When did it all change? What triggered it? Did it happen overnights? Tell you what let’s put one of these 6 foot fences up, so when it is windy we have to replace a panel every fucking year! Those little fences lasted forever! It was supposed to be for security, but I think it was because we all started hating each other!
Hashtag Fenchtalk
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Fence 
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I remember my mother was moaning once that she had lost touch with all the people in the street as they had tarmaced the road so everybody would not go down it at a snails pace.
She then had an open evening at her place bring a bottle / crate and put an invitation through everybody’s letterbox.inviting the whole road. About half of them turned up and a good time was enjoyed by all.
So make a little effort and meet the people that you live near you never know who you will meet and it may be advantageous to yourself and them career / love life wise.
Fences have got smaller over the years, not bigger.
When I was 5, fences towered above me.
Now I’m all growed up, I tower above them.
I expect it will change again after Brexit* as it was probably an EU directive.
*especially in Sangatte.
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Didn’t we vote for bigger fences?
Originally posted by @saintbletch
When I was 5, fences towered above me.
<sigh> Aye, growing up in Gosport couldn’t have been easy, Bletch.
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I remember when we lived on Portswood Rd we did chat to the neighbours and go to their house as there were kids the same age. But I fell through the glass cold frame of the old couple next door so decided best not to chat. That was due to me sitting on the small fence of old and falling backwards. The next move we had students both sides. One got raided for drugs one night. Again not much chat there. The others kept dubious pans of brown (shit?) I their back garden.
It’s a tough call. I have tried both the up front introduction and close the curtains and never answer the door approach with mixed results for both.
A few years ago (with an ex GF) we moved into a terraced house. She insisted on introductions as soon as we were unpacked and one side was fine, an elderly couple who had a decent sense of humour who we got on with during our time there and the other side was a young-ish couple with a young child. I couldn’t help but notice the magnificent rack of the young women there, although she had an ugly and slightly distressing face. A BOBFOC, i guess. Anyway, got caught looking at her bristols so was immediately in the doghouse with my GF and her other half and we never spoke again.
My advice - scope out the neighbours beforehand and only speak to the ones you think you may get on with and wear shades if your gonna stare at any fit women nawks.
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When I was younger me da was in the Army and we moved every 3 years and people around us moved all the time, I don’t remember my dad ever introducing himself to anyone but then he worked with all the people that lived around us.
In my older life I’ve not introudcued myself to anyone by knocking on their doors but have always stopped to talk to neighbours when I see them around and about.
Now I nearly upvoted this, but it does not feel right! 
Weirdly., this is probably one of my favourite Sontonians threads in a while. Turns out Fatso is pretty much me (though significantly fatter) – I hate all this social etiquette stuff so just tend to be a miserable recluse who speaks to no one.
When we moved, I decided (after way too much deliberation) to just ‘let it happen naturally’ – “I’ll just say hello and start a quick conversation when I bump into them”, I thought… didn’t bump into them for about two months so had to engineer a really weird ‘accidental’ meeting by running out of the house with a binbag full of rubbish when I heard their door opening (by chance!) one day. Tripped on the way out and binbag ripped open all over the drive. Then they (coincidentally) moved about two weeks later so it really wasn’t worth it.
In summary, I’d go for Rallyboy’s suggestion of pushing your genitals against the frosted glass. Even better, dangle your winky through their letterbox and then ring the doorbell. Fingers crossed they see it BEFORE they open the door.
You’re welcome.
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The official papsweb guide to neighbourly interaction can be found here
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… Can’t believe that was ever considered funny… 
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It’s a fine line, you want to be in a friendly position where you can say hello if you see them but you don’t want people popping round uninvited to tell you about their day.
The mrs is Japanese and they usually buy small gifts for the neighbours when we move. This is perfect as she goes round, says hi and gives the gift. Makes an excuse for me staying home with the kid. People then like us, have a brief chat but don’t take it further than that. There was a needy woman a few doors down who was a bit too keen on turning the place into Ramsey Street. She started with “I can babysit whenever you need” (I refused as saw it coming) then moved to “oh, I just needed someone to talk to, my ex is being sooooo annoying about XYZ”. I have no heart and loads of my own stuff on so just said “oh that’s a shame… nightmare… ok, see you later”
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Having had a rather fractious relationship with our very-high-leylandii-hedge-loving neighbours in Somerset, we were determined to get off on the right foot with our new neighbours in Devon.
The day after we arrived, I decided to make our new place feel more homely by hanging up some of our favourite prints. However, it being a nice summer weekend, I noticed the neighbours relaxing in their garden and pondered whether or not it was neighbourly to disturb them with too much drilling and banging etc, especially as we had all the windows and doors open in order to air the place.
Anyway, I decided that a couple of quick drilling operations would be acceptable; but, unfortunately, I succeeded in drilling straight through a water-pipe with my first attempt. Cue the neighbourhood peace being shattered by very loud heated exchanges between me and Mrs Stickman:
Me: “Quick! Get a bloody bucket for fuck sake!”
Mrs Stickman: “Why can’t I ever have anything nice without you fucking ruining it!?”
… and then Mrs S went on, and on, and on, so that anyone would have thought I’d drilled through the bloodly pipe deliberately, as if I didn’t have anything better to do, ffs!
Well, suffice it to say, next-door thought The Neighbours From Hell had just moved in.
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Most neighbourly problems are cause by simple misunderstandings…
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I had some misgivings when we moved three years ago. We moved from inner city Liverpool to the burbs. We’re a corner house, so we only really have one next-door neighbour. They’re a bit weird. During my time there, they have:-
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Crashed their car into their own house, almost killing one of them.
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The old fella has also loitered in my garden, looking to climb my fence so he could get in. Didn’t bother informing me, like.
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He also pops his head over the wall whenever we have a barbecue and moans about the smoke.
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They asked us to chop one of our trees down, and when we refused, they went above our heads and asked the landlord for permission. He told them to do one, and said he’d only allow the trimming of the tree to wall height.
Originally posted by @pap
I had some misgivings when we moved three years ago. We moved from inner city Liverpool to the burbs. We’re a corner house, so we only really have one next-door neighbour. They’re a bit weird. During my time there, they have:-
- Crashed their car into their own house, almost killing one of them.
Lol.
- The old fella has also loitered in my garden , looking to climb my fence so he could get in. Didn’t bother informing me, like.
Is that a euphemism?
- He also pops his head over the wall whenever we have a barbecue and moans about the smoke.
Is that a euphemism?
Also, calling someone else a bit weird - do you live in a greenhouse, papster?
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LOL, that is the same thing Mrs N regularly says, often followed by “you useless wanker”