Wednesday, August 09, 2006

I have beautiful neighbours

This story doesn't mean very much .. really, in the long term.

I live alone, except for my cat and two canaries. Nice to have around, but don't help much if there's a problem. Several weeks ago had this excrutiating pain in chest. Very difficult to breathe. Problem turned up at 1am in morning. Put up with it for a while, couln't lie down, couldn't sit up. Wandered around thinking 'ummm'what if I cark it?. went out and wandered around on front lawn fer a while, thinking Oh well, if i cark it at least someone will find the body fairly quickly. Thought about tapping on the door of the neighbours, but they are nice people with kids, and didn't want to bother them at 3am.

The problem passed, but was chatting with next door some time later and told her about it. Yup, she said, we keep an eye on you. (bloody marvellous, think i, nobody around at 3am.)

The other night, was minding my own business, very tired, watching TV in central room. Had decided to not keep kitchen light on. (don't get me started about selling Public Utilities to Profiteers)..

8.30 pm. Vaguely hear tapp tap at front door. ?? think I. Go into front room and peer through curtain. All dark, See nothing. At that point the "security" light in the driveway goes on. Self sees shadows walking uncertainly down driveway. Uh oh, think I, back door is open and unlocked. Picks up (secret) weapon and heads toward back door, flings open back door and sees .. my neighbours. Some slight startlement on both sides. Oh, they say, we didn't see your light, and the cat was outside, just thought to come round and check to see if you were alright.

Bugga .. I have beautiful neighbours.

7 comments:

Link said...

I guess when you realise that the worst that can happen is you cark it and you're not hugely bothered by that, its a good space to be. I've found reaching that inevitability as a possibly imminent reality lightens the load considerably and puts things into perspective.

Loathe as I am to suggest it because I don't like them myself, and sometimes it means the beginning of the end, a checkup at the doctor? You can always take what he/she says with the proverbial grain of salt and go on to institute your own measures to deal with whatever they may come up with. Western Medicine excels at testing and carpentry but not, in my experience at actually 'healing'.

Davoh said...

Link, yup, have been there err, well, down to Ashford where they strung me with enough wires to light a christmas tree, made me tromp on a treadmill fer a while (felt like a normal day's work), poked and prodded, had my liver squizzed at by ultrascan. The verdict was that am remarkably fit for my age (and the way i treat my body). My mind works at the speed of a Galapagos tortoise .. so if it hangs around for as long as they do .. don't think that there's much to worry about .. yet.

Thanks for noticing, tho. :-)

JahTeh said...

You could have emailed one of us. We couldn't have done much except keep you company. If they looked at your liver it sounds as though they were looking at the gallbladder as well. The only thing more excruciating than passing a kidney stone is passing a gallstone.

Anne Johnson said...

I live so close to my neighbors I could hock a loogie onto their siding, but I hardly see them at all. Next door neighbor's tomatoes are growing over the fence, red ripe, and I don't know if I should pick 'em for myself or not.

You're lucky. And I hope you don't cark. From Merica you look like a healthy specimen.

iamnasra said...

Its good to know still fine people are caring and knocking your door to see if you are fine..Now days we live in isolation that a person can die in his or her home and a month can pass by and no one would have noticed

Davoh said...

Nasra .. This post was, to some extent, prompted by me watching a doco on TV about some bloke in London who had a specialist "cleaning" company (and making a squillion). Apparently, each month in England, 100 or so people die alone and unnoticed - Several days, weeks, months.. It takes a specialist, and strong stomach, to clean that up. 'Tis one of the things that keeps me surviving. Need all the dishes washed and bills paid. Can't figure out how to exit neatly and cleanly .. heh.

Davoh said...

Females, arrrgh! Always fussing about something or other.
(and oh, by the way, if the Word verification thingo is far too long and incomprehensible, just keep clicking "preview". Eventually it gives you something coherent and readable)