General Chat

Mr Owl and I were at my parents yesterday and my dad recounted one of the strangest phone calls he ever had. My sister and her friends were 15 at the time when they get a phone call from my sister she is very drunk and wants picked up. My parents manage to work out which street my sister is in and find her sitting on a bench alone.

My dad walks into the pub and my sisters friends are sitting there. One of them has a credit card at 15 and has been buying drinks all night. My dad asks them if they know where my sister is to which they reply no. My dad says that’s strange as they’ve just picked her up alone and drunk from a bench outside and in a minute he’s going up to the bar to tell him he’s serving alcohol to minors.

The phone call came the following morning from the mother of the girl with the credit card. My dad really ruined her daughter’s night getting them removed from the pub. After all if they want to drink where’s the problem if they’re not causing hassle. Her daughter was paying for it not my sister so what’s wrong??? :-S :-S

What’s the strangest phone call you’ve ever had?

I don't think the phone call was strange, rather the whole situation - on many levels :-0

We just got back from holiday after overnight travel got in bed 4am late FIL rang 7.30 am glad your home have you had good time just said ring you later I was knackered didn't tell him that but thought omg go away
:-D not a fan of young ladies drinking especially under age :-(

I was woken by the phone quite early one morning. Bound to be a wrong number - or worse.
Mothers voice - "are you alright?" caused me to think something awful must have happened with her and dad.
"Yes...... why?" I asked
Mother "it's been very windy, it's been on the news, I had visions of you wandering about in the dark if there was a powercut"
Me "I was asleep"

I didn't ask why she thought I'd be wandering about in the middle of the night :-S

It was October '87

Not a phone call but I lived in charlton south east London and married in 1957 and we lived at hubbies family home as we got gazumumped on a flat a few days before we married


I worked in London so was a commuter

One evening the trains were all over the place from Cannon Street London so it’s was wait and go with it

The train what i eventually got on was stop start all the way and took ages to get to my home station

Just after I got home there was a ring on the doorbell and there was my youngest sister. Mum had sent her to check i was home safely cos she had heard on the news of the Hither Green train disaster :-(

This happened around 56 years ago. One Friday night, just before we were married, OH and I spent the evening watching telly at his parents' home - just the two of us.

We were sat on the sofa when suddenly a photo which had been leaning back on something on top of the telly seemed to suddenly stand upright then flop onto its face. We thought someone had come in, causing a draught. However, we checked all downstairs and no one had entered, nor was there a window open.

We never thought any more about it.

The next morning, OH told me that his Dad had had a message from a Lancashire relative to say that his aunt had died the previous evening.

Yes, it was the same aunt whose picture had flopped forward the previous evening!

I think it's the strangest phone call I've had. :-S

During the closing months of 1988 I used to commute daily from Bournemouth to London catching the 06:30 train. The old rolling stock then in use had a proper buffet where you could get a decent bacon sarnie. The buffet was nr the front of the train.

Just after six am my boss, Julian B-s, rang to say that I would not be able to come in because there had been a train crash at Clapham Junction. So I stayed at home. However if I had ignored his message ....

'On 12 December 1988 the 07:18 from Basingstoke to London Waterloo, a crowded 12 car train made up of four-car 4VEP electric multiple units 3033, 3119 and 3005, was approaching Clapham Junction when the driver saw the signal ahead of him change from green ("proceed") to red ("danger").

Unable to stop at the signal, he stopped his train at the next signal and then reported to the signal box by means of a line-side telephone. He was told there was nothing wrong with the signal.

Shortly after 08:10 the following train, the 06:30 from Bournemouth, made up of 4REP unit 2003 and 4TC units 8027 and 8015, collided with the Basingstoke train. A third train, carrying no passengers and comprising 4VEP units 3004 and 3425, was passing on the adjacent line in the other direction and collided with the wreckage immediately after the initial impact. The driver of a fourth train, coasting with no traction current, saw the other trains and managed to come to a stop behind the other two and the signal that should have protected them, which was showing a yellow "proceed with caution" aspect instead of a red "danger" aspect

As a result of the collisions, 35 people died, and 69 were seriously injured. Another 415 sustained minor injuries.
'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2x0ME7pUug

On the night of the big blow that Island mentions, my mate looked out of her window at about 2am and a bloke went by on a bike.

Sharron, was the wind behind him, therefore, he was unable to stop? :-0

Have to admit to looking out that night, and a shed went by.

I don't think she recognized him so he could not have come from round her way!

...so he could have travelled miles!

I remember the big blow in 87 as it toppled trees near where we lived. I was worried I wouldn’t get to nursery the next day as a large tree had come down across the road we normally took.

Cycling in that would have been crazy.

Back to the original post. Isn't that child abuse,or neglect at least?

My parents were furious Sharron. My sister had her mobile phone taken off her, wasn’t allowed anywhere but home and school for two months and wasn’t allowed to see that ‘friend’ after dark.

The girl was an only child who had her parents wrapped around her finger. They had plenty of money and spoiled her rotten. Her mother wanted to be a friend rather than a parent.

A few years ago, unable to answer my phone , I found that I received around 5 voice mail messages over a 1hr period from a frantic man desperately trying to contact a female.
It was clear that he had the wrong number but, I wasn't entirely sure what to do.

The messages were clear and it was very easy to read between the lines.
There was some sort of affair and the female's husband/partner had got wind of it.
The caller was desperately trying to warn her.

About 5 minutes after the last voicemail, he rang again and this time. I was able to answer.

When I told him that he had the wrong number and I had received the voice mail messages in error, he was really embarrassed.
All he said was " Oh No. You heard all that"?
That's when he realised that the intended person never received any of the messages.

I felt sorry for him