Odd things your neighbours do?

[DickyC]

mybrainhurts said:

Oakey said:

DickyC said:

In the 80s I bought a big shabby old house with a large overgown garden. Buying it absorbed most of the money. My neighbour was a very amiable and helpful chap.... couldn't find him. He turned up months later on a golf course in Spain.

Do we have to pay you to hear the rest of this story or what? What happened next?

DickyC woke up and Spain crashed out of the World Cup...

We had moved by the time Bruce went walkabout and heard the story from a relative who lived on the island (Hayling Island - nowhere exotic) so not much more to add. He was an incredibly energetic bloke and did everything at full speed, even relaxing. He'd come home in the summer, light the barbecue, tune the portable radio to the cricket, turn it up to deafening and throw himself into a deckchair. He did this most evenings, weather permitting. I'm fairly certain he wasn't asleep; I think he just had his eyes closed surrounded by smoke and cricket. We were able to buy the house by co-owning it with an elderly aunt. She became terminally ill with cancer in the brief time we kept the scheme going and was bed-ridden. Bruce would come round regularly and attend to her as the neighbourly act of someone who just happened to a doctor. The houses were on Seafront Road facing south with the road and a strip of rough ground between them and the sea. A lot of people exercised their dogs on the rough ground and the road was a race track at night. One evening, watching the television, we heard a screech and a bang sufficiently serious for us to go out and see if we needed to do anything. A car had hit a dog and the dog, a lurcher, was still alive, lying in the road. By the time we got to the road, the driver was out talking to the dog owner and both of them were in shock. Bruce, who had arrived first and announced he was a doctor, was examining the dog. He had a few words with the owner and the driver and walked over to us. He was sideways on to the dog at this time. We talked about what had happened and whether the vet should be called and about the speed limit and then he said simply, "That's it." Out of the corner of his eye, without apparently keeping watch, he recognised the moment the dog died. Sorry I lost touch with him now I think about it.

Edited by DickyC on Tuesday 5th August 13:21

[DaveGoddard]

hairyben said:

Not my neighbours, but pertinent to this... Did an electrical condition report for a ground floor flat 3 weeks ago in willisden, tenants had been out a few weeks and either them or the landlady had presumably emptied the contents of the fridge/freezer into the wheely bin, which is in the front garden with the upstairs flats' bin and which you have to walk past to get to the front doors. The word "stink" doesn't do this justice; several weeks rotting in this heat, the bin was covered in flies and you had to hold your breath to walk past as it was properly vomit inducing, a festival portaloo would "hum a little" by comparison.

Today I'm back and the bin is still rank, lost it's edge *slightly*, still loads of flies and the inset porch where the doors to the two flats are has taken on the rotten smell, it's permeated.

Weird thing is the upstairs neighbours walk past this bin every day, presumably move *their* bins out for collection every week, yet have endured this gag inducing stink for the last 6 weeks rather than deal with it and put someone elses bin out. Bin collectors are too much lazy jobsworths to step 2 feet onto the path to collect it so no-one else is going to do it.

That's just reminded me of something. A few years back I came home from a two week summer holiday and decided to cut the jungle of a back lawn. I got the first grass-boxful of clippings and went over to the brown "organic waste" bin by the garage - what I didn't know is that some old fruit and veg had been left in the bottom of it over the two weeks I had been away. Two incredibly hot weeks I may add.

As I opened the bin to chuck the grass in, the aroma of what had once been old fruit and veg, but was now best described as sludge, hit my nostrils. The stench was so spectacularly putrid that I actually spewed up on the spot!

[hairyben]

DaveGoddard said:

hairyben said:

Not my neighbours, but pertinent to this... Did an electrical condition report for a ground floor flat 3 weeks ago in willisden, tenants had been out a few weeks and either them or the landlady had presumably emptied the contents of the fridge/freezer into the wheely bin, which is in the front garden with the upstairs flats' bin and which you have to walk past to get to the front doors. The word "stink" doesn't do this justice; several weeks rotting in this heat, the bin was covered in flies and you had to hold your breath to walk past as it was properly vomit inducing, a festival portaloo would "hum a little" by comparison.

Today I'm back and the bin is still rank, lost it's edge *slightly*, still loads of flies and the inset porch where the doors to the two flats are has taken on the rotten smell, it's permeated.

Weird thing is the upstairs neighbours walk past this bin every day, presumably move *their* bins out for collection every week, yet have endured this gag inducing stink for the last 6 weeks rather than deal with it and put someone elses bin out. Bin collectors are too much lazy jobsworths to step 2 feet onto the path to collect it so no-one else is going to do it.

That's just reminded me of something. A few years back I came home from a two week summer holiday and decided to cut the jungle of a back lawn. I got the first grass-boxful of clippings and went over to the brown "organic waste" bin by the garage - what I didn't know is that some old fruit and veg had been left in the bottom of it over the two weeks I had been away. Two incredibly hot weeks I may add.

As I opened the bin to chuck the grass in, the aroma of what had once been old fruit and veg, but was now best described as sludge, hit my nostrils. The stench was so spectacularly putrid that I actually spewed up on the spot!

Times that by 6 weeks in our current heatwave and a full height fridgefreezer half full of the usual variety, with the lid closed you could smell this bin from ten feet away.

[John D.]

DickyC said:

mybrainhurts said:

Oakey said:

DickyC said:

In the 80s I bought a big shabby old house with a large overgown garden. Buying it absorbed most of the money. My neighbour was a very amiable and helpful chap.... couldn't find him. He turned up months later on a golf course in Spain.

Do we have to pay you to hear the rest of this story or what? What happened next?

DickyC woke up and Spain crashed out of the World Cup...

We had moved by the time Bruce went walkabout and heard the story from a relative who lived on the island (Hayling Island - nowhere exotic) so not much more to add. He was an incredibly energetic bloke and did everything at full speed, even relaxing. He'd come home in the summer, light the barbecue, tune the portable radio to the cricket, turn it up to deafening and throw himself into a deckchair. He did this most evenings, weather permitting. I'm fairly certain he wasn't asleep; I think he just had his eyes closed surrounded by smoke and cricket. We were able to buy the house by co-owning it with an elderly aunt. She became terminally ill with cancer in the brief time we kept the scheme going and was bed-ridden. Bruce would come round regularly and attend to her as the neighbourly act of someone who just happened to a doctor. The houses were on Seafront Road facing south with the road and a strip of rough ground between them and the sea. A lot of people exercised their dogs on the rough ground and the road was a race track at night. One evening, watching the television, we heard a screech and a bang sufficiently serious for us to go out and see if we needed to do anything. A car had hit a dog and the dog, a lurcher, was still alive, lying in the road. By the time we got to the road, the driver was out talking to the dog owner and both of them were in shock. Bruce, who had arrived first and announced he was a doctor, was examining the dog. He had a few words with the owner and the driver and walked over to us. He was sideways on to the dog at this time. We talked about what had happened and whether the vet should be called and about the speed limit and then he said simply, "That's it." Out of the corner of his eye, without apparently keeping watch, he recognised the moment the dog died. Sorry I lost touch with him now I think about it.

Edited by DickyC on Tuesday 5th August 13:21

[Silent1]

He doesn't know why he went to spain.

[mjb1]

My parent's 'next door but one' neighbour is a bit of a pyromaniac. A couple of years ago he had a bonfire a bit too close to his garden shed and burnt a hole in it. This morning he was having another bonfire, and it took his shed with it entirely. And the garden fence. And another neighbour's shed. Some people never learn.

[joe_90]

We have new Japanese neighbours (been around our house a few times for our kids all to play etc), they are really nice, the bloke goes out to work all day [hes on a working over here with his job for a few years]. However, they always have the curtains draw and never (even in this heat) have any windows open and you never see her going out with the kids in the day (there are 2 parks 5 mins walk away). Most odd, its like they are in the house 24/7/5 until the weekend.

If our kids + others are out the front playing with a water sprinkler etc, I will ask if they want to come out and they do, and are chatty (normal) etc.. I know they used to live in a standard Toyko apartment and they are quite well off, its most odd.. Maybe a cultural thing?

Edited by joe_90 on Wednesday 6th August 15:33

[Alfa numeric]

In my last two years at uni I lived in a terraced house half way up a busy road. At the end was a small block of flats that faced both sides of a t-junction. The top flat seemed to all intents and purposes to be empty- no lights were ever on and the net curtains never moved. How wrong we were.

A bloke on my course worked on the photographic counter in the local branch of Boots. Half way through the last year he told us that the occupant of the flat would come in every six weeks or so with a bag of films, hand the person behind the till a note, then stalk off. The note would explain that he was a secret agent, that the photos were vital to the national interest and must not be discussed or shown to anyone. The following day he’d come in, pay cash, and leave with his photos. Apparently the photos were of people walking down the street, the occupants of busses, cars and even people perusing at the car dealership over the road. Our mate had worked out where the bloke lived after visiting our place one afternoon and realising that he’d recognised us in some of the photos, but never put two and two together.

[Xtriple129]

I think I may be the odd neighbour! I live alone with two dogs, walk them at odd times of the day and night (3:00a.m. 6:00 a.m. frequently) talk to all my neighbours and am friendly with everyone. I think it's the fact I don't sleep that makes people think I'm 'strange' I got seriously injured a couple of years ago and sleep is sporadic and infrequent so I wander around the neighbourhood with two dogs and usually a couple of bags of poo in the middle of the night/morning. Dog on a lead (the other never goes on a lead) and a fag in one hand, walking stick and poo bags in the other

Seems this is wierd behaviour!

Bloke next door is a bit 'odd' even by my standards: hates people parking in front of his house and will rush out to move his if someone vacates 'his' spot (I'm getting a bit like that as well - worrying!)and complains like fk at the slightest noise.

I try, I really do, to be a 'good neighbour' to all around (I'm such a lovely bloke! ) but a few weeks ago I was using the compressor thing in my Mazda to blow up a front tyre with a slow leak. This involved turning the ignition on so the stereo came on... no more than ten seconds elapsed before he was out complaining about the noise I was making! Few days later he apologised...

Yesterday he whinged like merry hell about my dog barking at the postie. He seems to like complaining to/about me, but never says a word about the guy over the road who's dogs bark all day (Steve, good bloke - biker) or his son who plays music in his car at about 195db at all hours of day and night.

I've realised as I've got old(er) that people are strange... except by their own standards, to them, you're the one that's strange!

Oh, and he doesn't like my new car (62 plate Honda) and likes to have at least one car between us at all times like my car has some sort of Japanese germ that will infect his VW - perhaps make his headlights go 'slitty' .

[Fotic]

John D. said:

DickyC said:

mybrainhurts said:

Oakey said:

DickyC said:

In the 80s I bought a big shabby old house with a large overgown garden. Buying it absorbed most of the money. My neighbour was a very amiable and helpful chap.... couldn't find him. He turned up months later on a golf course in Spain.

Do we have to pay you to hear the rest of this story or what? What happened next?

DickyC woke up and Spain crashed out of the World Cup...

We had moved by the time Bruce went walkabout and heard the story from a relative who lived on the island (Hayling Island - nowhere exotic) so not much more to add. He was an incredibly energetic bloke and did everything at full speed, even relaxing. He'd come home in the summer, light the barbecue, tune the portable radio to the cricket, turn it up to deafening and throw himself into a deckchair. He did this most evenings, weather permitting. I'm fairly certain he wasn't asleep; I think he just had his eyes closed surrounded by smoke and cricket. We were able to buy the house by co-owning it with an elderly aunt. She became terminally ill with cancer in the brief time we kept the scheme going and was bed-ridden. Bruce would come round regularly and attend to her as the neighbourly act of someone who just happened to a doctor. The houses were on Seafront Road facing south with the road and a strip of rough ground between them and the sea. A lot of people exercised their dogs on the rough ground and the road was a race track at night. One evening, watching the television, we heard a screech and a bang sufficiently serious for us to go out and see if we needed to do anything. A car had hit a dog and the dog, a lurcher, was still alive, lying in the road. By the time we got to the road, the driver was out talking to the dog owner and both of them were in shock. Bruce, who had arrived first and announced he was a doctor, was examining the dog. He had a few words with the owner and the driver and walked over to us. He was sideways on to the dog at this time. We talked about what had happened and whether the vet should be called and about the speed limit and then he said simply, "That's it." Out of the corner of his eye, without apparently keeping watch, he recognised the moment the dog died. Sorry I lost touch with him now I think about it.

Edited by DickyC on Tuesday 5th August 13:21

It's almost Squatter and the Ant.

[Rude-boy]

Blown2CV said:

i once heard all BMW dealerships are owned by Plymouth Brethren. Not sure how accurate this is, probably zero percent.

I've known a chap who was a BMW dealer my entire life.

If he is a member of the Plymouth Brethren I'd happily join up given the st he's got up to!

[DickyC]

Fotic said:

John D. said:

It's almost Squatter and the Ant.

Here all week.

[Chris Jay]

I have a neighbour who wanders around the street at 5 am in her nightie! Also power slams the doors in the house if she disagrees with other neighbours normal everyday activities.

Oh and more or less accused me of hacking and using her phone because she'd got a large phone bill!!

[Chris Jay]

evilmunkey said:

my next door neighbours are just retired. got to say they are awsome. i come home from my workshop to find my lawn mowed... he was bored and doing his anyway was what he said did a great job. also he had the ladders out and was doing his gutters so decided he might as well do mine too. top folk. got in late last night and they were at thae tail end of a bbq.. saved us a burger each and a rack of ribs bless em. dropped a bottle of grants by today as i know he is fond of a wee drop . feel very lucky to have my neighbours. !!

Excellent, you sir are very lucky!

[CO2000]

My current neighbours are all excellent (& in fact past ones too!) but my Sis when she was in London had a guy who had to get the first space at some flats and if he didn't he'd park on the grass nearer the flats + I had a someone round the corner from my old house that took their tea out to their car to eat every night in the road - most bizzare!

[dazwalsh]

Suppose its a bit sad but I've got an old fella living on my street that stands outside his door waving to everyone who passes both walking or in car, and he will direct traffic out of a T junction too even though there isn't any. His wife died some time ago and the loneliness must have sent him a bit bonkers.

[dazwalsh]

Suppose its a bit sad but I've got an old fella living on my street that stands outside his door waving to everyone who passes both walking or in car, and he will direct traffic out of a T junction too even though there isn't any. His wife died some time ago and the loneliness must have sent him a bit bonkers.

[s2sol]

dazwalsh said:

Suppose its a bit sad but I've got an old fella living on my street that stands outside his door waving to everyone who passes both walking or in car, and he will direct traffic out of a T junction too even though there isn't any. His wife died some time ago and the loneliness must have sent him a bit bonkers.

I don't suppose you live in Tytherington? There's an old boy that does this there. I go past at 7:15am on the way to Swansea and at about 2:30pm on the way back and he's there, rain or shine.

[ooo000ooo]

dazwalsh said:

Suppose its a bit sad but I've got an old fella living on my street that stands outside his door waving to everyone who passes both walking or in car, and he will direct traffic out of a T junction too even though there isn't any. His wife died some time ago and the loneliness must have sent him a bit bonkers.

Opposite a previous house on the top floor of as maisonette lived a guy that looked like a tramp - grizzly adams beard, scruffy clothes etc. He never had the electric turned on, scarey looking bloke that used to stand at his garden gate at all hours. Turned out that although he was reclusive, he was quite friendly. Though when i came in late some nights he would appear from nowhere and scare the crap out of me. Used to buy my kids Ice cream occasionally but not in a pervy way.
One day one of the local feral kids was abusing him, he grabbed him and told him to F off. Of course the kid told his dad a completely different story that ended with the kid getting punched. Kids dad and a few of his mates kicked the guys door in one night and knocked the crap out of Grizzly.
For a few weeks after he was rarely seen then not seen at all.
Eventually someone contacted the police and discovered him dead in his armchair, flat full of flies and not much of him left.
Turned out he had been an accountant, very intelligent man, whose wife had died after a long illness. He'd had a nervous breakdown and lost everything.

[prand]

ooo000ooo said:

Opposite a previous house on the top floor of as maisonette lived a guy that looked like a tramp - grizzly adams beard, scruffy clothes etc. He never had the electric turned on, scarey looking bloke that used to stand at his garden gate at all hours. Turned out that although he was reclusive, he was quite friendly. Though when i came in late some nights he would appear from nowhere and scare the crap out of me. Used to buy my kids Ice cream occasionally but not in a pervy way.
One day one of the local feral kids was abusing him, he grabbed him and told him to F off. Of course the kid told his dad a completely different story that ended with the kid getting punched. Kids dad and a few of his mates kicked the guys door in one night and knocked the crap out of Grizzly.
For a few weeks after he was rarely seen then not seen at all.
Eventually someone contacted the police and discovered him dead in his armchair, flat full of flies and not much of him left.
Turned out he had been an accountant, very intelligent man, whose wife had died after a long illness. He'd had a nervous breakdown and lost everything.

Blimey. That sounds a bit like "To Kill A Mockingbird".

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be free of the "burden" of job, wife and family, but I would imagine as you get older, it's no fun at all, especially if you don't fit squarely with the expected norm.

Edited by prand on Thursday 7th August 11:19