I personally get pissed off a lot now since I can see straight into their house from most part of ours. I have the curtains constantly shut in my bedroom which is really gloomy. It’s so irritating to look at these people walking around in their house and it’s not like I’m staring but it’s impossible not to see them when their house is lit and it’s dark outside. They come storming to shut the blinders when I’m in the kitchen; I think they believe I’m spying on them…
Reading Mansfield Park right now and I find it a little harder to follow than I did Pride and Prejudice, perhaps because I had seen P&P the movie and was a little more familiar with the story or maybe since MP is written after P&P Austen has excelled as a writer and makes it harder for me to follow due to my English not being good enough? Anyway… I like the part where they are talking about houses, Mr. Rushworth says, “The approach now, is one of the finest in the country.” You don’t think about approaches today do you? I wish people did.
“It would be too ridiculous for me to attempt any thing where I am now, with my little half acre.” Poor Mrs. Norris with only half an acre, it would be ridiculous to do anything with such little space. I’d KILL for half an acre!
And Lady Bertram says, “if I were you, I would have a very pretty shrubbery. One likes to get out into a shrubbery in fine weather.” I would love to have enough space for a shrubbery and walking in it, spring and fall sounds like an excellent time to take a stroll in the shrubbery doesn’t it? And maybe have a gazebo at the end (or in the middle) of it where you can enjoy a cup tea with some friends.
“It is ill placed. It sands in one of the lowest spots of the park…” Location, location, location, everyone know it’s about location and yet they always build houses in bad places. “Oh, let’s blow this mountain to smithereens and build a house here. I know it’s barley any room for it and the only view will be of the neighbors kitchen but so what? Just build a huge brick wall around the place and it will be okay.”
I want to move and have a view, I want to have some space around the house for gardening and wildlife, I want to live close to nature and grow my own veggies. I also want to be able to take a long walk in nature, whether that’s my own yard or wilderness is less important. Enough place for my dog to run and to really stretch his legs. I don’t want to have walls around me to shut the neighbors out, I want an open area with enough distance to the neighbors for the both of us to feel relaxed and comfortable in our own backyards (now I’m not even comfortable inside my own house because of the lack of privacy) to do whatever we want.