Buzzy--Bee

How well do you know your neighbours?

Just wondered as I get a feeling people in Oz seem to get to know their neighbours better than people in many parts of the UK - this was certainly the case when I lived in rural New Zealand.

You can answer more than once for each house / country you have lived in.



Buzzy

Jockstar

Ok. Scotland. When i lived at home. We knew most of our neighbours.
London- Not really. Though in Harlsden we knew the woman downstairs.
New Zealand- No
Oz- No
Thailand- I know a few people who live in my condo but not on social scale.

jond

I knew my UK neighbours better than oz, not a lot better bearing in mind that we lived there for 14 years and have only been in this house since April/May.

John

jond

London- Not really. Though in Harlsden we knew the woman downstairs.


I wouldn't go out, let along meet my neighbours if I lived in Harlesden

Deadmeat

Me and "Mr and Mrs Mate" get along like a house on fire. Certainly better than those chavs and wannabe gangsters in Kent.

It does help that we need binoculars to see each other however ...

TeresaG

We know our neighbours reasonably well. We live in a house that has been converted into two flats so there is a family that lives downstairs from us. We don't really know them that well and only have little chats with them in the garden and stuff. We know more about them from the blazing rows they have!! They seem quite pleasant but we dont' really have a lot to do with them.

We live next door to my husbands parents who we obviously know very well. Although I get on with them quite well, I would never recommend living next door to your inlaws! On the side is an elderly lady who lives on her own after her husband died last year. We know her quite well and she is very friendly. She loves having long chats over the garden fence. We don't know any of our other neighbours.

My parents are really good friends with some of their neighbours. When I was a kid and lived at home, we were friends with their kids and our parents all got friendly too. They are still good friends with them and will regularly socialise with them.

NickyP

We had a good group of neighbours and friends when we lived in Nailsea and Trowbridge. It was the sort of thing where we called around for a chat regularly and kids played together etc. Then we moved to Brussels and although we chatted to the neighbours occasionally and they were nice enough people there wasn't that ability to just call around, but that was mainly a cultural difference as things were more formal there in general.
When we first moved to Wangaratta we didn't know our nighbours at all they had no interest in talking to us and we went through our first 4 months in that house never seeing them. Then we moved house and we speak to our neighbours here. They are both very friendly but we are all busy with running kids around and them working so it hasn't gone beyond having a good chin wag on the driveway. We will invite them to BBQs once the weather changes and their youngest daughter is about Sam's age so he knows her from school.
Overall we have found people here to be generally very friendly and most people have the same attitude that we have and are happy to call in or for you to call in for a chat and a cup of tea (or perhaps a beer ) whenever you are around.
Nicky

curly

Know them well - they're my parents !!!!!!!!!!!!!

BadgeIsBack

We get on well with neighbours because they are THE party family in the village. They're actually a tad loud sometimes.

We get on best with a family around the corner, they were surrogate family at one point. Cut short their holiday for the birth of Little Miss. Their daughters adore and idolise my wife and daughter- it's actually very cute. My wife babysits them, and they babysit my daughter when we're all at fire exercises, burnouts or callouts. Their mum thinks my wife is the best mum she's ever met. Her husband knows everything and he's the first bloke I turn to on the subject of anything. He's a really clever bloke. Nice family, loads of integrity, and a real boon to the community.

We're getting to know other young families too quite recently - some are really interesting! One bloke has a PhD! In fact we're getting into village life - we don't have schoolage kids so we're less advantageous in that area.

Australia_bound?

Pity I can't ask my neighbours to take part!
Currently live in a mid terrace so know way too much about both neighbours (thin walls). Don't speak to neighbours on either side :scared: But this is probably as I have to continually put up with their screaming, banging brat 11 year old one side (has a paddy everynight when asked to go to bed sceams abuse at his mum), and the other side who like coming in at 3am and chatting very loudly or when they moved in decided every night for 2 weeks to start sanding floorboards around 8.30pm. Kinda gets on your tits when you have a child under 2 who is a light sleeper! I'd be far more social if I was detached but not gonna happen in UK!

Hutch

Knew both neighbours on either side in the UK extremely well - very good friends with 'em both - maybe it was the fact that we were the only houses on the road and shared the same sewage line (which often blocked) - but we got on well.

Not in our new house yet - but made very good friends with the neighbours here - regard them as good friends - had barbies with 'em, been surfing, swapped baby-sitting duties etc. Don't know the ones on the other side because it's a rental with a pretty high turnover of tenants.

Margaret3

Know my neighbours really, really, well, as its a small cul-de-sac. It was new houses built 11 years ago and we all moved in around the same time, we've had the odd falling our over the kids over the years, but nothing serious.

Will really miss most of them as i consider them good friends, our kids have grew up together and are all more like cousins now

And boy, will i miss the new year parties

A couple of years ago, a few young lads moved in next door and i was constantly nagging them, turn the music down, put yir bin out etc, etc. Then last hogmonay, myself and one of our other neighbours had the cheek to gatecrash their party, we all get on well now , even though they call me mum After the party ittook me a couple of months to have the nerve to face them again, still cringe when i think about my dancing

geordie mandy

i speak to my neighbours but on one side they are alcoholics, who when sober are pleasent enough.

the otherside i talk pleasantries with them but dont really trust them as they have had police raids. :scared:

I usually try to get to know my neighbours but it doesn't always work out
Mandy

gajjitt

In UK - when we lived up North near Wigan we knew all our neighbours, and used to visit regularly and have parties. Moved down south to Surrey, and they hardly knew any of them. Would say hi in the street, and discuss gardening projects perhaps!

In Australia - in the rental we were very friendly with the nosey old guy across the road, in fact still am. Very friendly people. Bought our house literally across the park, speak to our neighbours, but have yet to be invited or have invited them in for coffee. But very friendly.

I must say that both my neighbours now are Pommies (well Scottish on one side). The nosey (but friendly) old geezer was an Aussie, decent guy, helped me build a wall and steps in our back yard.

So it's a bit of a mix really. Definitely less friendly in the south east of England. Knew a friend in Wiltshire and his neighbours were really cool, so not just a southern thing.

Paul

herrchook

We only have a neighbour on one side and they're fab. We've had each other round for dinner/drinks/coffees etc. We will really miss them when we move, but I'm sure we'll stay in touch. We even did a car boot together in the Spring which as great fun.

They're the kind of neighbours who live their own lives, but are very friendly. We've shared the odd bottle of vino collapso and my kids think they're both great. Just perfect really - there when we need someone to share a drink with but not in each others faces.