serendipity

There are some people in life that you hope to never see again, I just spent fifteen hours on a train with a dippy lady in her fifties, who every hour would ask me if she still had her guitar, which was in the over head locker. Don’t get me wrong she wasn’t a bad person (definitely irritating, but not bad), we just didn’t click and that’s a lot of time to spend with someone you have nothing to say to. Then there are people who you meet once but somehow feel like you’ve known forever because conversation comes so easily. I always feel sad when I say goodbye to these familiar strangers.

In Vancouver I met a lecturer called Peter who works in Adelaide but comes from Glasgow. I spent an afternoon full of banter with him as we took a ferry trip on a day with no views (unless you count thick fog as scenic). He’d had a fascinating life worked all over the world as a chef, lived in New York in the 80’s when it had more edge than content. Was on his way to try and see Polar Bears in Nova Scotia. A football fan, supported Scotland for his sins. Anyway I met him and his not so lovely wife again today. I got up early and discover there was a huge food market down on the docks and there he was, a chance in a million. Didn’t get chance to talk for long, didn’t get chance to find out if he saw any Polar Bears but it was lovely to meet again maybe our paths will cross once more in Austria but some how I doubt it.