Goodbye

We have said good bye to our neighbours, and yes - I actually miss them.  This may surprise those of you who have heard about all the dramas over the years.  

Some things I definately don't miss:

• the dogs that would squeeze through the fence and run around our back yard.  Being of the 'sometimes we maim young children breed' Iain fixed the fence Fort Knox style and was rewarded with a bite on the leg while doing it. Zoe wrote one of her first stories at school about it. 

•  the late night drunken fights that had us phoning the police

•  the local kids using their kitchen as a lookout while their mates broke in through the back window - at least they were upset about this too.  Tracey* (the mum) wrote me an enraged letter from prison  "If I was at home there would be serious consequences for the little bastards..." and her brother did try very hard to get our stuff back for us.  He arrived that night triumphant with our missing laptop, except it wasn't our laptop - I wonder how many he had to choose from?  Also in the letter: "I heard when my brother went to your whare lil Hamish kicked him and called him a meanie.  He obviously thought my brother was the culprit.  How sweet and loyal young Hamish is."

• Kitty stealing scallops and sausages put out to thaw for the evening barbie.  

They always meant well and tried to be good neighbours and they always made sure they put wrongs right. 

Yes it was an interesting relationship but at least it was a relationship - now the people next door are strangers.  

We will have to do our best to make sure it doesn't stay that way.