Love thy neighbour

Our bouncy castle with sun/rain protection - kids loved it

We are so lucky.

When you’re moving house you often wonder with a sense of dread ‘What will our new neighbours be like?

After all, we were so lucky on the Croft, everyone (well apart from the nutters at no. 69 who like to try driving over each other at night) was/is really nice and having been used to having such lovely people around you we did wonder if we could get lucky twice.

As it happens we did.

The road we live on now is one of the main roads up onto the estate – apparently a nightmare when it’s snowing and icy – so it’s not as neighbour friendly as the Croft but only a couple of days after moving in we met the people on our left ie the other half of our semi-detached and they are very friendly.

Richard was lending me his massive cutters and secatures on day 2 after seeing me struggle with the overgrown jungle in our garden and Anne always stops to talk and ask after the girls and my unpacking. Like I said – very nice.

Our other neighbours returned from their holidays a week after we’d moved in and although more reserved they too are very nice. Mind you Paul wants to talk to them about all the growth form their garden leaning on our fence and pushing it down under the weight, I’m not so keen on this discussion so soon after moving in.

However, I was incredibly touched on Friday when playing with the girls in the garden, Anne popped her arm over with a bag and said to give it to the girls in the morning for their birthday.

How lovely! How unexpected and what a lovely thing to do. After all, we’ve only been here a few weeks and we certainly weren’t expecting gifts or cards from anyone.

This kind gesture has really made us feel more at home than ever and of course in order to meet Susie’s prompt for this week’s kindness act over at New Day New Lesson – the first I am actually able to participate in – I must now do something equally as kind.

Well they are a couple who are retired or about to and have everything. Their garden is a picture of tidiness and obviously well kept. They have grandchildren who visit at the weekends and they seem to have everything.

All that's left of 10 ls of Italian wine

BUT, after our party at the weekend to celebrate the girls’ 2nd birthday I am left with 2 and a half litres of Italian red wine bought back especially from Lake Garda for the party which I cannot possibly drink on my own before it turns so I thought I’d pass it over to them and tell them to fill up jugs, bottles and Gawd knows what else hoping they drink alcohol!

If they don’t drink I’m back to square one and will have to rethink and more importantly drink the stuff myself!

Now there’s a hangover waiting to happen!