Finally it's gone!!!

[Kaz]

Oh without a doubt!

[Diflower]

That made me smile Jo
When you go to the hospital where I had all my treatment, you go up a long hill, at the top are lights where you turn left.
You always have to wait in a line of traffic at those lights, and the first time I went - July - gazing out of the window, as you do, I laughed as there was a decorated Christmas tree in one of the front windows. Dirty net curtains, this tree, and lights around the window
It was funny at first, but by the time it got to the following February and it was still there, I was sorely tempted to jump out of the car and hammer on the door

Eventually I presume the people moved as one day a year or so later, there were clean nets and no tree

[miasmum]

There is a house near where I get my hair cut and it honestly is the filthiest house I have ever seen. The windows are smeared with what looks like mud, the curtains are torn and hanging down. The front door glass is covered with newspaper it really is filthy. There is a woman that sits on the step smoking, I presume she has mental health problems. There are also a lot of cats in there, sitting on the window sills etc. I worry about them to be honest

[Kaz]

When it gets to that stage Shell you're right - it's a mental health issue

[JoM]

LOL Di

There was a house just up from where we used to live. It was a Victorian semi with a bay window and there was a dried up dead plant in the window all the time we lived there, which was 16 years. When we first moved there I thought it was an empty house - there never seemed to be any lights on and seeing the style of the old dusty furniture in the window, it didn't look like it had been lived in since it was built, like someone had abandoned it in 1900. It intrigued me actually, it looked like a house from the Victorian town in the Black Country Museum. Anyway, it turned out that a man lived there alone, he was such a lovely old fella and always spoke when you passed him in the street. It went up for auction not long after we moved though so I assume he'd probably died

[Kaz]

Perhaps he just went into care of some sort Jo? ((((x)))

I do think that men living alone - especially older ones - are more likely to let a house 'go' than women. Apart from anything else many older married men have never picked up a duster in their lives! I know when my mum went into hossie with a strangulated hernia years ago - and was in for weeks - my sister had to go round and put post-it stickers with instructions on all the appliances, and take him hot meals as he was living on cheese sandwiches He hadn't a clue how to look after himself as he went, aged 17, straight from living with his grandmother who adored and spoiled him to being with mum, who did the same If mum had gone first dad would have been totally helpless