Everybody Needs Good Neighbours

It's always typical that the weekend after a Bank Holiday is far superior weather-wise. Then again, I stayed in Shrewsbury last weekend and I'm back in Oswestry for this one, so I guess it's Fate's cruel way of balancing things out... the bastard.

To be fair, I've spent most of the last week in Shrewsbury as a combination of house/cat-sitting for my brother and for the pure fact it's much easier to get to work from his place. It's also meaning I'm getting out more and starting to have something that vaguely resembles a regular social life, even if this week it was just a case of propping up the bar in Reflex and having strange conversations!

Things really do feel like they are changing. Even at this stage though, I can't exactly say it's all changing for the better, as that no-mark Fate does like to piss on the electric fire now and again. Some of it is good, some of it is bad and some of it is just... well, strange really. One of the strange things is that our next-door neighbour for the last 19 and-a-bit years has just bought another house and will be moving out in the very near future. He's always been a very nice bloke and you honestly couldn't ask for a better neighbour. He's always gone out of his way to help if needed and we've always done the same - even by bringing in his clothes off the washing line if it's started to rain while he's been out of the house. Just simple, neighbourly things that really do make life that little bit better.

When he was telling my parents this morning that he'll be moving out, he was reminiscing about his time here and how nice it's been to see me growing up and how he remembers me at his housewarming all those years ago and other little things that I feel slightly ashamed to have forgotten as it appears that he never has. I could say that it's a case of not knowing what you've got until it's gone, but we've always known how lucky we've been to have such a nice neighbour and friend. As to who will move in after him is anybody's guess. It could be someone nice, or it could be someone not so nice but to be honest, I think it's a sign that it's time to move on and make changes happen. Afterall, we've been here longer (22 years this September) and I really do believe that there's no better time than this year to move out. I certainly intend to find somewhere and I'm beginning to think I'm not the only one in this house with such thoughts.

We shall see...