It's always nice to get emails from strangers - you know, the ones offering you a cut of several million pounds on behalf of a deposed Nigerian prince, the ones that promise you can reclaim PPI on loans you never had, the ones shiftily offering you an increase in certain... dimensions.

This week I received an email out of the blue from a stranger who was offering none of these things. It appeared to be from someone called Anne, who evidently thought I was a completely different David Barnett to the one I actually am.

Anne informed me that she had sent me a long email but wasn't sure if she had the right address as she had been having some trouble with her inbox.

Anne was keen to speak to the other David Barnett, but informed me she had a hospital appointment that afternoon and wouldn't be back until "goodness knows when".

She was, however, going to be passing my place - or at least the place of the other David Barnett - after she had taken Basil for a haircut that morning.

I have no idea whether Basil is her husband, son or Airedale Terrier, but it is to be hoped that his haircut was a success and Anne's hospital appointment was not too trying.

As Anne was intimating that she might call round - after hoping that Freda, whoever she is, was feeling better - I thought I'd better reply to let her know she had the wrong David Barnett.

Later that day Anne replied, and her tone had turned to one of some consternation - perhaps it was bad news at the hospital, or Basil's haircut had not quite gone according to plan.

She quoted my email back at me and demanded: "If this isn't you, what is going on?"

She further added that she was now quite worried that "a stranger" (ie, me) now had access to her email address.

Anne went on to say that she had a lot on her plate that day and didn't want any extra worry. I could only guess at what had gone on at either the hospital or the barbers/dog groomers, or possibly both, and felt somewhat responsible for the added problems piling up on Anne.

So I gently informed her that the only reason a stranger had her email address was that she had emailed this stranger in the first place, and was continuing to work under the misapprehension that I was the David Barnett she wanted.

I said that I hoped she did eventually find the David Barnett she was looking for - she obviously hadn't called in on him after Basil's haircut, though presumably she lives not too far away from the other David.

So far I have not had any further correspondence from Anne. However, I feel somewhat as though I need closure to this and there are too many unanswered questions.

Did Anne ever find "her" David Barnett? Did everything go OK at the hospital? Is Basil now sporting a nice blow-dry? Does Freda continue to feel better? Watch this space...