Hi, looking for advice.
We used to be really good friends with our next door neighbours. Celebrate New year together, receprical dinners, invited to daughter's wedding, garden parties, impromptu wine drinking in the garden etc. They are older than us by about 20 yrs, their children a few years younger than us but we got on really well with the whole family.
13 yrs ago when I was first pregnant and signed off work with stress a planning letter from the council arrived, they planned to build a house in their garden at the side of their house boundary to ours. We were gobsmacked, not least because when we thought about an extension the first thing we did was to talk to them then showed the plans prior to seeking planning permission. I know I was highly stressed hormonal etc but felt like a kick in the teeth. We stopped communicating. I was extra sad as they didn't know about the pregnancy and the wife was always saying how she'd be like an extra granny/fount of advice etc.
We have been sad about losing the friendships we had. And eventually the planning was granted but nothing built and the garden not sold as a building plot.
Fast forward to Christmas eve this year, another neighbour told me that the wife (our ex friend), had been very ill this year that she is out of the other side of and had a family tradegy that I don't want to post about. Anyway it got me thinking that life really is too short and I am considering putting a card through the door saying how sorry I am to hear of her illness, anything I can do etc. Basically we'd love to rekindle the friendship.
I am asking WWYD. No cross words have ever been said by either party. I don't care about not getting a reply or being to to sod off but the very last thing I want to do is offend/upset them. Would love advice from you or hear from anyone whose hard a similar situation. Thanks