What will the neighbours think? - Lung Conditions C...

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What will the neighbours think?

41 Replies

My dear old Mum has gone now

She reached just 94.

For all those years she worried.

About the folk next door.

That is what I used to think

When as a little lad.

It's what she used to say

If I did something bad.

"Whatever will the neighbours think,

If you don't wash your face".

"Whatever will the neighbours think

If you don't clean-up the place".

Both my father and my sister

Did not always do as bid.

The neighbours never seemed to care

Whatever those two did.

I don't think the neighbours

Really cared one little hoot.

But just in case when 'ere I passed

I raised a finger in salute.

41 Replies
soul-123 profile image
soul-123

Mums always know best X

in reply to soul-123

I think you are right, though you don't always realise it at the time. 😊

skischool profile image
skischool

Cracking little ode Master Po,pray may i ask if that was more than one finger you raised to your neighbours in salute. :) x

in reply to skischool

Well I was a great fan of Prime Minister Churchill who I was told won the war for us.😉

skischool profile image
skischool in reply to

Ah but the neighbours would have been shocked by the cigar clenched between those saluting fingers. :) x

in reply to skischool

Well yes, a Wild Woodbine behind the bike shed was the closest I got. 🤢

Izb1 profile image
Izb1

Naughty Don ha! Love it x

Pantani profile image
Pantani

My mother was the same,always concerned with what the neighbours would think. Though I never saluted them in your manner Don.👍

in reply to Pantani

We will have to take your word on that. 😂

Hacienda profile image
Hacienda

Brilliant Don, my Mum would give two fingers just like Winston Churchill Did For Victory. But she respected the Neighbours, as all her 8 Kids did. Times have changed. Your Mum looks lovely and Kind. XXX

sassy59 profile image
sassy59

You’re mum did really well Don

To get to 94,

The neighbours were very privileged

To have you live next door,

People back in those days

Cared what the neighbours thought

But you and I could not care less,

Kids = 10 and neighbours = nought.

Well done Don, that was great. Xxxxx

Whitechinchilla profile image
Whitechinchilla in reply to sassy59

Oops that was meant for sassy59, not sure where it landed. Not meaning there are two of you Oh Venerable One😂😂😂

sassy59 profile image
sassy59 in reply to Whitechinchilla

Thank you 😂🤣

Izb1 profile image
Izb1 in reply to sassy59

Brilliant Sassy x

sassy59 profile image
sassy59 in reply to Izb1

Thank you xxxx 😘

Whitechinchilla profile image
Whitechinchilla

You two too😉😉😉

Corin1950 profile image
Corin1950

Naughty boy, Don.

No wonder your mum was worried!

But you turned out ok in the end.

Keep behaving yourself

Love

Corin

X

Gladwyn profile image
Gladwyn

Your Mum looks lovely and kind even though it sounds she could keep you in your place young man! What lovely family photographs you've shown. Thankyou X

Kittykat2 profile image
Kittykat2

My mothers neighbour was a dragon that didnt like kids.She scared us all coming out and shouting for no good reason.

Great rhyme Don your mum looks a lovely lady ....love your photos you put on 💕x

JANET127 profile image
JANET127

BEAUTIFUL! I WAS RAISED THAT WAY TOO! NO MORE!!! STILL RECOVERING...I WILL WRITE LATER! JANET

in reply to JANET127

Good to see you here Janet. Missing you, get well soon.😘

HungryHufflepuff profile image
HungryHufflepuff

More great photos. Thanks for sharing these. And thanks for the poem too of course.

HungryHufflepuff profile image
HungryHufflepuff in reply to HungryHufflepuff

Too many plurals there, it makes it sound as if I’m seeing double! What I should have said is, Another great photo, thank you for sharing your photos. And they really are great photos. Your mum is quite wonderful, as mums tend to be 😊

in reply to HungryHufflepuff

Thank you HH, the photo here was taken on her 90th birthday she died four years later just as perky as ever to the very end. I'm pleased there is so much interest in her, she was a great Mum, but a terrible cook.

Which finger!🖕🤔 I find myself wondering....

in reply to

🤐

Katinka46 profile image
Katinka46

Brilliant, as always. My mother who was a free spirit never gave a damn about what the neighbours thought. Sometimes I wished she would... I have a photograph of her on her motorbike c 1930, looking like a rather dashing cousin of Bertie Wooster’s turning up to scandalise his neighbours (and Jeeves) in Berkeley Mansions.

K xx

in reply to Katinka46

I think my mum had quietened down by then, Kate, my sister was born 1926. 😉x

kpm346 profile image
kpm346

What a sweet lovely lady. One photo says it all.

Lyd12 profile image
Lyd12

Lovely photo, and at such a great age. I was never warned about bothering the neighbours, it was war time and we all helped each other, and shared what we had. Hard lesson for a child to give away toys to any kids without.

War is a great leveller, no snobbiness then, mostly brings out the best in people. Love Iris x

in reply to Lyd12

It wasn’t about snobbiness, Iris, the neighbours were great friends, it was about maintaining standards. As for sharing we had a houseful of evacuees from bombed out areas of Liverpool, war was certainly a leveller, very few buildings were left standing. Everything was shared including my mother and father to kids who had lost theirs.😘x

Lyd12 profile image
Lyd12 in reply to

Glad you had nice neighbours Don. We met snobbiness when we moved to Berkshire for a while during the war. One local school mistress looked down her nose at me, and sad to Mum "there's a school for London children down the road. That turned out to be a room in a big house, all ages together and one poor harassed teacher, who arranged our desks in rows according toage group, and endeavoured, with good results, to teach us all separately. She was strict, ruler across the knuckles, astonished that I had never done fractions at about nine years of age, not surprisng all the air raids during school time and then the school hit with fire bmbs. Love Iris x

in reply to Lyd12

My schooling was a disaster, no male teachers all females either dragged out of retirement or not much older than us kids. No control over classes of 50 or more, we ran riot and although I wanted to learn I’m afraid I joined in. I left on my fourteenth birthday and went to work for the Post Office as a messenger boy.

Bingo88 profile image
Bingo88

What a lovely Lady your Mom was Don-1931. Sadly those days have gone where we considered our neighbours. And took pride in how we looked and dressed. When we went out. These days some people go out in tracksuits. Looking like a bag of you know what. Even now if only fetching a newspaper. I like to go out looking respectable. Hope your keeping well Don-1931... ... Brian

in reply to Bingo88

That’s exactly what it was about Brian, maintaining standards, I gave the wrong impression in the last line of my poem, mainly to get a laugh. The ‘salute’ was more a touch of the forelock, which I didn’t think folk would understand or think as funny. Thank you for understanding.

I’m plodding along quite nicely thanks and hope you are recovering wellness. 🙂

Bingo88 profile image
Bingo88 in reply to

Yes i am feeling great. Thanks. Just the dreaded cough, that alot seem to have at present. Thankfully the next 4 days are going to be alot better weather wise. To recover from todays floods the way its been raining all night. Take care pal

watergazer profile image
watergazer

Lovely photo Don. A great age to reach

Sandyeggo profile image
Sandyeggo

😂😂😂😂😂😂 My growing up period was always filled with some form of” neighbors watching” when I don’t think they gave a hoot what was going on at our house there were just always way too many children around and the milk man was always to blame-poor guy

INK45 profile image
INK45

truly lovely Don. In my house it ran "what if someone comes!"

fantwalk profile image
fantwalk

Love it, very clever and well written. I think it's sad though that generations past had their lives restricted so much by what the neighbours thought, hopefully now we are more free to be ourselves. Cheers :)

The funny thing is that the neighbours generally didn’t care about such things but were saying the same thing to their children as well. It was the parents applying restrictions to their own children. Much better than a clip around the ear which was often the alternative. I think you have to have lived during those days to appreciate how it worked for the better. Thank you for your kind comment. 🙂

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