It was in the stars ... our luck was in

SOME years ago, when the National Lottery had just started, my wife and I decided to have a short break in Scotland. We left London on the first leg of the journey and got on to the motorway going north. After driving a few miles, we were idly chatting about what we would do in the next few days. My wife, with a smile, said that in the paper that morning her stars foretold of much luck coming soon.

‘The usual rubbish,’ I replied — before asking what mine had predicted. Apparently, an opportunity would arise and I must take it. How many times have we heard that?

Suddenly, a very large lorry appeared in my rear-view mirror. He was going faster than me and was obviously going to overtake us. No problem.

As he drew level we saw that it was an Eddie Stobart lorry and, as was the norm, he had a lady’s name painted on the side of the cab. It was ‘Marina’, my wife’s name. How about that, we both thought.

But, as he drew away from us, the car following him overtook us as well. ‘Look!’ my wife shouted. ‘What’s wrong?’ I said, thinking something bad had hap- pened. ‘ Look at his number plate,’ she urged. I looked. The letters were CJB — my initials!

We looked at one another, incredulous. What were the chances of that happening?

Straight away I said to my wife, ‘We can’t just ignore this, and as soon as we reach the hotel, I’m going out to buy us a Lottery ticket each.’

We arrived and I did, and do you know what?

To our amazement we didn’t win a b****y thing!

Colin Brown, Tadworth, Surrey.

Follow-up

I WAS interested to read about the sign ‘Gallows Hill’ (Letters).

I was born and brought up in the lovely village of St Stephen’s, Launceston, Cornwall. We had a church, a farm, a school, and a Gallows Hill. Our Gallows Hill was a pretty lane with wild flowers and a stream leading to the woods, where we all played as children. What happy memories, though I wonder as to the history of Gallows Hill!

Mrs P. Royston, Saltash, Cornwall.