I guess we all remember the old nursery rhyme about the cow jumping over the moon, but I doubt if anyone would ever have wondered what might happen if and when the cow returned to earth. However for today’s oddball story we learnt about the unfortunate Brazilian man who came to an inglorious end after a cow fell through his roof whilst he was asleep in bed with his wife.

The cow is believed to have escaped from a nearby farm and climbed onto the roof of the couple’s house, which backs onto a steep hill on Wednesday night. The corrugated roof immediately gave way and the one-and-a-half-ton animal fell eight feet onto Mr de Souza’s side of the bed.

Mr de Souza’s brother-in-law Carlos Correa told a local newspaper that  “Being crushed by a cow in your bed is the last way you expect to leave this earth.” He went on to say that in his view it wasn’t the cow that killed him, but the unacceptable time he spent waiting to be examined.”

His grieving mother, Maria de Souza, told Brazil’s SuperCanal TV channel: “I didn’t bring my son up to be killed by a cow falling through the roof.”

His wife, and the cow, both reportedly escaped unharmed.

Meanwhile across the border in Mexico a man declared dead in 2010 has just won an election for mayor. It seems that he had been under investigation for rape at the time his family produced a death certificate. Investigations are now under way. Perhaps running for public office is a bit risky if you are trying to lie low!

In the second hour of today’s show I was again joined by Frances Clamp returning to the Chaplain’s house in Brentwood. Although Frances discussed the history of this back in March, this time she looked in a little more detail at the building itself, the chapel and the surrounding land.

Listen again to what Frances had to say here: – Bygones 16th July

Right that’s it for another week. See you next time,

Scott