To play cf neighbours at their own game

[Raspberryberetthekindyoufind]

Nest door moved in about a year ago, an older couple and asked DH very nicely if he would mind mowing their lawn when he does ours as they really struggle. DH agreed and said no problem at all
Anyway fast forward to now DH has a bad back and has done for three weeks so our grass and their grass has got really long. I have physical disability so can’t do it myself.
I told neighbours when he did his back in and said hopefully he would be able to do it in a few weeks. The women seemed really put out but but I put it down to catching her at a bad moment.
Three weeks on DH is getting better but wants to leave the mowing for another week until he is properly better
Knock on the door last night and it was the man next door demanding to know when he lawn would be cut, I explained it would hopefully be in a week or so and he stormed off.
This morning I was in the garden and so were next door and she said loudly to her husband that we should pay for someone to do both lawns as they look awful and it’s down to us to sort them. Just then their son who is in his thirty’s arrives with his wife and son and comes in the back garden.
I pop my head over and say “Hi, can I ask you a favour since both lawns are looking awful and DH is laid up with his back could you give both of them a run over for us. Especially as DH has done your parents lawn for over a year, Thankyou soooooo much. I then went back inside with them stareing at me open mouthed.
The son is now mowing our lawn

MissConductUS

Sorry about the sense of humour failure. There is more to the story.
They were actually working the Grandson into the ground as he was needed on the farm as low paid labour. The whole thing with Yorkshire farmers is that their kids are paid a pittance and work all the hours, with the hope of inheriting at some distant time in the future. Sadly he committed suicide in early twenties. Such a sad outcome.

They're not ill, they're CFs!

Good on the son though.

MatildaTheCat

This is so true, but it is hard for neighbours. Sometimes the family distance themselves, but you are still left living next door. If there is bizarre behaviour, then neighbours have to make the decision as to whether or not to involve the authorities.

We live on a private estate which has mixed housing. On either side we have a bungalow, ours is a detached two storey home. Inevitably we have had a succession of elderly neighbours in the 30 years we have lived here. Many have ended up with dementia and behaved strangely, before eventually "moving on" to a better place.

The latest created what was basically a rubbish tip in the back garden and did not put the bin out for months on end. We saw them putting their refuse in the garage instead. We had problems with vermin and their families just stayed well clear. Classic Diogenes behaviour.

In the end we had to be the bad guys and report them to the council, at which point the problem was resolved. So we are bad neighbours and the families still give them wide berth, turning up to take Mother out for special occasions in a large expensive vehicle and being all naice. The family live close by and turn a blind eye.

All the people questioning "Are they American?" Haven't you ever seen Genevieve???

All the people questioning "Are they American?" Haven't you ever seen Genevieve???

The American pop singer, Genevieve Schatz?

Contract? I guess verbally you agreed dh would do their lawn when he did yours - but he’s not done yours, so he’s not done theirs. No agreement broken there surely?

If the ehem contract is to mow their lawn when he mows yours then it has not been broken!

So why did the son not do theirs?

@SummerIsEasy thanks for the clarification. That's a terribly sad story about the grandson.

In the US most farm kids either go to uni and pursue other careers or if they stay, are given an ownership interest in the farm. Having someone work the farm who doesn't want to be there doesn't do the farm or the child any good.

By the way, the injections I was doing for my neighbor was with an auto-injector, so she was perfectly capable of doing them herself, she just didn't want to.

MissConductUS

I am not from farming stock, but my daughter’s friend is. The farm seemed to be tied up in a trust, meaning she would have the right to the business as an only child, but not necessarily inherit the land or be able to sell the farm. Fortunately she has not surprisingly, married a farmer’s son and they are taking over from her parents.

As far as the injections go, it sounds familiar scenario. It is the company people often crave. It causes no end of problems for district nursing services in the UK. The NHS is free, at point of access. Obviously funded via taxation, but not funded well enough to give everyone what they would like. A request for injections would be refused in the situation you mention above, but the patient and family would be unhappy with the outcome. The same is true in many cases for eye drops. In some areas volunteer workers have been trained to do these, often younger retirees. In other areas, the family have to find someone or pay for carers based on means testing.

I guess you have some form of district nursing in the US, with different sources of funding

I think that you're right about the company being the key to it. Some people are squeamish using the auto-injectors because they know that when they push the button there's going to be a bit of pain when the needle penetrates the skin. It's easier if they can close their eyes and not know exactly when it's going to hurt.

Delivery of nursing services is a complicated mess in the US. Just thinking about explaining how it works (or doesn't work) makes my head hurt.