Vocal Voices

Not as in are they friendly or nice, but what sort of people are they? Whats your direct neighbourhood like.

We have around 25 houses in our lane. The lane goes nowhere as it is a dead end but there are lots of lovely walks at the end. The houses are made up of semi's and detached's, all different and built at different times. The oldest is probably around 200 years old and the youngest is definitely older than 100 years old (houses, not people!!).

There is a real mixed bunch of people.

* There are 2 houses occupied by old people who are both in their 80's, both of whom are widowed and live alone and another occupied by an couple in their 80's.

* There is one young family with an 18 month old daughter and another on the way. She is a stay at home mum.

* There are three families where all the children are now at uni and the adults all work full time - all professional people. One of these is a single dad as his wife died of breast cancer about 8 years ago.

* There are 5 familes with children who are at either primary or secondary school - out of all these families all the mums work part time and all but one of the dads are self employed. One is a single mum as her husband died in an accident a couple of years ago.

* There are three empty house - the owner of one died last year and her family have still not got round to putting it up for sale; one that is empty most of the time as it is a holiday cottage (not rented out though, the owners come and stay now and again. They live in London) and one that is empty and the owners keep talking about putting it up for rent but never get around to doing the work that needs doing on it first.

* There is one house occupied by a couple of a similar age to us who both work (he is self employed and works from home) and don't have children.

* The other houses are all occupied by recently retired couples (within the last three years). These are all professionals - teachers, social workers, librarians, doctors. One is a divorced woman on her own but the rest are all married couples, some on second marriages.

* There are 7 dogs and I have no idea how many cats.

* I can't remember when anyone moved in to the street - I think it must have been when the holiday cottage people bought their house around 5 years ago. Other than that, it would have been 12 years ago.

I was thinking about it earlier as I was cleaning the windows and watching some of the neighbours chatting. There is always someone around as I think, apart from the three houses that are unoccupied on a permanent basis, there is only one house where both occupants are out at work full time. The others all have mums who work part time, self employed dads who often work from home or retired people who are always pottering about.

There is always someone about to take a parcel in for you, to bring your washing in if it rains, to feed your cats if you are away on holiday, to give you a hand carrying things up the garden. Everyone is very friendly and helpful but no one is "in your face".

Although you can't actually drive anywhere along the lane we get lots of walkers coming past as the walks behind us are stunning.

And of course, the views are stunning as we are so high up the valley.

I live in a very quiet area just off a main road on the outskirts of Leeds.

The land was acquired by the Quakers after WWI to house returning Quaker troops - 65 self-contained two bedroom properties were built.

The mansion, meeting hall and cemetery are still used, but the homes were eventually sold off as and when the old soldiers "moved on" though the land is still owned and maintained by the Quakers.

The people are a mixed bunch of young families with one or two children, professional retirees and ordinary folk who go to work and come home for tea and TV.

Open countryside stretching to the Dales and beyond is only five minutes walk away, but the city, with all it has to offer, is only a bus ride in the opposite direction.

Ideal.

Wow you really have the low down on your neighbours Debih

We live on a very quiet estate made up of several cul-de-sacs coming off of one road, all of which is off of a busy main road - but we are set so far back we don't hear it. The railway line isn't far either but again we don't really hear it....... It is very leafy for a new estate, lots of trees and our house faces a field, so I think we have the best view of all The houses are all detached, 4 or 5 bed, apart from a small row of semis which might or might not be social/affordable housing - I can't decide as they are all very well maintained and tidy, and are in a similar style, but are plainer than the other houses....as tends to be the case with such housing, where developers have to add them to get planning permission

Our NDNs on one side are very nice, we've had several conversations with them, she works P/T in town, he is in IT, and they have two daughters in their early 20s, one of whom lives there....We are on a wide corner so the neighbours on the other side are right round the corner to us and we hardly see them. She drives a people carrier with a registration that ends in WAG and is always immaculate so I reckon she has delusions of grandeur They have a son in his late teens, a PE student I reckon

Of the others I haven't a clue, mainly families, everyone seems to keep to themselves.......................

I love it, it couldn't be more different to our last house which was on a very very busy main road

We are a couple of miles from the city centre, but it's walkable and I often walk it

im in a 2 bed lovely estate house
5 in our little side street
next door are a couple in there 50 s very shady like to drink but if i want help they are there
2 couples are both nice and one younger lady on her own
a very nice quiet estate that i feel very safe in
and next doot to a cemetry
so we are built on church land no big developments allowed
5 mins from the sea in a car
just lovely

There are now 17 houses in our 'L' shaped close. It's very quiet around here and the houses opposite back onto the common.

Going clockwise around the close I haven't a clue about the first three houses apart from the fact that there's a gay couple in the second house. The people at the third house have just moved in, that's the former show house (as is the first house).

The fourth house is opposite us and a lesbian couple lived there with their three sons but they split up a few weeks ago so just the one woman lives there now.

Next to her are T&S, a couple in their late 50s. T is some kind of electrician and works away a lot, S doesn't.

Then we have A&J, they have two children. She'll talk but he does whatever he can to avoid speaking. He has his own accountancy business, not sure what she does.

*Next to them live N&R. R is an electrician with his own company, N works part time in an admin job. They have three children.

*Then we have B&T. B co-owns the local hotel/bar/restaurant and T works there part time. They have two children, the oldest has been through school with Tom so I've known T from the playground for years. Their son is one of Joe's best friends.

*Up the corner at the end of the cul de sac is M&J and their baby. M has some kind of computer software business and works mostly from home. J works part time at a health spa.

*Then at the end of the cul de sac are T&S with T's two daughters, although one is away most of the time at university. S is a train driver with Virgin and T works in banking. They're getting married next year.

*Next to them are S&E. S is a computer technician in a school and E is a teacher. Both are in their 40s, only got married last year and have no children.

*Their neighbours are N&B. They have a son who is 4 and N's twin 13 year old sons live there too. B is an electrician, in partnership with a friend, and N does their admin.

*Then it's R&D with their two sons, aged 4 and 1. R is a secondary school maths teacher (and I reckon she'd be really strict although she's actually very sweet) and D works in insurance.

Next it's us.

Joined onto us are J&S. He's a fireman and I don't know what she does, they have one son who is about 5 and goes to the local private school. She's very chatty but he only speaks when he feels like it, or can't avoid it.

Don't know the names of the people next to them but they're lovely, they have three teenagers and moved in a couple of months ago.

Last house, they moved in just over a year ago. They have three children, probably all under the age of 7. He's friendly, she's stuck up and doesn't acknowledge anyone. We laugh about them as their visitors only ever drive new or almost new BMWs, Mercedes or Audis, and there are always designer carrier bags sticking out of the top of their recycling bin on collection day

*= the neighbours we socialise with

We live in a Churchhill Retirement Lodge on the outskirts of Solihull. It was recently built, in fact we the first ones to move
in.There are about 30 apartments, and currently about 22 are occupied. Obviously all the occupants are all over 60 years old,
I being one of the oldest. The building is so well sound insulated that we rarely hear any of the others when we are in our apartment.

The Lodge was built on the site of a former church, which was destroyed by fire. It is well situated for shops, doctors, vets, etc.
and there is a bus stop right outside the premises, with a bus into town usually every fifteen minutes.
Solihull has over a dozen lovely parks, and there are two within reasonable walking distance.

Regarding our other "inmates" (hardly the right word!) they are, as might be expected, a mixed bunch, and one tends to associate
with those who are similar to yourself. Many outings and social events are organised, but there is no obligation to attend all or any
of them. I do a Quiz Night every couple of months, and there is one next Tuesday. About sixteen usually attend and they all say they
enjoy it.

The other inhabitants of this neck of the woods seem to be generally a friendly lot, and we have become acquainted with several locals,
mainly other dog walkers.

These houses were built in 1978/9. They're McCarthy houses, all similar, mock-Georgian. There are quite a lot, but all in small roads/cul-de-sacs, with open green areas and lots of trees as well, and all off a no-through road which is off the main road. It a bit more than a mile from the town, and the same from the sea.
We've been here 7 1/2 years.

Just 9 in our cul-de-sac. 1-7 are in a staggered line, opposite 1-4 is a parking bit, and 8 & 9 are opposite 5-7.
1 - the lovely Sue, who's 91; her husband died two years ago. She's not able to go out on her own but manages to get around at home as much as she needs to.

2 - L and her 2 daughters, aged11 & 9 I think now. Her husband lived there for the first 3 years or so we were here, but she's such a moaning misery she'd drive anyone away I don't know if she works.

3 - S and her 2 children, girl 12 and boy 6, all lovely. S has her own cleaning business, and is about to start as a Slimming World teacher as well. They moved in about 18 months ago; the lady who lived there before is a teacher and sold it to people who rent it out. S intended buying but loves living here.

4 is us.

5 - P, an airline stewardess, a year older than me, originally from Liverpool, been here about a year longer than us. She works mainly on standby, long-haul. She has a daughter who's 18ish, started uni last year but dropped out almost immediately. She doesn't live there. Her father lives quite near and has a lot of money and much bigger house P and the father have never really lived together, although until last year she did stay there for prolonged periods.

6 - S, retired man, don't know if he's ever been married, don't know what he did before. Moved in around the same time as P I think. Nice enough, just not very chatty!

7 - Recently sold, not sure who's there, it looks like mother and son, but a 'sold' sign has gone up again, very odd!

8 - J & B, been here 6 months longer than us. Lovely couple, had a dog, Skye the golden retriever, sadly lost her earlier this year Both retired, don't know what they did before. They have children, but we think not 'theirs', J refers to 'my son' - he lives in Northern Spain, runs a language school. The daughter lives not too far away; no grandchildren as far as I know.

9 - This one's always been rented so the people have changed a few times. The couple at the moment are probably in their 30s/40s and seem really nice; he works for a security firm - alarms, things like that - don't know what she does.

We'll find out more next week, if Bb's well enough as we're having a mini-street dinner party.
Us, P next door, S next door to her, J&B, and the couple from no.9

I am obviously either not friendly, or not nosy enough............I know now't next to you lot

I will pay more attention.................

i shall keep a log how many times police call next door

That's the spirit!