Uncle Tony & Christine – got in my hair a bit when I was trying to get homework done as a teenager but all in all an OK bean. Christine’s lovely.
Barley (Herts) the lovely couple who lived in the house whose loft I was renting
Folkestone – a million ferry employees then a Chinese Rock fan
Dover – a lunie ex-con
Stockport – insane
Finally Alty – a couple with a cute kid and a lovely single girlie the same age as me with a great voice. Our walls were so thin we could sing together. A close shave as I nearly bought next to the neighbour from hell, his nine kids and violence problem.
Cheshire village with hubby – nice old couple who read the Daily star (as we found out when we came to pack up our house) and nice people the other side – who cares in a detached anyhoo?
Our first place here – people who kept themselves to themselves
Now – the strange ones to the South (VERY private), Bill’s elderly father to the North and Pauline and David to the East
(some names changed to protect the innocent)
Then last week a rift opened in Paradise when Pauline and David announced they were moving out to the city so that their 16 year old Elaine doesn’t miss out on her social life (or ride home with drunk drivers down our windey road). Fair enough but we will be so so sorry to see them go. She is a homeopath who works from home and David is on the Canadian board of Amnesty. They have been together forever and just exude the kind of good karma that everyone needs to be around. David has some wonderful stories to tell and he frequently writes about them in the local paper but he never sticks it down your throat. When you meet him he’s just a nice, genuine caring guy and is fascinated by other people.
On Christmas day last year we didn’t really celebrate because we were driving down to Van to get stepson on Boxing day and would be doing Christmas on 27th so we were mulling in the caravan waiting for a little lamb joint to roast badly and trying to figure out how to squeeze some roast potatoes in there with it when Pauline knocked on the door and invited us round to share Christmas dinner with them and their two visiting sons. It was an amazing evening. There was enough food for all and we managed to eek out the gravy. I think they were glad they wouldn’t have any left-overs.
They have been really sweet about us turning up and building a house in their view which has been sacred for the 5 years they’ve been there. They’ve never complained, just complemented us on our choices and our vision for the place and said how happy they are that we rescued the ponderosa pine and the wild roses from the bulldozers.
I didn’t get to talk to Pauline about her move as I was inside with Linda when she talked to Hubby but last night she came around to see me whilst I was in the garden planting out tomatoes. I started a joking tirade of, “Listen lady, I want to talk to you. You can’t up and move, I’m going to get a court order to stop you moving more than 500 yards from me. You’ve no right I tell you, no right.” She listened patiently, smiling and I could tell she’d something important to tell me. She came straight to the point to spare me any more misery.
“I’ve come to tell you that Yanti’s dad is buying the house”. I cried. I actually shed about 5 tears. That’s so wonderful. Yanti is a lovely person and her husband Brent will be running a massage therapy centre from there. There will be yoga on my doorstep. Her family will use it to visit and eventually, one day they will move into it together with the little family that they are planning. Pauline said that Yanti was thrilled when she realized that we would be her neighbours (Pauline and Dave’s house is not technically next door but behind us so not easy to visualize initially but we do share a boundary).
Today is a happy day. One for landing on my feet. Except it’s supposed to rain at the weekend. At least I wont kill any more tomato plants.
