Magic Numbers

[Richard Waller]

My bedside has a digital clock - don't all bedsides? When I wake there are some numbers on the display that seem more friendly than others:

Identical numbers - 1111, 444 and perhaps things like 611 or 455
Serial numbers - 1234 and perhaps 654
Mirror numbers - 5 and 2
Bingo calls - 13 Lucky, 88 two fat ladies, 66 clickety-click, 11 legs
69 and the same thing the other way up 96
If we had a 24 hour clock we could have 2005, or 1931

But quite often I fall asleep as the magic number approaches and I wake up when it has passed. Shall I set the alarm?

Or should I get a life . . .