I have lovely neighbours, and I'm not just talking about the ones who live next door but those in half a dozen of the houses and bungalows up and down the lane. Because we all live opposite fields that lead to woods and then on down to a wild beach, we often bump into each other when we're walking our dogs and stop to chat. And some of these meetings have led to close friendships over the years, friendships that always make room for new people when properties are sold. We're a mixed bunch too, with ages ranging from the thirties to the eighties, and yet that never seems to matter. Impromptu suppers, invitations for drinks in the late afternoon that go on until almost midnight, coffee at the end of a dog walk or just because.
We help one another too. Parcels taken in, recycling bins put out, gardens watered, information about local tradesmen shared, family successes celebrated. And most valuable of all, the knowledge that if any of us need emergency help others will be there with a tow rope, buckets, mops, candles, strong arms, repairing skills and tools, hot tea, a meal, or just a comforting hand.
Although this all sounds idyllic, it does, however, come at a cost because, inevitably, such a divergent mix of characters means an equally divergent mix of opinions. Left wing, right wing, the fence sitters, the easily offended, the intransigent. And who is what is sometimes surprising too. Age doesn't always equate with knowledge for example. And of course there are the talkers and the listeners, the questioners and the opinionated. One is a source of jokes and some of the few slightly risqué ones can lead to a very brief pause in the general flow of conversation! And yet everyone is kind. A difference of opinion is accepted without ever leading to argument. Not in what is probably the bravest way, such as 'let's agree to disagree on this one,' but by smiling and nodding and then encouraging the conversation to flow in a different direction.
The coward's way out? In this instance I don't think so. Having good neighbours is a two-way benefit that none of us want to destabilise, so we accept our differences, know that we are not there to judge, and save our arguments for those friends and family members whose robust rejoinders we can count upon.
One other thing. So far I've only discovered one reader amongst the lot, and coming from a family of readers and writers I find that shocking. I don't say so though. Not the right place for such an opinion! A wonderful source of characterisations though although if they ever turn up in one of my books they will be heavily disguised.
In my book Miss Locatelli, Arabella, the main character, has to learn diplomacy the hard way. She gets there in the end but it takes a while! If you like sparky personalities who are not afraid of speaking their mind and getting into an argument, then she is the one for you.
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