Getting to know your neighbours

We come off our main road onto our village road and there is a break in the properties after the 13th home. 4 of the houses are like invisible people, can barely say hello if they are in the garden when we walk past.
The rest are friendly, we have the occasional get together and we all know we are there for one another if needed. During Covid we looked out for each other, I give my puzzle pages in the newspaper to the woman next door and my DH cuts their hedge. They give us eggs.
Isn’t that how life is supposed to be?

Ethelbags
You say you have seen him walk in without knocking
You could often see that at my house. Neighbours text and say are you in for a cuppa I reply and say I will leave the door on the latch.

I am quite reserved, I chat to one of my neighbouring he is in the garden but he is the sort to be over friendly, his best friend lived further up the street and I've seen him just walk in without knocking. When the man died, his wife moved away and my neighbour was at a loose end he kept coming my door with excuses but I never let him in as I think he would be there too much. I love my privacy. I don't know how to set boundaries.
Also I always think that my house isn't posh enough. I have lots of old stuff that I love and I'm quite untidy, I would hate someone to be gossiping with other neighbours about my house. I guess its lack of self confidence

I don’t know any of my neighbours very well, apart from saying hi to them I live on a main road lots of to-ing and fro-ing flats opposite so no idea who lives in there On one side the neighbours have been renting 16 years but they are not on my wavelength, eight kids now grown all unemployed and babies having babies yard like Steptoe They cause me absolutely no problems at all, but i don’t know them or relate to them New ones the other side, we nod and say hello and I get the ball out the garden for the kids but that’s it really
I think if you live in a village, a small road, a culdesac, etc then you will be pally with your neighbours (hopefully)
I don’t mind I ve got loads of friends and aqaintences and talk to all sorts in the shop

We have great neighbours. A couple of months ago I dropped the car keys into a loch. Phoned the neighbour who has my keys, she fetched the spare key, gave it to other neighbours who made a day out of bringing us the spare keys. We took them out on the boat and bought them lunch. The neighbour who fetched the keys from my house was given a gift voucher for our mutual hairdresser.
Yesterday I used our garden vacuum to remove leaves from the gardens within reach of the long cord and huge extention reel. Win win. They get their leaves removed, I get leafmould.
Generally everyone helps each other and knows each other's business up to a point so will challenge strangers and run around your house in the snow when you are away to make the place look occupied or park their car in your driveway.
I'll never move.

Most of our neighbours have (nice) dogs, so that's a plus!
It was quite funny when we first moved in and they were telling us about the town and all the walks, not realising we had lived here 30 years ago when our children were young! Most retirees here are referred to as "blow ins", but we are "blow backs" and feel very much part of the community.
When we go on holiday we swap keys, water plants and pick up post for each other. Everyone is very friendly and has time to chat. Our children live nearby-ish and because they are young and fit have also helped a couple of our neighbours with heavy furniture chores or digging.
Sharing is caring.
I would like to be neighbours with many of the names on this thread.

I am pleased to say that we also live in a quiet, pleasant neighbourhood. We've only lived here just over three years and we know quite a few of our neighbours. Our immediate neighbour on one side was an elderly lady living alone, we had visited each other for a chat and a cup of tea on a few occasions pre Covid. She also loved to talk at any other opportunity. Unfortunately she passed away suddenly a few months ago, we attended her funeral and now keep an eye on the property, as asked by her family. Already the house is sold and soon a new family will move in.
The other side of our semi is a couple, slightly younger than ourselves who are friendly and polite.
We recently learned their first grandchild was born the day after our third.
We have a WhatsApp group since Covid began, which was set up by one of the younger residents. This was to help with shopping etc for the elderly. Now people use it for anything they need help with from asking for recommendations for a plumber/electrician, or if the bins have not been collected, I sometimes have called the Council and then posted on the reply.
All in all, we are happy to have moved here and not planning on going anywhere else.

most people around here do not mix or talk to neighbours.
i spoke to one woman a few doors up for the first times in 20 years, since she moved in, recently.
i passed as she was pruning roses and i commented that i knew the man who used to live there, who had planted them.
she was polite and interested but there is a reserve.
very few now have front gardens; they wizz in and out in cars.

I have invited our 4 nearest sets of neighbours for a Christmas meal today. We do it each year. We are blessed with friendly, helpful neighbours.

grannyactivist
Thank you for giving some of us the opportunity to say what I lovely community we live in instead of all the gloom and doom.

Lovely to read of so many communities where neighbourliness is still demonstrated and valued.

All my neighbours are bonkers but it might be ME
I get on with them all as we are only a few houses. Me and one neighbour have got on very well since lockdown and swap food/gin etc

We need to be kind and tolerant and give and take with our neighbours as one day we may need them. I sat with my neighbour and friend as she died and stayed with her husband until her body had been taken. It taught me a lot about what it really means to be a good person and to look out for others. She always looked out for me and it was the greatest honour to be there for her too, no matter how difficult it was.

We need to think outside of our own needs and life really.

Yes, we have very good neighbours too.
We're not in each others' pockets all the time but are always there for each other if needed.

This afternoon, I took DH for his flu and booster vaccinations. Some of my neighbours were there, so we had a socially distanced catch up in the health centre, whilst doing the 15 minute wait in case of a reaction!! The nurses found it highly amusing!

We have lived here for nearly 30 years and barely knew our neighbours before the lockdowns.

We decided that when Clap for the NHS ended that we would keep meeting up and we are having drinks here tomorrow Our road is quite busy so we actually have to make an effort to get together but do so on a regular but ad hoc basis. Our ages range from 86 down to the couple who live in the other half of our house who are 40 somethings with 2 small boys.

We got on well with our immediate next door neighbours but they have both sadly died. The person who bought the house seems very nice. Hope she copes tomorrow!!

The bungalow we moved to 6 years ago, on the right was an elderly lady in her 90's who I often popped in for a chat, the other side was a singe elderly man who we chatted to if we saw him. Old man was moved to a care home, in moved neighbour A, similar age to myself, who apparently had no money so extended her house upwards and outwards. She refused to pay anything for a garden wall to be rebuilt (she had been told it was our responsibility) that her ivy had pulled down (nothing to do with her) and she had no money. So for safety's sake we had to fork out (we didn't do it to her liking!!)
The lady on the right moved to be near her son and in moved a young family, I had a shock to see he was the brother of my DDs ex fiance!! - But they are a lovely family with two small children. I often pass on stuff my GC have outgrown.
Opposite we have a family whose children go to the same school as my GS. Another single man who DH knew from a U3a group he went to. Directly opposite we had a single lady, she moved and in moved two men, after 2 years one was diagnosed with caner and they decided to move south, now we have a lovely single lady who's daughter moved in for a spell and is now moving to her own pad. Basically a pleasant environment.

We have fantastic neighbours we all get on well and help each other out if needed. We have shopped for each other during Covid, put bins out and taken people for hospital appointments. We are truly lucky to live in such a lovely community.

Both sets of immediate neighbours have moved in the past two years and I’ll admit I was quite nervous about our new neighbours. That was a waste of time, as the new ones are just as lovely! On one side there’s a mid-life couple, no children, and on the other, a couple in their 50’s, with four adult children who come and go. Their youngest still lives with them as he has had a life-threatening illness, from which he is now thankfully recovering.

Three other houses all have new owners. We’ve met them all as we have a street barbecue each year and it’s a fun event. There is no one in this little street to whom I wouldn’t turn to if I needed help. We are so fortunate. ❤️

Marydoll commented about counting her blessings every day.
So do I, and many of my neighbours ( same here small cul de sac).
We also do others front gardens, swap plants, share food. I inherited some M&S bubble & squeak yesterday because my neighbour is obsessed with sell by dates.
Most of us would ask if they needed a lift somewhere, ie car going into garage, lift to the station.
If I did the lottery, and won I wouldn’t move from my community.
Us younger ones ? look out for the more elderly. When my next door neighbour was working in her office and I saw her car outside I would text her to ask if she was ok ( she lives alone)

Being neighbourly is quite the thing in the Netherlands. They have a number of 'rules' there which makes things easy.
One of the rules is that if you want contact with your neighbours, shortly after you move in you invite them in. They then know you are open to socialising. We lived in a road with 18 houses and frequently socialised with all the neighbours including having street parties.
Neighbours often become best friends over there and we certainly made friends for life.
I have even known people who have moved to stay with neighbours.

We are friendly with many of our present neighbours as we all moved in around the same time. It is not the same though over here.

We have lived here since March and already know our immediate neighbours well. We are a row of four.
We already knew several people on this estate and another friend is moving here before the end of the month.
This is a friendly estate with a committee and newsletter. Neighbourhood events are starting to be organised again starting with Advent Windows where one house unveils a window each day in December.

I'm also blessed with lovely neighbours. On the day I moved in, my next door neighbour called to say hello and welcome me to the area and we've been good friends and neighbours since then. They cut my lawns in the summer months if I'm away, trim the hedges around my garden when they do their own, make sure bins are in/out and have even helped me to erect a greenhouse. We regularly swap plants and seeds and, best of all, on baking day they pop round with some for me!

Same here Nonogran but it suits me as I’m a very reserved person, while my DH goes out of his way to talk to them!

P.S. That’s why I keep postponing the move to a smaller house.

I have a good but reserved relationship with my neighbours. I’ve lived in my culdesac for 22 years as has some of them. There hasn’t been a lot of comings & goings but in my terrace they’re not really beyond a Good morning or Good evening which is a shame.
I have tried. I have reached out but no joy. None of them want to chat or come around for tea & cake.
Across from me I have 2 neighbours that I catch up with occasionally for family news. One of them will put out or bring in my bins too if I’m away. I do the same for them.
I live mostly alone. During Covid bad days my chap was locked down elsewhere in the UK so we were apart for months. If it had been left to any of my neighbours I could have been without food or died & nobody would have known. I’m not bitter, but more resigned to being that way.