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I moved into my rented house sometime in September last year, its a small close with just 15 or so houses.
I have not had a chance to speak to the neighbours much as I have been busy, but have nodded and exchanged "hellos" on occasion - especially in the snow
I was outside replacing the top hose of my radiator and struggling to get the final clip off with the rubbish tools at my disposal at the time. I was about to give up and wait until the following day when Halfrauds or the likes opened again, when the chap across the road, older guy retired, popped out of nowhere and not only lent me the tool to do the job, but gave me a hand finishing off and correct a small mistake I was about make as well!
Top marks to him, I did not think this sort of thing happened any more - especially not in the South East
Glad to see some of the stuff my parents believed in still happens
I have not had a chance to speak to the neighbours much as I have been busy, but have nodded and exchanged "hellos" on occasion - especially in the snow
I was outside replacing the top hose of my radiator and struggling to get the final clip off with the rubbish tools at my disposal at the time. I was about to give up and wait until the following day when Halfrauds or the likes opened again, when the chap across the road, older guy retired, popped out of nowhere and not only lent me the tool to do the job, but gave me a hand finishing off and correct a small mistake I was about make as well!
Top marks to him, I did not think this sort of thing happened any more - especially not in the South East
Glad to see some of the stuff my parents believed in still happens
Lucky you....I have been in my drive (eight houses in total) since last Aug.
The neighbours at the end had a 25th wedding barbie last week....everyone was invited except us
And then the other day I got timber delivered for a new fence....not one of the male neighbours offered to help me carry it in....but were quite happy to stand and watch!
Last time I send them a chrimbo card, take out/in their bin, put salt down during the winter or pick litter off the drive
The neighbours at the end had a 25th wedding barbie last week....everyone was invited except us
And then the other day I got timber delivered for a new fence....not one of the male neighbours offered to help me carry it in....but were quite happy to stand and watch!
Last time I send them a chrimbo card, take out/in their bin, put salt down during the winter or pick litter off the drive
TheCarpetCleaner said:
Blue Meanie said:
Of course it happens... Life is not like you read in the papers.
You don't live round these parts, do you...
Our road isn't too bad, we get on with the others and the oldies over the road let us know if bin collection has changed (Being in the house on my own at 20 I miss the letters they send to tell us) so thats helpful!
Its a great feeling isn't it.
When i moved into my place many people told me not to as the area is a BNP type place and i'll get problems (being a brownie). Granted when i moved in a few of the neighbours where a little iffy, more curious reallty but they soon got used to seeing me 'trying' to tinkle with my cars, i had the odd hello nod but nothing much. Come Christmas i sent a card out to all four neighbours either side of me and that was about it. No cards back (that i can remember anyhow) so i just thought 'why bother'.
However! When my son was born a lot of neighbours came down my house and put silver coins (5p, 20p, etc) in his little baby hand. I thought it was strange until someone told me that an English custom is to give a new baby a silver coin with the general thought being that it brings good luck/wealth etc. WOW, i was gobsmacked, i nearly welled up. It was a very touchy thing to me.
Now we all get on great, i try lending a hand where possible and vice versa.
When i moved into my place many people told me not to as the area is a BNP type place and i'll get problems (being a brownie). Granted when i moved in a few of the neighbours where a little iffy, more curious reallty but they soon got used to seeing me 'trying' to tinkle with my cars, i had the odd hello nod but nothing much. Come Christmas i sent a card out to all four neighbours either side of me and that was about it. No cards back (that i can remember anyhow) so i just thought 'why bother'.
However! When my son was born a lot of neighbours came down my house and put silver coins (5p, 20p, etc) in his little baby hand. I thought it was strange until someone told me that an English custom is to give a new baby a silver coin with the general thought being that it brings good luck/wealth etc. WOW, i was gobsmacked, i nearly welled up. It was a very touchy thing to me.
Now we all get on great, i try lending a hand where possible and vice versa.
Blue Meanie said:
Before I moved to the states, we used to have 'mass BBQ's' when the sun came out, and we all knew each other by name, etc. Maybe being odd is a SE thing?
I would say so - my family is from the north and it is very friendly up there by comparison.The south east is full of very rude angry people.
So I fit in well
The amount of times I have gone to help someone where others have just walked by is phenomenal down this end of the country. I once walked past a guy in a multistory car park with a flat tyre on his car, his jack on the floor looking confused. I helped him replace the tyre and he said he had been there for 25 minutes and noone had batted an eyelid - busy time as well so plenty of people around.
Out of the 20 houses in my street I knew about half the residents quite well, popped over for drinks, BBQs, Still in touch with several of them now, went to their weddings etc. however over the 9 years I've been here pretty much everyone has been replaced with 6 month rental tennants, a gay couple that are pretty hermit like and never seem to be around, a polish guy who is really nice, but his wife is proper scary so I steer clear most of the time and some social services scumbags, less said the better.
So it's definitely not me, just seem to have an odd/rubish bunch at the moment.
This is in Basingstoke by the way, stupid thing is PHer ZR1cliff lived around the corner from me for years and I never went to say hello or blag a passenger ride in his vette,
so maybe it IS me being rubbish!
Used to live in an area where they had an annual BBQ where they just parked a couple of cars at the end of the street and blocked the road off, then everyone brought some food out and we all tucked in. And that was in the South East.
This area I know my neighbours to talk to and that, say hello etc. but no socialising (but then we live in a street where the average age is possibly around 70 (excluding us)).
This area I know my neighbours to talk to and that, say hello etc. but no socialising (but then we live in a street where the average age is possibly around 70 (excluding us)).
TheCarpetCleaner said:
Blue Meanie said:
Before I moved to the states, we used to have 'mass BBQ's' when the sun came out, and we all knew each other by name, etc. Maybe being odd is a SE thing?
I would say so - my family is from the north and it is very friendly up there by comparison.The south east is full of very rude angry people.
So I fit in well
The amount of times I have gone to help someone where others have just walked by is phenomenal down this end of the country. I once walked past a guy in a multistory car park with a flat tyre on his car, his jack on the floor looking confused. I helped him replace the tyre and he said he had been there for 25 minutes and noone had batted an eyelid - busy time as well so plenty of people around.
I did something similar recently when I saw an elderly couple trying to change a wheel in the pissing rain. The only other onlooker was a traffic warden standing in the bus shelter typing their car reg into his ticket machine and looking at his watch
. It's a sad reflection on current times that the first thing the old boy said was 'I've only got a tenner on me' thinking I was after money for helping him 
I changed his wheel in a couple of minutes and led them back to my house (just round the corner) so they could dry off and have a cuppa. I saw him a week later when he knocked to ask if I'd be a witness that he had broken down in the no parking area; he'd received a £60 parking fine For every one of us there's some real evil b
ds out there!my communitys terrible. Full of drug abusers,alcoholics and general down and outs.
Was out tidying my garden today so it can be cut next week, and the new people that are moving in above me stood on their verandah and watched me tidying..then ficked their fag ends into my garden!! I was fuming!
Ive also been verbally assaulted at my front door by neighbours from across the street,neighbours on top floor stopped talking to me after i helped them with alot of things.
Usually when the sun is out all the kids are out playing (live in a cul-de-sac) and all the mums sit on the stairs bleathering etc. There is a few i get on with ok, and i talk to my nextdoor neighbour (we grew up together) and help her if she needs it, but other than that i keep myself to myself and dont talk too much
Was out tidying my garden today so it can be cut next week, and the new people that are moving in above me stood on their verandah and watched me tidying..then ficked their fag ends into my garden!! I was fuming!
Ive also been verbally assaulted at my front door by neighbours from across the street,neighbours on top floor stopped talking to me after i helped them with alot of things.
Usually when the sun is out all the kids are out playing (live in a cul-de-sac) and all the mums sit on the stairs bleathering etc. There is a few i get on with ok, and i talk to my nextdoor neighbour (we grew up together) and help her if she needs it, but other than that i keep myself to myself and dont talk too much
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