We live in a flat, on the ground floor next to the block’s entrance. Leading up to the mai door is a small metal staircase of 5 steps. Unfortunately these steps act like a set of church bells and every time they are knocked or banged, it reverberates through our flat.
So the old boy of about 80 from upstairs has taken to cleaning the pathway in front of the flat, including these steps. In the summer he bashes around sweeping the steps and path, bashing the steps with his broom as he goes. In the winter just now, he’s scraping and banging it with his spade to shift the snow. All this at anywhere from 5 – 630am. So this morning I stuck my head out the window and thanked him for his efforts but pointed out that it reverberates through our flat. His response was one of “Well I’ve been up since 4am, are you not going to work today? Or do you want to break your leg on these steps?”. And he’s the type to jump on the offensive with it, so doesn’t listen to anything being said and laughs when I tell him that yes, I will be going to work today but not until 8am.
How the hell do you manage these people? He’s doing a good deed by tidying the steps of snow – not I see the need, older folk might – but its not on at 6am. Do I;
a) call the police (unsociable behaviour?)
b) get out the night before and clean the steps myself? (This is probably the best idea, but he’d still be out there in the morning doing his bit no doubt).
c) grab his spade off him and shove it where there ain’t no snow…
Grrrrrr.
Tired & Grumpy of Edinburgh
