Thursday 30 October 2014

How well do you know your neighbours?


Good morning world, yesterday as you may have guessed I didn't feel like writing a post, no real reason for it just realised in the afternoon that I hadn't done a post so was looking for something easy to post so that is why you got what you got.

Anyway today I thought I would write about life in Australia compared to what life in Australia looks like in movies and television.

Shows like Neighbours and Home & Away make it seem like everyone in a street or neighbourhood know each other and get along and hang out with each other. I have never experienced anything like that. I know who all those who live in this complex are more or less but I don't hang out with them, we don't pop in and out of each others homes.

We nod or wave to each other if we pass each other in the driveway but pretty much we all keep to ourselves. I couldn't tell you the first and last names of most of my neighbours, with the exception of Diane & Kevin and Cath I know their last names but I do not know the first and last names of any other neighbours. I do know most of their first names, there are 16 townhouses in this complex.

When I was growing up I remember my parents getting along with usually one neighbour, chatting to them most days but I never remember mum spending hours on end at a neighbours place.

Although mum did spend a lot of time with Mrs Kelly when dad was working in Sydney, well my sister Sandra says she did. Since by then I was married with 3 children I wasn't home to know if mum was home or not.

I don't really have any memories of my parents have friends they hung out with, both my parents usually spent their time with the family. Which maybe why it seems normal to me to not have friends but instead have family.


What is it like for you, do you see a lot of your neighbours or do you pretty much keep to yourselves?

10 comments:

  1. I see my neighbors when I'm out walking Franklin. We don't hang out together to chat. I haven't been in any houses in the neighborhood. Hot Young Anthony and Sweet Young Allison who live next door are very kind to me. I don't care for the people who live on the other side of me. The woman smokes outside. When I have my windows open, the smoke gets in my house. She also wants to talk to me when I'm working in the yard, but I don't think we have much in common, especially when it comes to politics. She's very conservative, and I'm very liberal. My parents' friends were always people they knew because my dad was in the military. My parents socialized at the officers' club and went to parties and had parties. The guests were always men in the military and their wives. I don't spend time with family. My sisters live far away, and we don't get along. I find them very hard hearted. The Hurricane lives far away. As she gets older, I hear from her less and less. Favorite Young Man is close by, but I don't see him often. He works long hours. Willy Dunne Wooters is my favorite companion. He does not live in my neighborhood.

    Love,
    Janie

    Love,
    Janie

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  2. I know I am lucky that I get along with my siblings as many do not, yes our children grow and have their own lives and we see and hear from them less and less which is both a good thing and a not so good thing. I am also quiet liberal in my opinions but Tim is more conservative, he is also my best friend and the one I love spending time with

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  3. It s bit of both. Friendly with some, others not so much. It's not easy when everyone works and have fenced in yards. :/

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    Replies
    1. Yeah now days many people are too busy to get to know their neighbours

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  4. I don't know any of my neighbors here, but I chat with the mail lady quite often. This is not an apartment complex where I want to get friendly with people. The turnover is high, anyways. :)

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    Replies
    1. Yeah in some areas you don't want to know your neighbours

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  5. We keep to ourselves, but say hello to those that we see in our street. It's a quiet one at that. Times have changed as more women work than they once did, men are not off at War like they were in WW2 and so on, it was at that time women when many of the women worked at home, when they got the mail in the letter box etc. often the news of their loved one was shared with their next door neighbour. This is what my mother told me.

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    Replies
    1. Yes times have indeed changed we no longer usually have the time to stand around chatting to the neighbours

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  6. I would say you captured our neighborhood pretty well. Everyone is into there own thing these days.

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    Replies
    1. So true and it is also a little sad that we don't know the neighbours as well as people did way back when

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