No, I’m not talking about the main road near me though it is a tad noisy some mornings, and I swear the dust in this house, which is plentiful, is mainly due to the main road and lack of rain – I’ve never dusted so much in my entire life – I’m talking of neighbours, one household in particular. There are 9 households in my little part of the street. Then there is a break in the road, and the street carries on to the dead end though the numbering system foxes me. At the top of the street is a house from the 1800’s. Then my part which I guess are post war, at a pinch, then the dead end which ends at number 30. Where are numbers 1 to 29? We have a newish health centre and I wonder if the houses were knocked down for the health centre? Nobody seems to know, and what fuels my supposition, is that the 4 houses in the dead end are clearly quite new. A passer-by advised that the lower numbers are in the street at the other side of the health centre, however the road signs belie this and there are duplicate numbers so that doesn’t work. If one uses Google Maps, you are taken to the end of the street, which in reality, ends in number 30. It’s a puzzle…

So, neighbours. We’re an interesting mix of young couples, a single lady of similar age to me, a family or two, and my son and myself. It’s a quiet street, with little going on, except for my immediate neighbour. They are clearly deaf! I’ve seen, in passing, an old man, I know a woman lives there; she can be clearly heard through the walls - and I’ve met their young son (I assume). He’s pleasant enough, though they are a noisy lot, and have noisy visitors too and I frequently hear their door being knocked, very loudly, then someone clearly yelling through their letterbox. One is a shift worker and on average, three times a week, there is an alarm, a shouted conversation, much slamming of doors, then peace again. In the short time we’ve been here, there have 2 blazing rows go on, very loud outside conversations, long phone calls in what I assume is a bedroom whereby the person at the other end of the phone doesn’t get a word in, and conversations at midnight outside. Okay, that’s only happened once so far, but what a drag! That night, after about 15 minutes of loud conversation, I opened my window and peppered the 2 old women with bullets from my AK47 then quickly got some shut eye before the inevitable police sirens LMAO. In the real world, I put my light on and got out my book. The sight of the light caused the conversation to quieten a little, and eventually they went inside. Did I mention they are the only foreign family in the street? Every household that I have seen, and I’ve seen a lot of people by now, is white British. My neighbours are Asian and no trouble except that they like to live life out loud. The only other noisy people, and you can hear them well before you see them, is a dozen or so women in sari’s, and children, who traverse the street every now and again. I’m not trying to be racist, just stating a fact; they are noisy. The house is old, and when I shut the internal doors, it’s very quiet and my son often can’t hear me if I shout upstairs for him, yet I hear much of what is going on in the house next door. Maybe I should post them some ads for hearing aids…

Mostly we like it here and my son is looking forward to term starting. He chose the house, and he says it’s an easy walk to uni, though I wonder how long he’ll be happy to walk almost 3 miles each way to classes? I’m happy to drive him if it proves to be arduous and it’s only half the distance I used to drive him when he was in college in Wales. That wasn’t possible to walk because it involved a steep hill with no pavements, crossing over a dual carriageway, and a walk through an area known for trouble. The alternative was 2 buses each way. When I could, I drove him; far quicker, and cheaper than the buses too. Here, he’d need just one bus or a Mum in a good mood lol.

The weather has turned and is starting feel autumnal; cool crisp mornings where a jacket is needed, followed by sunshine if you’re lucky and pleasant afternoons. The washing is taking all day to dry, and we’ve had some good rain, on and off, but it’s pleasant enough. My summer duvet has been consigned to the laundry hamper and the winter duvet is now on the bed. I get very cold at night and have a heavy bedspread for when it turns even colder. I love autumn, spring too, though barely tolerate UK winters especially if they’re very wet and miserable. Not keen on summer really either, as I find the humidity unbearable. We’re forecast a pleasant September with temperatures creeping up a little. Dry, cool, autumn days with some sunshine would be appreciated. Sort it will you? Lol.

Enjoy the rest of the week, and the weekend which is just around the corner.