Looking after old neighbours

[Bender]

We have a little old biddy living next-door, she has family living near ish but they appear to be as practical as a stick.

 

Her husband died from a stroke and aneurysm that was brought on by a theft from his car, they smashed windows while he was sat at lights, they got next to nothing and we're never caught.

 

I have done the odd few things, replaced fence panels and posts when they blew down and snapped. 

 

Fixed boiler, given her numbers for folk that won't rip her off etc.

 

Seeing as I've been fairly busy outside over the hols and most of it involves noise I thought I would sort her garden gate.

 

Someone swiped it, now I'm not one for being suspicious but the window-cleaner just happened to have one that fit the hinge pins but was too wide but she bought it for some ridiculous sum.

 

Some other twat has been opening the gate and letting a dog crap in her garden, go figure.

 

Was straightforward, narrow gate, alter catch, quick coat of paint, re fit, need to pop round tomorrow to weld a nut on the hinge pins as it's just a lift off job.

 

She has never complained about garage related noise but I only have to step out the back door or open the garage and she appears, dosen't do it for wife or daughter, they think she has a thing for me, hey you have to take what your given.

 

 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Nice job on the gate. We have several older folks we keep an eye on. Some of their families are great, others are useless. I tend to be the first port of call when the car won't start.

 

The hard bit is when you know they shouldn't be driving but the family won't tackle it. I really don't like fixing a car when I know the person driving isn't safe. On a few occasions I've had to tell them it's broken beyond repair just to keep them off the road.

 

One recently got her son to sort it and the day after overturned it coming down the hill. 

 

Then again we have neighbour (ie lives half a mile across the field) in her 90's who has more energy than most 30 year olds. She's amazing what she gets up to.

[Six30]

my next door oap neighbor does the same when i open my garage ...... boom , as if by magic he's there  .

 

[Bender]

@Mississippi Bullfrog think next door is into her 80's she still drives and plays golf with the girls as she calls them.

 

She paid 7quid for a battery for her doorbell,  her son got it , the thing was stuck to door with tape and clearly beyond use, it still didn't work, we bought her a new doorbell  from Amazon, to date I've not taken a penny, don't know what son is thinking.

[Guest]

We had a elderly neighbour....lived on her own....son used to visit occasionally..

My wife used to sit and chat with her a couple of times a day.

We took her out for drives in the countryside and to the coast....did this for a couple of years.

Bless her she died in my wife's arms one morning.

We phoned the son who visited her on occasions....he came straight away.

That afternoon the other 7 of her sons and daughters arrived!!

Never seen any of them in the 6 years we have lived here!!!

Turned up like bleeding vultures! to see what they could get.

[skyrider]

Just now, Fred said:

We had a elderly neighbour....lived on her own....son used to visit occasionally..

My wife used to sit and chat with her a couple of times a day.

We took her out for drives in the countryside and to the coast....did this for a couple of years.

Bless her she died in my wife's arms one morning.

We phoned the son who visited her on occasions....he came straight away.

That afternoon the other 7 of her sons and daughters arrived!!

Never seen any of them in the 6 years we have lived here!!!

Turned up like bleeding vultures! to see what they could get.

yes thats not unknown 

[Bender]

11 minutes ago, Six30 said:

my next door oap neighbor does the same when i open my garage ...... boom , as if by magic he's there  .

 

I think it's a new superpower old folk obtain when they are on there own.

[S-Westerly]

My dad only gave up driving when he was 89 and that was because the car failed its mot. Didn't have the heart to tell him I'd have got in touch with the DVLA to pull his licence if he hadn't.  He's half blind and when I last saw him told me that he hadn't had any peripheral vision for years. He used to worry about hitting cyclists. 

[Guest Richzx6r]

1 minute ago, S-Westerly said:

My dad only gave up driving when he was 89 and that was because the car failed its mot. Didn't have the heart to tell him I'd have got in touch with the DVLA to pull his licence if he hadn't.  He's half blind and when I last saw him told me that he hadn't had any peripheral vision for years. He used to worry about hitting cyclists. 

I honestly believe that you should have to take an annual driving test when you get above 70 years of age 

[S-Westerly]

Piss off. That's only 7 years away and if you think I'm doing a bike test you can take a flying f**k at a rolling donut 

[Guest Richzx6r]

Just now, S-Westerly said:

Piss off. That's only 7 years away and if you think I'm doing a bike test you can take a flying f**k at a rolling donut 

But would you not agree it would weed out those drivers who arent fit to be driving anymore, if your all fit and healthy then you would pass the assessment no bother.

 

I'm not talking about another test I'm talking about a simple assessment by somebody in the dvla

[S-Westerly]

That I could go along with. It could even be some kind of online test a bit like I belive the theory test is. Hazard awareness or reflexes.

[Stu]

Done a good job of the gate @Bender  

 

As for oldies driving! we have told the mother in law that when she is past it we are taking her keys off her  she agreed and said it was fine! 

 

I am surrounded by oldies where I live but they are all very capable and able bodied! 

[Guest Richzx6r]

Just now, S-Westerly said:

That I could go along with. It could even be some kind of online test a bit like I belive the theory test is. Hazard awareness or reflexes.

It could be but I believe it's more to do with having that awareness whilst actually driving as when you are just sitting in front of the computer you arent doing anything else so an assessment of the person's actual driving would be more ideal

[skyrider]

7 minutes ago, S-Westerly said:

Piss off. That's only 7 years away and if you think I'm doing a bike test you can take a flying f**k at a rolling donut 

that sounds interesting 

[Bender]

11 minutes ago, Stu said:

Done a good job of the gate @Bender  

 

As for oldies driving! we have told the mother in law that when she is past it we are taking her keys off her  she agreed and said it was fine! 

 

I am surrounded by oldies where I live but they are all very capable and able bodied! 

I should have split the gate and kept the symmetry but hey its a freebie, if I'm there too long she gets a bit too friendly.

[skyrider]

2 minutes ago, Bender said:

I should have split the gate and kept the symmetry but hey its a freebie, if I'm there too long she gets a bit too friendly.

enjoy

[Bender]

Just now, skyrider said:

enjoy

She's single, if your available I can get her to sign up  

[Stu]

3 minutes ago, Bender said:

I should have split the gate and kept the symmetry but hey its a freebie, if I'm there too long she gets a bit too friendly.

 

It's not just me that is OCD like that then  

 

We have a wrought iron gate on the front that I need to reinforce! 

 

It's not very well made and when you try to open it by pressing the catch it pushes the full gate down and just keeps it on the catch  

[Bender]

14 minutes ago, Stu said:

 

It's not just me that is OCD like that then  

 

We have a wrought iron gate on the front that I need to reinforce! 

 

It's not very well made and when you try to open it by pressing the catch it pushes the full gate down and just keeps it on the catch  

Nope I'm terrible, the wife knows now if I start stripping wallpaper there Is a 95% chance of going back to brick.

[Tiggie]

My Neighbour was in her 90's  and had to be put into a care home earlier this year as she began to need 24hr care. I helped her out a few times over the 5 years we've been here, tripped fuses, boiler lost pressure etc.

 

One evening I was cleaning the kitchen when I looked out of the window and saw her making her way very slowly down my drive using her walking frame. I went out to see what was wrong and saw smoke billowing out of her doorway. She said she'd had an accident making some soup 

 

I ran inside and saw a saucepan on the hob smoking away. Turned out she'd set it going and had fallen asleep in the living room. Must of been burning for sometime as there was nothing left inside the pan except for a blackened mess. She was so embarrassed about what had happened, I was just grateful she had woken up in time to get out and get help 

[Stu]

Just now, Bender said:

Nope I'm terrible, the wife knows now if I start stripping wallpaper there Is a 95% chance of going back to brick.

 

I'm not as bad as that but then this house isn't too bad!! 

 

Although the kitchen and living room ceilings "fell down" when I was decorating  

 

Full strip out of both rooms but the bonus is its just a lick of pain now and it done  

[Tiggie]

1 minute ago, Bender said:

Nope I'm terrible, the wife knows now if I start stripping wallpaper there Is a 95% chance of going back to brick.

 

My Wife's Dad was like that. He would spend a massive amount of time prepping the walls before decorating, I'm talking days! Going over any little dent or hole with filler and sanding it down smooth. Funny thing is he never did the actual wallpapering, he'd leave all that to his Wife 

[Bender]

Me doing Hall  

[Stu]

@Bender are we having a willie waving contest