neighbours

The Survivor Approach To Dealing With Difficult Neighbours

Over the last few years, I’ve adopted a strategy for dealing with troublesome neighbours based on the theme of the reality TV show Survivor: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast. Well, maybe not so much outwit and outplay, but outlast seems to be working for me with these people:

Annoying neighbours? Beat ’em at their own game

Cranky Old Men

First up was nasty neighbour Charles. I first met Charles while exploring the common property soon after buying my apartment. He a relatively short man around his mid 70s, with dark black hair, and a slight arch in his back which suggested that he was past his peak and was now growing shorter rather than taller. At first, Charles oozed charm and smarm: he was very friendly and welcoming in a rather disarming kind of way.

But things turned nasty only a couple of weeks later at the first body corporate … Continue reading…

By Graham Stoney, ago

Not Everyone is Going To Like You

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve felt a burning desire to have other people like me; to be accepted. It’s not unusual to want to fit in with other people, and perhaps you can relate. Often when I didn’t feel accepted by other people, I thought the problem lay with me. But a recent interaction with a rather extreme neighbour was an opportunity in disguise to learn otherwise.

A few years back I moved into a block of flats in a neighbourhood not far from where I’d previously been living for several years. I knew the area well, but the immediate neighbours were all new. It wasn’t long before I met a neighbour who I’ll call Edward, who lived upstairs in the same building quite close to me. At first he was friendly and appeared very charming. A little too charming perhaps, to the point of being a bit … Continue reading…

By Graham Stoney, ago