Do you get along with your neighbours?

[stui magpie]

A recent Real Estate.com survey suggests a lot of us don't have much to do with our neighbours anymore.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/noneighbour-trend-national-survey-reveals-we-dont-want-to-get-to-know-our-next-door-neighbours/news-story/64cf0d4128dc6c0ae734dc5d924d469c

For me, I know some of them by sight, will say G'Day if I see them outside, but don't hang out with them. When i first moved here, I was one of a few young couples with kids amongst a lot of old farts.

Now I'm one of the old farts and the ones I'd drink with years ago have moved on, replaced by the next lot of young ones with kids. A few of the old farts from back then remain, they're now antique farts.

So I'll talk to them, I've loaned stuff to the ones across the road (but can't remember their names) but don't have any real community engagement with any of them. I could go 3 months without speaking to any of them.

How do you get on with your neighbours?

[thesoretoothsayer]

Mate, I think you've opened up a can of worms here.
Most people have a neighbour horror story. I won't bother you with the details of mine. Let's just say that when you've got people using your front yard as an injecting room you tend not to be best buds with them.

[stui magpie]

They can be fun. My neighbour down the back is a douche.

Kids had a party one night and he took offence at some peanut throwing stubbies onto his roof so he tried to climb over the back fence into my yard holding a carving knife while yelling obscenities.

[thesoretoothsayer]

From what I see in the news, things like that can end up very, very badly.

[Morrigu]

We have great neighbours both sides and across the road and several houses down as well - know all their names and we always speak and look after each other's places when someone goes on holidays and do simple things like put each other's bins out and exchange cards etc at Christmas.

Good mix of old, middle aged and young uns with rugrats and whilst we don't go to each other's to dinner everyone looks out for each other - it's good not too intrusive but comfortable!

We do have a church behind us and it seems to have a big Islander congregation - they have beautiful voices and on a Sunday when the weather is good and we are sitting out on the back deck we can hear them - just wish they would get some better songs

[think positive]

Still close to my neighbour from our previous house, went to both their kids weddings in the last couple of years, and they always come to our Christmas party. She's god mother to one of my daughters. When we went to Moama with the race car about 18 months ago, we stopped in to see the neighbour of my parents house, we still exchange Christmas cards ,and they are wonderful people.
This next door neighbour rang me before we built,asked me a bunch of questions, and then wanted to know when I was going to pay for the fence. I said I bought the block with the fence, we went back and forth, I said you should have got half the money from the developer, he said they don't pay for fences , I said yes they do but I bought the fence of the next, private, owner anyway. he said "well I hope you don't build there then what kind of neighbour will you be?" I said as nicely as I could "ok if you want to talk further get legal help because I'm done, cheers" I hung up and burst into tears! Rang my best friend and she backed me up! When I got of the phone he rings back and says, "ok I just spoke to the council, seems your right, can we start again?" I've looked after their animals and house when they have been away. So yeah, not bestirs but not enemies. The guy over the back fence is a total douchebag! But I'm polite, say hi, not interested in being friends! The neighbour on the other side of the vacant black is nice, we say hi and have a chat, and so is the guy across the road. Life is too short not to be friendly, but I'm friendly to everyone, it's just my nature.

[David]

We're a bit closer to our neighbours than we'd like, owing to a massive hole in the fence that neither they nor our landlord are willing to pay the repair fee for (I don't care, to be honest; Ingmar on the other hand finds it fascinating). I say hi to them if I see them, and they made a point of trying to introduce themselves when we moved in, but I generally try to avoid them where possible.

[swoop42]

[David]

Yeah, they're a bit weird in ways I can't quite put a finger on. In fairness, they probably think we are too!

[HAL]

I do not understand that allusion.

[ronrat]

I have Germans and Thais. I just want them to be considerate.

[luvdids]

I have the best neighbours ever. We're on a subdivided block, they're behind me.

They've got a 2 year old so I go to their place each Wed to have "Bachelor night" - this started after my friend passed away last year. Were friendly before then but much closer since, she'll text me when going for a walk or to the shops to see if I want to tag along.

Gave them the keys to my house when I was away for 6 weeks!

Have had to call on the husband a couple times for huntsman duties

She came home one day to find her door wide open so called & asked me to go in with her, also to look after the little one when she ducked out to the shops for something she'd forgotten.
(also sent me a video of her little girl on her play phone - asked her who she's talking to & little one said "Christine" nawwww)

Go in for a drink each Christmas Eve & exchange presents.

Bring each others bins in each week (well, since bin day is my day off it's always me bringing them all in). They're now more like friend's than neighbours.

[thesoretoothsayer]

Great post luvdids.

[Skids]

I've lived in the same place for 23 years. Know pretty much everybody in the street on some level.

Most, it's a smile and a wave as they drive or walk by, maybe a yarn if one of us is gardening out the front and the other is walking the dog past or something like that.

Always have a beer with Vic & Marilyn (live diagonally across the road).
Can't get away from Bill (directly across the road).
Neighbours either side are cool.
Frank & Josie (diagonally across, 2 doors down from Vic) are an old Italian couple, Franks been on compo as long as I've lived here.

Love the joint