Who are your neighbours?

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)

Restore

A short time ago I wrote a post Dumb and Dumber relating the silly mistakes this elderly lady made.  Well today I have to say that I can add another to the list.

Yesterday I wrote a blog on The Market and then for whatever reason having published it, it disappeared.  Only after I spent time re-writing the blog did I find out that the post could be restored to the way it was when it was published.  Oh dear.  As my late husband used to say “If all else fails, read the manual”.  So maybe I should have taken some time to find out just what we can do with WordPress.

And today was Neighbours Day here in New Zealand/Aotearoa.  I had heard nothing about Neighbours Day but on Friday I found an invitation in the mail box to A Garage Party to celebrate our neighbourhood on Neighbours Day.  What a good idea.

Our Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown has thrown her support behind the idea of a nationwide Neighbours Day, saying that it would build stronger, more resilient communities. Click here to read about it.

One of my neighbours had picked up and run with the idea. She organised this for our street and we were invited to BYO (bring your own wine or beer) and nibbles to share.  So after I had been to the one only Open Home we had today, with a friend I went to the Garage Party.  The party was held in the street and it was an excellent opportunity for us to get to meet and know each other.

We had a very pleasant hour or so together and what a good idea this was.  This is a small inner city street and as everybody goes in and out of the street by car, we rarely get the opportunity to speak with each other.  I congratulated the woman who ran with this idea and hope that maybe the same thing will happen again in the not too distant future.

And no, Lotte didn’t come.  She wasn’t invited but it seemed that most people there knew of her.

Another helping hand

As you can see, she was left at home in charge of writing a post for the blog.

Nothing makes you more tolerant of a neighbor’s noisy party than being there.
Franklin P. Jones

Related articles

• Calderdale Neighbours Day (neighbourhoodschemes.wordpress.com)
• Neighbours (writemystuff.wordpress.com)