More strange experiences

Following on from the last post, here are two more recent weird experiences.

Firstly, I was looking out of a window when I saw a long shiny dangling thing, resembling a ribbon, drifting along outside the upper part of the window. Some people seeing this bizarre spectacle will no doubt have been baffled. Luckily, I knew straight away it is my favourite bird – the Magpie - well, it’s long tail anyway. The bird was obviously flying close in to the wall above outside. What others might have made of this bizarre sight, who knows.

Secondly, I was walking along a narrow alleyway when I heard a strange whooshing noise coming from above. I looked around but could see no obvious cause. Then I spotted it! Some 3m or so above me there was a huge sheet of heavy plastic attached to a building. It was being blown by the strong wind so that it was hozontal like a flying carpet. As well as sounding unusual it would have made a strange sight at night. Again, what others might have made of this bizarre sight and sound, who knows.

Would anyone have reported these things as anomalous experiences? I don't know but when people see unfamiliar things they can certainly be misinterpreted. This is the idea behind the word xenonormal - seeing the unfamiliar as anomalous or paranormal. I think, based on experience, that it is such unfamiliarity with rare natural phenomena that generates a great many anomalous reports.