Everybody needs good neighbours

WELL, I think we've cracked it on the new neighourly social scene.

Not only did we get to jump into one their's pool - fully clothed - at the strike of midnight on New Year's Eve but tonight, we headed over the road to spend an hour or two in the company of our overworked Australian counterparts.

Our typically good looking Aussie accountant and retail manager friends both have jobs that dictate their social lives. The world of retail over here, as it is back there, is pretty much 12/7 so any windows of social opportunity rarely present themselves and our neighbourly party lives are put on hold.

Until tonight. We were invited round for a beer or three and to be honest, it was a treat to sit in a house that didn't need X, Y and Z doing to it. It took me right back to when we were converting our chapel in Wales. In the early days, we would spend our evenings out at friends trying to forget the work we had to undertake. But when the job in hand eventually came together, we found ourselves hard pressed to even leave the confines of the masterpiece we'd created.

And now, we find ourselves in the same position. I totally feel the underdog to all the beautiful and stylish homes we find ourselves invited to. I know it's going to take a good few years getting this place exactly how we want it but for now, we just have to bite the bullet and work on the immediate requirements. All the cosmetic touches will come with the onset of time. And disposable cash.

The blueprints have been drawn up for a pool in the back yard and the conversion of a car port into another bedroom and all we need now is for the council's rubber stamp all over them before we can get on with some real masonry work.

But back to the neighbours... I first met them when we'd exchanged contracts and picked up the keys. After a quick look around our new house, I clocked them getting out of the car on their driveway so grasped the opportunity to rock up on their nature strip and introduce myself.

Since that day, they've put our garbage bins out for us when we've been, how can I say, worse for wear, and tonight we've even had the privilege of seeing their honeymoon DVD. And I feel honoured! While we sat there and drank tinnies in stubby holders, we took the mick out of neighbour who kept chipping into our giggleage with "Naaaa, ya gurra see this bit..."

Before we left UK, friends said we were making the right decision and that we'd have no problem making new chums. That, I didn't doubt for a minute, but times like this just reinforce that message. If you're willing to put yourself out there, good things come to those who wait...