People whom you see every day but don't know.

[Greenbeanmcgee]

Does anyone else have strangers who are part of your routine in a way?

I WFH and just about every day I see a man with six daughters from probably 4-10 years, taking them to school and also to Guides and often out on their bikes. They're a lively bunch but they seem to be well behaved. I'm always in awe of how he manages to keep so many under control with his sanity seemingly remaining intact. Btw I'd also be in awe of a woman doing the same. I take my metaphorical hat off to anyone who can juggle that many young kids.

I live on a popular walking route so I see a lot of dog walkers, cyclists and walkers. I don't know most of their names but there's something comforting about seeing them pass by almost every day. I have nicknames for some. Especially their dogs.

(No I don't spend all day watching strangers)

When Dc were little we used to pass 2 older girls at a bus stop every day on the school run.
DS- Thomas the Tank engine mad- named them Annie and Clarabel after 2 Thomas characters.
I think they were going to the Grammar school and we saw them everyday from year 7-12. Felt like we knew them and watched them grow up!

I have two women I see out and about (separately) with their Dcs. I note them because I am convinced their DCs also have autism like mine and they seem to have a similar profile to us as in same sort of age, same sort of hair cut and overall 'look', same sort of daily routine, and one of their Dcs has tics like mine as well. I don't know their names but I know they have noted me as well and we always smile and wave 'hi'. In fact once I saw one of them with her boy in London last half term and we both exclaimed ' oh HI!!' as we went past each other (crossing paths on the tube). (We live 3 hours from London so rather surprising!!)

Not sure why I don;t stop them and ask them for coffee really. I could use some friends.

Oh and as for nicknames for dogs.... we have neighbours who have two gorgeous little happy doggy smiley fluffballs. DH has nicknamed the dogs 'Rip and Fang' as a joke and we call their owners Mr and Mrs Rip and Fang.

Yes! Loads.

My daughter used to do a lot of extra-curricular stuff before school, so our comparatively early walks along the canal used to coincide with dogwalkers and people heading off to catch the train. My walk home would coincide with another batch of families walking to school. It's been fun watching all the kids graduate from pushchairs to grumpy teens.

What starts with a nod and smile, becomes a "good morning" .......

It's very confusing when you bump into them somewhere else!

Yeah! When I was on maternity leave I used to walk around the village every day and depending on which route I took I could predict who I would see. Always said a good morning but never anything more and never knew names etc. Still say hello if I’m out and about now, although I’m back at work 4 days so it isn’t as often.

I've just found out that a neighbour I used to see every day actually died last week. In fact there are quite a few elderly people I always say hello to but don't know their names and it is always worrying when I don't see them for a while.

On a happier note, there is a woman with twins that come rain or shine always carried them on her bike which I found impressive. They are about 9 now and have only just graduated to their own bikes!

On my 7am daily dog walk - without fail …

The harassed looking older lady with the yappy dog - corner of main road - nod and smile and swerve to avoid my dog sitting on hers to shut it up
The grumpy plasterer sitting on the bench waiting for a lift - Me - Morning sunshine - he replies. Morning Treacle
The ancient humpbacked man puffing up the hill to get his daily paper - Lovely day/terrible weather we are having

On bin day - I alway wave to the cheery bin men as they give out free bonios

It's very confusing when you bump into them somewhere else!
Yes! It took me literally years to work out that a dad dropping kids off at school and a colleague at work were actually the same person!

There’s one man in particular who I first started seeing when I was on maternity leave with my now 6 year old. I’d drop my older children at school and walk with the pram and he’d always be jogging the same route. I went back to work part time after maternity leave and when he saw me on one of my days off he said “back to work now are you?” showing that even though we’d never spoken he was aware of seeing me every day too.
I didn’t see him for a few months last year and was getting quite worried (he’s quite elderly now and no longer jogs but hobbles along) but it turned out he’d had a hip replacement and had taken a while to work up to the distance again. We still don’t have much of a relationship beyond saying hi and talking about the weather but I’d miss him if I stopped seeing him!

I have people in my office and I have literally no idea who they are or what they do. We’ll do that tight-lipped smile expression at each other when we pass in a corridor or happen to be at the tea station at the same time, but beyond that we are basically strangers sharing the same space and routine for years on end.

There are a few familiar strangers I see regularly: the lady who does the Co-Op run when I do; the bloke who walks his dogs near my house; the lad who passes with his toddler when I get out of the car every day. Apart from a quick "hello," there's nothing we say to or know about each other.