Please stop reading now if you're not in the mood for a good old vent! I am fortunate to have a good home and this is definitely not the biggest thing I have to worry about. Just feel like venting my spleen.
Normally I really enjoy my neighbourhood. I live in a row of terraced houses in a northern small town. I get along with all my neighbours. Because we're all cheek by jowl I do my best to keep relations good: I give them baked goods and extra tomato plants, always say hello and wave, offer rides if I see them walking to the bus stop. I'm mostly chilled out about the smoking or the occasional football landing on a flowerpot.
But here's what happened this past week:
- I'm eating tea and I hear BEEP BEEP BEEP outside. I finally go look and it's a car in front of my neighbour's house. I give the driver the stink-eye and he gets out and knocks on the neighbour's door.
- Next door neighbour's boyfriend stays for a few days with his adorable little dogs. Lovely dogs except YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP. At midnight! I nearly pounded on the fucking wall. I guess I'm supposed to speak with her about it but I rather think the default is to NOT allow a dog to yippity-yap all night. I really have to explain that I'd rather not hear it?
- Last night I had a quarrel with my husband and so was not sleeping that great to begin with. At 1:30 I wake up to loud laughing and talking. As well as a fug of cigarettes. Neighbours two doors down probably had football party, two young women out in garden obviously forgot how late it was. I went out in my bathrobe and said, "Hey you woke me up! Could you be quiet out here?" Then went back inside muttering to myself. It was the first time I've ever just been outright shirty with a neighbbour but I was just at the end of my rope. Do you not notice that there are houses all around you? With people in them?
I would so dearly love to live in a little cottage up on the moor in splendid isolation with husband, cats, chickens, maybe a dog. But my husband likes being close to town. He has a point, especially as we get older.
But I'm fed up with always being the considerate one.