drove one way to that town and exactly the same way back.

The shop was open with items outside including a broom, coal scuttle, etc I think.

There was a shop either side of it and they were all set back in a little off road facing the main road.

I will see if I can find any old pictures of the town.

I thought to myself at the time ‘I wonder how much trade they get being just outside the shopping area’.

I wish there was a logical answer.

have you googled antique shop and the town where your daughter lives to see if anything comes up? it could be on a different street?

That's strange. How would you know there was an antique shop there?

I once drove by a wonderful hardware shop, the outside was a wonderful display of mops, brushes, buckets etc.
It looked like a treasure trove of life changing goodies!
I expected to see Arkwright outside in his buff overall.
I was in the area for work and couldn’t stop but vowed to return.
I’ve never found it.