It started ok until, at my Pulmonary Exercise class, they started talking about "Goals" we had to set. "I want to be able to do this, by then", with my "husband/wife, family, friends."
As I have mentioned before, I am alone. I feel isolated. This just made me feel depressed. My only "goal" is to stay healthy enough not to end up in a home, sat blankly in front of a TV where I don't even control the remote.
I have lived for the past 30 years on what used to be a quiet, decent Housing Estate. Trouble was rare. Last year I got a new neighbour.
Walking home down my street I was accosted by my demon neighbour's son (now her lodger/carer). He was drunk, with several bottles of Vodka in his bag. He wanted to call round "for a chat". I said Sorry, my daughter is coming round. I declined his offer of Vodka.
When I got home, my daughter called me, suggesting a trip out on Sunday rather than the arranged visit but when I told her I was feeling down she set off on the 40 mile journey to my place. Then the drunk, neighbour's son turned up. His mother had been diagnosed with a fatal condition. He was afraid he would be homeless when she died as she refused to put him on the tenancy. (!). Oh, and could he borrow some money? He was inside the door (I don't have a peep hole or door chain) and I couldn't get rid of him. In the end I gave him a few pounds and he went.
My daughter arrived. The son kept coming back, more drunk every time, banging on the door, wanting to phone a friend. After three more "visits" my daughter allowed him to make the call on her phone and told him to wait in the road for his friend (drug dealer, judging by the nature of the phone conversation). He started accosting passers-by and walking in front of cars. He threw full flower pots at his mother's door and chucked bins around. Then he headed to my daughter's car and put his hefty boot into the passenger door, buckling it
That's when I dialled 999.
He went on a rampage around the estate, with a neighbour following and trying to calm him. His mother stood calmly in her front garden, exuding Vodka fumes, saying "Don't worry, he's fine, he's fine". The son finally returned to her house, in the front and out the back, where we lost track of him.
A solitary policeman turned up three hours later. The whole thing had been captured on another neighbour's Ring doorbell - installed because of previous incidents which only stopped when my demon neighbour's target killed himself.
There is now a Criminal Damage charge pending, when the police get round to finding him. After two days virtually locked in my house feeling physically and mentally exhaused I am now OK. All is quiet.
Strangely, what worries me most is that when he said his mother was dying (Leukemia), I just didn't care one way or the other.
The Lebanon to be heavily bombed
Good Morning Tuesday 26th May 2026
