The people in your neighbourhood


{beautiful print by Lynda Naranjo via etsy}

Coming from the Country I sometimes get a little disgruntled that the City isn’t as warm and fuzzy as I’d like it to be. I can be standing at our letterbox within centimetres of a neighbour and not say a word. Not one word at all. You don’t get that in the Country.

And then I make my way up to the cafe up the street, with Lacey by my side and the owner greets us like she’s known us forever. “Hello my little risotto queen!” she’ll squeal as she makes her way from around the counter for a cuddle. Lacey has been eating their risotto {they make a different one each day} since she could eat solids. Just the other day the owner told me that every time she cooks risotto {every day!} she thinks of my Lacey.

When I pop into the post office my friends behind the desk Phil and Amanda look for my parcels and know me by name. They almost need to put a couch in there so we can sit down and catch up on all the things we want to chat about.

The little general store across the road is our one-stop shop for all the things we forget to buy at the supermarket. Each time we visit James tells Lacey to ‘get a lolly’ so she does, each and every time.

Lacey’s name is carved into the cement out the front of our house, and it’s our home. I know it’s not the Country, but it’s my little piece of Country. On those days when I bypass my neighbour at the letterbox and make my way to the people I know and adore, I know I’m lucky. I like the people in my neighbourhood.

Lately I’ve been lusting for a home in the Country. I think it’s because I’m heading back to where I grew up more often. I used to hate that you’d see everyone you knew when you wanted to do the grocery shopping in your trackies, but now I find it a little bit charming. I’ve done a complete turn-around.

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I’m off this morning for a bit of a chop. I think I’m going to get a lob {long bob}. My hair is at that blah stage and I either need to keep growing to get past it, or get the chop. Here are the photos I’m taking to talk over with my hairdresser {who I love!}.

Who are the people in your neighbourhood? Do you get along with the people next door? And most importantly, should I go the chop?

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17 thoughts on “The people in your neighbourhood”

  1. I think I'm lucky because I get a little taste of both, living in the suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth (Texas). Our little neighborhood, everyone knows each other. I go to buy my drink in the morning, and they always know me. They ask me, if I don't go for my drink, why I didn't go in the day before. My schedule in the summer doesn't include Fridays, so I've had to explain that to them. We go to the winery sometimes, and we run into people all the time (sometimes, it can be unfortunate, in the case of cops, for example…not going there)

    In the city, though, you can find everything you need, and everything is so fast paced. I've found that Texas cities are usually more friendly than other states, though, and if you ask for things, people can usually point you in the right direction. There's always something to keep you going, and you're never lacking anything.

    I like that I can find myself in the vicinity of both, and I even find myself in the in-between sometimes (Arlington), where there's a lot of stuff, but it's not the hustle and bustle of the city life. There are a lot of people, but you can get to know people if you go the same places frequently. It's like the happy medium.

    I don't lust for the country, though, because there's far too much distance between neighbors (I'm thinking country here is a bit different from country there- country here is where there are miles between neighbors and farms and whatnot!). I don't want to live so far out that there are no resources, and if there is an emergency, nobody can get out there. It's far too much to be so far away from everything. I find the suburbs to be the right place for me, and it's probably where I'll move when I go out for my own place too, when I get a job, but first things first- finishing my degree.

    Good topic 🙂

    ~Ashley~
    * Perpetually Me *

  2. Oh me too!!! We live in Redfern and while it used to have the shiny appeal of being so edgy and the wonderful restaurant and bar options now I'm just sick of the traffic, no off street parking, noisy neighbours and lack of space. We do know all of our neighbours on a first name basis though and from speaking to friends apparently it isn't like that in the burbs.

    I blame the wonderful Beth for her lusty descriptions of how wonderful country life can be! =) We aren't quite ready to move just yet, but it will be on the cards in the next few years. We are thinking of the south coast – commutable but with the small town feel.

    Have a great day.
    Traci

    PS – go the chop! A new haircut is always a great thing.

  3. Chantelle

    A GREAT TOPIC

    I have a neighbour I am sure I could blow bubbles in his face and he wouldn't even smile or wave at me.

    I am a chatty sole and a very smily one too – I hate that people have lost the art of smiling to a stranger.

    I can't wait to see a photo of the chop – and I really do want to see a photo

    x

    Loulou

  4. I can't wait to move to my new house in a bigger town…Here in our little village everyone knows your business which is fine until you realise that the majority of people here just seem to want to gossip and bitch behind your back. ONe woman walks pas tour house every day with her dog and every day I smile and say hello, and everyday she mutters something obscene under her breath because my son had a falling out with her grandson….The boys sorted things out,, but she obviously thinks its my fault and cannot forgive me…Sad woman really

    Lou xxx

    PS: Lob is good – I am also at the in between stage and devling between cut it all off or persevere. S helped by telling me that he loves the wild and crazy waves in it when I leave it to dry by itself, so I have abandoned my straighteners unless I am going somewhere where I need to be sleek, and just going with the flow…lol

  5. Our immediate neighbour is the same – she runs a mile when she sees us coming. It must be her, it couldn't possibly be our three rowdy tsunamis, early starts or wayward mulberry bush, could it?

    But others in the neighbourhood haven't noticed our noise and always stop by for a chat as they head up to the park with their pooch.

    I do think that ironically the inner city is more similar to the country for 'community' than the burbs are, though. I miss that a lot. x

  6. Chop it!

    Our next door neighbour is amazing! She sometimes take my big boy over for a few hours to give me a little break it dosent happen all the time probably due to the constant noise, screaming and banging coming from inside out house but when she does its fabulous, across the road always say hello and a few of the other neighbours always wave hello
    we live in a little court so its quite freindly
    a few girls at the supermarket know us, we have a good ol chat with the girls in the fruit and veg place and the girls at bakers delight too hehe
    Il be sad to leave in november but hopefully we move into another fabulous little community
    xxx

  7. Do it! The log is SO.IN. We know our neighbours enough to say hi and that's about it.

    As a side note, since reading this title, I haven't been able to stop singing the sesame street song about the people in your neighbourhood! The people that you meet, when you're walking down the street they're the people that you meet, each daaaaay…

  8. Is it really bad that the only ones we know really well, who greet us by name and know all about our holidays etc are the people at 3 different cafes!?

  9. i think im very lucky. i have fantastic neighbours!! they were just as excited as i was at having my little girl a few weeks back 🙂

  10. My neighbour dashes in the house whenever I step onto my front porch – I don't know why. It is sad. She seems lovely, I just hope it is her issue and not something I have done {she will talk to Mr Cool}. It is sad when the people who can smell your dinner and hear your kids singing on the loo are the ones who make an effort NOT to be in your life. Lucky my mum lives 5 mins away…

  11. We live in a village. The shopkeepers know us, our favourite cafe knows what we like to order, the grocers keep veg offcuts for our bunny, the bookshop owner tells me when Captain Underpants and Zac Power books have come in … love it!

    However, our village is in the middle of the city too, like your village. I live in fear of living in the suburbs and am really happy in our urban Inner West environment! We can walk to school (we scoot!), where the kids of our circle drop their bags with the nearest mum to hit the playground together, where the local cafes and restaurants know my food allergies. We love to wander around the local markets, shop at the op shops, buy our fruit and veg from the local suppliers. Tis lovely!

    We know our neighbours – partly because we live in a townhouse complex so have regular body corporate meetings, but mostly because we look out for each other – collecting mail, shooing off the naughty neighbourhood cat who uses our front gardens as a dirt box, etc. Plus, my son is such a little social butterfly that everyone knows him!

    And I think you'd look fab with a lob!

  12. You know, as soon as I saw your post title, I got this song in my head…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2bbnlZwlGQ

    All I have to say is – I think I am envious. No, I know I am.

    I don't know my neighbours (except for next door because he and my hubby swap fight shows and movies, and a family around the corner because the hubby trains with my hubby sometimes, and my son now plays with their son). That's it. Our local store is a Coles, so I hardly ever get the same CSO twice (unless I go at 6am).

    Yep. Definitely envious. 🙂 <3

  13. Hello Chantelle

    Definitely go the chop. I chopped my very long hair when I hit 30 then again when I hit 40. I now have a very short bob (I took in a photo of Dannii Minogue to my stylist) and am loving it! Please post a snapshot for us to see.

    Re the neighbourhood – I have discovered that since we got our rescue hound and started walking him daily we have started meeting our neighbours. It is AMAZING how many people come up to us to pat our pup and talk about him. We also meet other dog owners at our local park. For 2 years prior to getting him we knew no-one in our neighbourhood, now we know many!

  14. Lately, I've been craving just what you described. Had a similar conversation with someone recently. Everyone just seems so caught up in the rat race of life these days – no time even to say hello. It's sad.

  15. I wish I knew my neighbors. Well, I met two of them, but it's not like I'm seeing them everyday, you know?
    I wish people were more naturally inclined to be friendly. I try to be as friendly as I can to anyone I meet, but usually that involves a few words and then that's it.
    I'm working on that.

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