Hi folks,

Thanks for all the good advice, which I think amounts to - don't get involved with certain people in the first place!

The events did sound a bit far fetched but it was all true. I have since heard another frightening thing about my (nameless) neighbour which frankly leaves me speechless.

The local church recently gave my neighbour some voluntary work to do as he is a churchgoer. He was to take a man out for the afternoon. This man suffers from advanced Alzheimers disease, and they needed someone to take the strain off the poor man's wife.

My neighbour took this man out for an afternoon walk and - LOST HIM! Yes, it's amost unbelievable. He took this ill guy into a bar with him, got talking to some people, and the ill guy wandered off. He was found five miles away by the local police. The church people said that my neighbour was quite unrepentent about what had happened and wanted to take him out again.

Frankly, this puts my experience into perspective.

One thought. If I ever become ill with something like that, I wouldn't want him to turn up to help me. Even if I was far gone, I'd still remember him!

Now that really is a frightening prospect.

I can see the funny side of all this now, and the trigger is fading thank goodness. It's a polite distance from now on.

Cheers, M

PS - I know this is grim stuff, but sometimes you just have to see the funny side.