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Dammit
lynx
@HatBeard
it's a free for all on our street and there's one car that is very clearly a space holder but otherwise it's accepted that people park where they can.
the only kerfuffle we've had so far was on the first day we got the keys to the place a space opened up right outside just after the estate agent left and we had a car jammed full of bits to unload so I got the gf to run and get the keys to pull the car nearer (it was about 50yds away and there was about 10 trips worth of stuff to bring in, some quite heavy).
I was literally standing at the kerb to discourage any would be arrivals while my gf was getting into the car to drive across when a big 4x4 just zoomed up and very obviously trying to avoid direct eye contact with me stopped just past the space and began to back in. when they drew level I waved to get their attention and then I very politely explained we're in the process of moving in and pointed at our car and said we were just moving our car up to unload as we have a lot to get out. the woman didn't even say anything she just sighed like I'd asked her to help us move in personally, slammed the car back into drive and sped up to the end of the road (40m away) to turn around and then parked immediately around the corner and got out with her husband and 2 kids (carrying nothing) and went straight into the house next to ours (which is only the second house on the row so she was 1 house away from where she parked on the corner)
I repeated my apologies and she ignored me. so we unloaded and then moved the car and my gf went to knock to tell them they were welcome to move into the space as we were done unloading and thanks for being understaning and the husband made a big show of it not being a problem.
In the month since then we've spoken to them once and it was when i took in a package of her husbands and all she said when she knocked was "he was in so i dont know why they let YOU have it" no "how are you settling in" or "we havent been properly introduced, I'm...".
for a youngish couple around 5 years our junior, they are the most anti-social people i've lived next to ever i think and I grew up on various council estates around Basildon. I wonder if they'd be any different if we hadn't crossed paths like that first.