Neighbours

[Furtho]

I live in a house on a brand new estate in the western outskirts of OTF's favourite new town, having moved at the beginning of this year. In general we really like living there, although there have been a few problems getting small things fixed by the construction company, who are still on site. Other residents, though, have much more significant things gone wrong with their houses and yesterday evening, a couple of guys were going round putting through letterboxes copies of an open letter that they've written to the builders about how complaints are (not) being dealt with.

I don't want this thread to be about construction companies, though. A few minutes after the letter landed on our door mat, I went out to return a tear-off slip that they'd used as a means of gauging the support of other residents. Over on the corner, there was a group of people who'd all come out of their houses to talk to the letter-writer guys and ended up just chatting together on a warm evening. It felt like everyone was slightly surprised at themselves for having done such a thing, but it was great. In the end we were out for an hour or so, just exchanging house stories and having a bit of a laugh with people that, in typically English fashion, I had previously barely acknowledged in the street.

Given that everyone's in the same boat in having moved fairly recently to the estate, I hope that we're all able to build on the experience, because it made me think that I'd never really been familiar with the idea of close local community. So, this is what I want this thread to be about - neighbours and community. Any good stories, or suggestions as to how these things work successfully?

[EIM]

Neighbours

Other people are cunts.

Lock yourself away, close the curtains, and never entertain the idea of talking to those (probably racist) dimwits again.

[WOM]

Neighbours

One of my 'favourite days ever' was on the day of the big 'eastern seaboard blackout' - August 14, 2003. It was a glorious, sunny, hot day. We barbecued dinner in the backyard and took our 8 month-old daughter out for a long stroller ride. Everyone was doing the same; greeting, chatting, and being neighbourly in that rare shared-adversity way. Others were sitting out on their front porches until late into the evening, saying hello as others passed by. No one had much else to do, what with no electricity, and it felt very 1950s - for want of a better description.

Entirely an un-Canadian experience and one that I enjoyed tremendously and remember vividly.

[EIM]

Neighbours

Then when the power came back on, everyone fucked off home to slag you off. How does that make you feel?

[Furtho]

Neighbours

Other people are cunts. Lock yourself away, close the curtains, and never entertain the idea of talking to those (probably racist) dimwits again.

Generally speaking I'd agree with you, EIM, but in fact the experience of mixing with these "other people" was some distance from being unpleasant. As for their probable racism, get this: one of the letter-writers was foreign. Even Mrs F, who's like, really foreign, was welcomed into the group with barely an eyebrow being raised. Extraordinary, perhaps. But true, I assure you.

[pebblethefish]

Neighbours

I know pretty much everyone on our estate - working shifts in both the pub and the bookies helps there. It's the first time I've been able to walk down the road and be 99% confident I'll have a quick chat with at least one person.

And nearly all of the local kids know that no, I won't go to the bloody shop for them.

[Bruno]

Neighbours

I think I should be allowed to discipline other peoples' kids. It takes a village.

[WOM]

Neighbours

I whacked someone's kid with a rolled up commuter paper when he wouldn't move over to let an elderly woman sit down on the subway. The kid's mother looked at me...then him...then back at her book.

[WOM]

Neighbours

Er...not in the head, like. A quick succession of 'whap whap whap' in the ribs until he shuffled his ass over a foot or so.

[Wyatt Earp]

Neighbours

We know a fair few of our neighbours, which is a thing I wasn't prepared for in Facking Lahndon.

[sw2borshch]

Neighbours

My neighbour on one side is a proper bell end. Constant rowing with his girlfriend - although it's her I hear more of. A squad of twattish mates too. The other side is empty - the lovely family (ah, but behind closed doors...) moved to a big new build as they've got four kids now, but haven't sold their house yet. The bell end's dad owns the shop at the end of the road and is considering making them an offer.

On the other hand, the caretaker from my old school lives over the road from me & we've got a bit chummy recently - he invited me in for a beer before the match a couple of weeks ago, we hung out at the record fair in the town hall crypt the week after, his dog likes me.

So it's a mixed bag, this having neighbours lark.

[Bruno]

Neighbours

I've secured our perimeter, I believe. It's all about regular reconnaissance, sustained vigilance, and carefully monitored stockpiles. Also, your Plan A may be great, but what about Plans B and C?

[sw2borshch]

Neighbours

You have a compound?

[WOM]

Neighbours

The guy across the road from me has the most immaculate house ever and makes mine look a shambles. But he's a dick and his son robbed 14 banks.

The guy on the left makes my house look like a show-home, but he's the greatest guy going; a loud, profane Glawegian who sings at seniors' homes for a hobby.

The guy on the right is a great guy, too. A Trinidadian whose wife passes me homemade roti over the fence. He's a bible banger who has a big virgin mary statue on one of our fence posts.

[Bruno]

Neighbours

To our left: 2 middle aged lesbian cat ladies. To our right: a widowed, retired schoolteacher. Directly across the street: old couple who each take fifteen minutes round trip from the front door to the curbside mailbox and back. Some of you might use that as an excuse to be complacent, but I for one have not forgotten 9/11.

[sw2borshch]

Neighbours

Yeah, ring it.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Neighbours

We know about half the people on our block — the ones we don't know tend to be renters, 'cos of the turnover. There's a forest across the street which means we tend not to have street conversations (but there are no twitching curtains either.) We're especially good mates with them next door and a few others, the rest are just a "hi how are you doing" kind of acquaintance. There are a fair number of kids on the block which we like — they are social conduits, eager to chat and ever willing to feed the cats when we're away. We may have to move soon but would miss everyone if we do.

Apparently Bruno lives in an Agatha Christie novel.

[Hofzinser]

Neighbours

Me and the missus struck up a proper friendship with two of our neighbours (a couple) last year. We regularly went to the pub together, and we invited them to our wedding. They moved to Germany at the beginning of the year, however, and now it's back to the usual London thing of not talking to anyone.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Neighbours

I'm friendly with the girl upstairs, I guess flooding my flat due to a defective boiler creates a bond but I've got more conversations with my ex-neighboors when I lived at my mum back up until the early 90's than the rest. The one below, although it is much calmer now, could dub porn movies in her spare time, particularly when she is banging a bloke who likes to give a running commentary of what's going on...

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Neighbours

I lived for a year in what could have been an Eastenders-style "everyone knows everyone else's business" terraced street in Southgate, in London, but never got to know a single one of my neighbours. Our neighbour on one side, we saw once, in twelve months, when he came round to collect a parcel the Post Office had left with us while he was out. He came round in his dressing gown, at 5pm, grunted a response to my attempts at pleasantries, and fucked off back into his house.

But the village I live in now, in Lancashire, really, really is the TV ideal of "neighbours". EVERYONE knows everyone else, and helps each other out, with decorating, pet sitting, odd jobs, etc. Half the people in the village are related in some way, either through birth or marriage, which helps, I guess, but there genuinely is a sense of "community". The local village pub really is the repository of all gossip, and social activity, even if that mainly amounts to just car boot sales, the weekly pub quiz and local bands playing on Friday nights. But it's nice. A sense of community rocks.

[caja-dglh]

Neighbours

My last neighbor was a crackhead. We didn't chat much. The new one is a psycho and yells at her (rather placid) room-mate all the time, which when he lets you in on a rent controlled lease is a bit shit.

On the other side, they recently got a court eviction. Downstairs there is a woman who lives in the most sad fashion ever, and I never see her save for when a pipe leaks. The only other guy I see in the block is a guy who was hair like a mushroom, wears a Canadian Tuxedo all the time and plays old punk records while getting drunk on PBR at 10am of a weekend.