Journal #5 – 3rd October 2025
Yesterday was quite a unique day. On the work front it was terrible, very little work done yesterday. However, it was quite a fulfilling day for another reason. One of my neighbours, a couple in their 60s has been trying to put up a shed for the last couple of days. The shed is the same plastic shed I have, just a little larger. The day before yesterday I heard some frustration and a bit of cursing.
Being polite I went out and told them to knock on if they needed a hand. Yesterday morning they asked for help, so I spent the next three hours fixing what they’d already done and making sure it was water tight and solid. I had a great time! We’ve interacted in the past, but never spent much time together.
On the surface they seemed a little rough around the edges. They’re by far the loudest neighbours on the street and semi-regularly host family parties that can get very loud and rowdy. We sometimes hear them arguing and there’s often a strong smell of weed coming from the house.
I might be forgiven for getting the wrong impression. They are in fact a really nice couple and we had some great chats about family and life in general. They were super grateful and you can tell that they’re the kind of people that would offer you their sofa if you needed a place to stay. I feel like I’ve established a new friendship and actually feel a bit safer on the street knowing there’s a family that will look out for us.
I always say hello to all of my neighbours and we have quite a close relationship with our next-door neighbour Tracy who sometimes feeds the cats when we’re away and I’ve actually helped her out with her shed (is shed building my calling?) and took her for a hospital appointment when she needed.
I’m realising that your neighbours are actually a pretty big part of your life. They can be like an extended part of your family and I know a lot of people try to avoid theirs. I guess the flip side is a bad neighbour could make every day living quite miserable and amke you feel uncomfortable in your own home. I’m lucky to have had good neighbours.
If you can, try to spark a friendship with your neighbours, they’re not always who they seem to be!