When I first came to this Welsh village, over 30 years ago now, I fell in love with the neighbours. I was a townie, and typically didn't know my neighbour's names, although we usually said hallo if we saw each other coming in or out of our houses. I lived in rented accommodation in London, and so most of the neighbours were transient, and the actual faces changed quite often. None of us had kids at the time, so there wasn't an excuse to stop and chat.......
The day I moved in to my new home in this smallish Welsh village, the neighbours came out to welcome me, and my next door neighbour (there was only one, because although it is a terrace, the house on the other side had been empty for some years - more about that later) even made me a cup of tea and some sandwiches. We had nothing much in common, but we became good friends, and good neighbours.
'Gwen' helped me lay my carpet, and even gave me an old table, that was my kitchen table for years, and, as time went by, I sometimes looked after her 5 year old girl, who was quite shy, but happy to play games, and even happier when she was joined by the lad from a few doors down, who was about the same age - because I got to know that family quite well too.
Although these neighbours had lived in our street for some years, the real community was made up of the three houses adjoining Gwen's house. They were all part of the same extended family, who had lived there for at least two generations and knew everybody, and were a mini mafia. If you got on with them, you were OK round here - if you didn't, well who knew what stories they would tell about you - smile........
I'M OFF OUT NOW, BUT AS ITS BEEN 5 YEARS SINCE I LAST POSTED ON THIS SITE, AND I ONLY JUST REMEMBERED IT WAS STILL UP, I'M HOPING TO CONTINUE PUTTING UP SOME STORIES OF MY LIFE - WHETHER ANYONE READS THEM OR NOT - I'LL FINISH THIS STORY IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, HOPEFULLY, BUT I'LL POST IT NOW, BECAUSE IF I DON'T, I MAY NOT HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO COME BACK TO IT!
No comments:
Post a Comment