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Things that turn up in weird places ages after you lost them.

(81 Posts)
Witzend Mon 21-Jun-21 11:43:14

I just remembered this - one of the two small and very thin remotes for our radio/hi fi - one of which is nearly always on the dining table, which is my ‘office’ and craft space.

It vanished for months on end, so after looking everywhere I could think of, I assumed that it had somehow been gathered up with newspapers (also often on dining table) and chucked in the recycling bin.

That is, until shortly before last Christmas, when I started wrapping presents. Leftover Christmas paper lives in a big bag in the loft, with a smaller bag containing ribbons, tags, sellotape, etc.
Lo and behold, the missing remote was in the ‘tags’ bag! That’ll teach me to be more careful when tidying up - it must have been me.

2nd was less explicable - a silver claddagh ring a dd had been given. She wore it a lot and was upset when it was lost.

At least 2 years later it turned up - black with tarnish -not in, but actually behind one of my deep saucepan drawers, after I’d taken them out for a proper clean - a rare enough occurrence!

How on earth it ended up there I will never know - I don’t think we’ve got a poltergeist.
I’m sure some of you will have even weirder ones!

Alioop Tue 22-Jun-21 14:00:18

I took the dog a walk the other week, got home and couldn't find my fob to open the garage door to get in house. I had my front door key on my car keys so tried them, but I'd left keys in the inside of the door so they wouldn't turn. I ended up sitting in the car shouting, which turned to crying and then in temper I pulled the car apart to find it stuck between my seatbelt buckle and chair. It had been put in my drinks holder, so hadn't a clue how it got there. I blamed the dog cos I wouldn't be so daft. Yeah right!

Kali2 Tue 22-Jun-21 13:33:22

Anyone in Bognor? In 1970 I lost a 18c graduated rope gold chain on the beach. It was a present for my 18th from my grandmother. I would love to get it back- pay for it back with pleasure.

What is the local newspaper so I could put an ad. or letter in there and see if miracles do happen?

Ilovedragonflies Tue 22-Jun-21 13:30:21

When my youngest daughter was very little, we went to the beach at Sea Palling. It was a grey, windy day and we were the only people on the beach. She had with her 3 of her favourite little (think 2 inches long) doggy toys and played with them in the sand for ages. We then went for lunch in a little cafe just outside the beach area.
Cue much crying halfway through the meal as she no longer had them. We retraced out steps. One was halfway up the small hill to the beach, another was just at the edge of the sand but the third was nowhere to be seen. We went back to roughly where we'd been sitting with me not believing for one second we'd find it because it was quite windy and sand was blowing everywhere. I bent down, ruffled the top layer and there it was! She still has them and she's now 20! They're her lucky charms!

Lindaa4 Tue 22-Jun-21 13:28:44

Not mine, but a random picture!

Kali2 Tue 22-Jun-21 13:20:39

Lost a pair of glasse 2 years ago and looked everywhere for them. They did turn up when I turned out one of our composts- intact.

OH has been going on for 2 days about me misplacing his favourite rain jacket. On and on ... he just found it, nicely folded at the bottom of his rucksack. He did apologise, so that's OK.

Shan54 Tue 22-Jun-21 13:15:29

I’m the same as many of you. Things have disappeared from the place they’re kept and turned up in another completely different place, no rhyme nor reason as to why/how they’ve got there, or conversely back in the right place, even though it’s been checked many times.
My thoughts are - when there’s no explanation, it’s my spirit family aka Mum and Dad. These things have only happened since they passed over. Spirits like to be mischievous sometimes, and it’s also another way of letting you know they’re close by. hmm

Daftbag1 Tue 22-Jun-21 13:10:43

I lost my son, several decades ago! I went home after going out to buy some essential item, with my daughter then 4, & my son about 6 months. I got home, started preparing dinner and wondered where I'd put said essential item, and THEN realised that I couldn't find my son either.
This was in the era of big prams with shopping trays when we would go in to the shops leaving baby in pram outside. And yup! He was still happily sleeping in his pram outside the co op! My only excuse was lack of sleep!

beth20 Tue 22-Jun-21 12:56:29

My aunt once put her rimless glasses with gold earpieces down on her white and gold lacy bedspread - we knew exactly where they were but it still took us a good half hour to find them!

SueDonim Tue 22-Jun-21 12:30:14

A story from a friend. She lost her purse and had to cancel the cards etc. Then a while later she was making dinner and there was her purse - inside her salad spinner! confused

OldHag Tue 22-Jun-21 12:25:26

I once lost my mobile phone, I'm rubbish with them anyway, so no surprise really. We searched everywhere but no sign for months, then one day I put on a pair of jeans that I hadn't worn for a while and there it was, in the pocket! I could have sworn that I'd checked my jeans pocket, but the only thing I can think of, was that I checked the jeans that I wore more often. Of course by that time, I'd had to buy a new phone, as while I hate them, I can't be without one, for fear of an emergency when I'm out.

Theoddbird Tue 22-Jun-21 12:20:45

I have a habit of putting things in 'safe place'. I can never remember where they are though. I have been looking for my vacuum charger at the moment. Been looking for weeks.... I live on a narrow boat so not many places it can be....

Aepgirl Tue 22-Jun-21 12:20:12

Witzend you’ve made my day. I have ‘lost’ a small leather ‘wallet’ containing my bus pass and my old folks railcard. I have searched everywhere it could be, and everywhere it has no business to be, and I’m still hoping it will just pop up one day. I was only thinking the other day that I could possibly have packed it away with my Christmas decorations - won’t know until the beginning of December.

bluelord Tue 22-Jun-21 12:12:08

I had a Parker pen set when I left a job years ago. The ink ran out eventually and I put it on a table in the spare room. When I went to get it, there was no sign anywhere. I gave up looking for it. About 2 or 3 years later, it appeared on the same table and worked for many months.

ninathenana Tue 22-Jun-21 11:35:23

Mum had dementia an she lost her rings which were kept in a jewellery box in her bedroom, as they had got too loose.They disappeared and I searched for weeks and was so sad that they couldn't be found. One day I went to the box for something else. There in full view were the rings, of course mum was unable to tell us where they had been but I would love to know.

grandtanteJE65 Tue 22-Jun-21 11:30:53

About this time last year the knife I use for peeling vegetables disappeared.

I searched everywhere in the kitchen, emptied the kitchen bin and then the compost bin, then the outdoor bins and raked over the compost heap.

No knife.

Asked DH to keep an eye open for it (vain hope, but I was desperate.)

Finally bought a new paring knife.

Just before Christmas we were both in the kitchen. I noticed DH was using my lost knife. Asked where he found it.

He said, "It was just lying here on the table"

I assure you it had not been lying there for six months. I still have not found out where it had been.

And no, DH does not " just borrow" the nearest kitchen knife.

Humbertbear Tue 22-Jun-21 11:21:14

Grannysyb you give me hope. I have lost a key ring with my car key, house key and mother’s house key. I know it is in the house but where oh where?

harrigran Tue 22-Jun-21 11:04:45

A few years ago, when GD was small, the front door keys disappeared out of the lock. The door was locked so I could not open the door to callers, had to open the music room window and speak to them.
The whole of the music room was fashioned into a den with sheets from the top of the piano across the room and secured to the hi-fi cabinet. I told GD we would have to dismantle the den as it was almost time to go home, I lifted the piano stool lid where a bit of sheet was caught and lo and behold there was the large bunch of keys.
I have often found items in the toy boxes so always check them but that was a new one for me.

inishowen Tue 22-Jun-21 11:01:50

I'm always losing socks. Recently when changing the duvet cover I found a collection of socks inside.

Years ago when we had dustbins with lids, our lid blew away during a storm. A year later we had another storm and the lid appeared back beside the bin. I can only assume it had been stuck in a tree all that time.

Finally I bought a secondhand car and found a claddah ring under the fitted mats.

Secondwind Tue 22-Jun-21 10:52:58

I have an earring story, too.
I had some gold studs in and was at my daughter’s home. My grandson was playing with an oversized clothes peg and pretended to clip it on my ear. I only discovered that it had removed my earring when I noticed the back of it in my lap. We hunted high and low for the earring - in my clothes, in the chair, in the peg and all over the floor Nothing. Fast forward to about ten days later. I was coming down the stairs at my own home, when I noticed something on the carpet - my earring! I’d travelled home, had many changes of clothes, hoovered several times and goodness knows what else. It was in a very obvious position, so it couldn’t have lain there long. I have absolutely no idea how it got there, but was very glad to have it back!

Quizzer Tue 22-Jun-21 10:44:43

Years ago we lost a set of house keys - absolutely nowhere to be found. About 2 years later we found them, along with a selection of toy cars in a tall vase of pampas grasses which stood in the porch. The cars seemed to implicate that our grandson might be the culprit!

Evoha16 Tue 22-Jun-21 10:08:45

Recently I lost a Pearl from earrings I bought for our daughter’s wedding - searched high and low and assumed it must have come off when I removed my mask. I was v irked - however I was watching Prince P’s funeral and was quite teary when I saw the poor Queen - leaned over to grab a tissue and there under the tv was my pearl - obviously hidden in plain sight ??

bikergran Mon 21-Jun-21 21:09:31

Ive had to buy another fitbit thingy(cheaper version) as I lost the little adapter you charge it with. No doubt it will appear very shortly.

Also does anyone know where my keys are? second set I've mislaid! they have a pink panther toy on , house keys and my dads allotment keys for the gate, the shed and his garage, I kp having to borrow! his keys and he kps saying "where's yours we had cut"?? I just say ohh I've left them at dds

They have been lost about 3 months now, on Sunday night I actually dreamed they were under a green box at the bottom of my wardrobe, got up early emptied the wardrobe convinced they would be there! alas nooooooooo..

I have asked St Anthony many times but he/she must be soooooooo busy.

Marydoll Mon 21-Jun-21 20:25:31

I have found the missing Fitbit beside the phone in our bedroom, where I have looked at least half a dozen times. I swear it wasn't there, earlier. Own up, who put it there????

SueDonim Mon 21-Jun-21 19:28:22

First place for us to look for things is my daughter’s house. An awful lot of her kitchen stuff seems remarkably identical to mine. grin

We also had a reverse lost item. After a holiday abroad I did the unpacking and discovered a bra that didn’t belong to any of the womenfolk in the family. We stopped off at a relative’s house on the way home and did a small wash in their machine to tide us over the long journey to Scotland. I assumed the bra must have been either my sister-in-law’s or my niece’s so I posted it back to her.

I received a very puzzled message from her as to why I was sending her underwear, because it wasn’t theirs either. To this day, I have no idea how we acquired it and some woman somewhere is maybe still pondering on what happened to her nice bra.

lemsip Mon 21-Jun-21 19:08:58

I always say look where you 'know' you wouldn't have put it because it will be there.... Always tell my sons that when they say 'I wouldn't have put it there' go through everything, you will find it.
found my keys in the freezer once.. I knew I wouldn't have put them there but there they were. I must have scooped them up off the worktop with frozen veg for freezer.