Do Armadillos like Jellybeans? Looks like Andy is willing to try one!
I was listening to a local radio show the other day when the presenter asked the question “Do you know your neighbours?”
A couple of weeks ago we had Neighbours Day here in Wellington and I took that opportunity to get to meet some of my neighbours.
Some of them of course, I had absolutely nothing in common with, some could become more than acquaintances but it seems very important that we at least are on nodding terms with each other.
As I grow older I feel that I might have to call on a neighbour for some assistance some time. I have already when my neighbour took a friend to rescue my car after I had my fall before Christmas. Another neighbour has come over to help move garden furniture. In turn, I have fed a neighbour’s dog and another neighbour and her little girls have taken Lotte for a walk.
According to a recent study in Britain, a quarter of the population don’t know the names of the people living around them and more than three quarters haven’t a clue as to what they do for a living. And many have never even seen their nearest neighbour!
The reason appears to be that we move homes more frequently these days and the growth of social media has left us more likely to stay at home, rather than go out and socialise. Certainly when I was growing up in London my parents knew their neighbours, not as friends but certainly as acquaintances.
So I am going to make an effort to get to know my neighbours, not necessarily as friends but certainly as someone to speak to, to pass the time of day and to offer and receive help as needed.
Do you know your neighbours?
“My neighbour asked if he could use my lawnmower
and I told him of course he could,
so long as he didn’t take it out of my garden.”
Eric Morecambe, 1926-1984, English comedian.
Now Lotte, Andy and I are off to the Hospice to serve lunch. Wonder what Andy will make of the Hospice and what the people at the Hospice will make of Andy! More on this tomorrow.
Related articles
- Everybody needs good neighbours? Many Scots don’t even know theirs (scotsman.com)
- Knock, knock. Who’s there? Dunno: Britain’s disappearing neighbourliness (independent.co.uk)
I choose how I will spend the rest of my life 