Surprise stop: Some police officers in Quincy, California (US) decided to have a little fun. Recognizing that getting stopped by the police is not something most motorists enjoy, these officers decided to do something to change that. They pulled over a number of vehicles, then counted the people in each vehicle. Asking the occupants to wait, the officers went back to the police cruiser for a minute then returned with not a speeding ticket – but enough ice cream treats for everyone in the car! It was a happy encounter for all involved.

Where buffalo roam: When walking down the street or waiting patiently at a bus stop in Sydney, Australia, people do not expect to witness water buffalo wandering around in traffic, but that is exactly what happened one morning when two of these beasts got away from a film set in a park not far from the University of Sydney campus. Witnesses immediately called firefighters for assistance who arrived on the scene to find the animals starting to get agitated. The firefighters managed to corral the buffalo, then called the handlers from the film set to come and get them.

Long journey: During a cross-country trip, a group of long-distance cyclists in China acquired an unexpected team member in the form of a little brown and white dog. The dog, who was eventually named Xiao Sa, joined them after one member tossed some food scraps to it. This encouraged the dog to stick with the group, and it did so for 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometres) over a 24-day period. The cycle route included 12 mountains located in high elevation territory. After the trek, Xiao Yong, one of the cyclists, adopted the dog, giving it a good home and all the rest it needed after its long journey.

Road cone hat: When road repairs are taking place, it’s not unusual for drivers to see orange and white road cones set up to divert traffic around the construction hazards. However, what is unusual is seeing a road cone on a cyclist’s head, which is what drivers in Christchurch, New Zealand, are noticing these days. This new road cone is actually a hat knitted by Sandy Turner. She created her new topper for fun and to, hopefully, extract a few laughs from passersby and it worked! She has received lots of happy responses from drivers tooting their horns when they see her riding her bike in her road cone hat!