Was the colour of the bedroom curtains as seen by Matt a clue?

[G-Unit]

Face facts stephen.   It WAS the garden for the apartments and they had one of the apartments, so effectively it WAS THEIR back garden. 

My previous back garden was 50+ metres long and it felt absolutely OK to be there with the children asleep in an unlocked house.  Little doubt about it, they would feel the same.

Each of the ground floor flats had a garden, with a wall and a gate. That was their garden, not a public space divided from their flat by their garden, a wall, a pathway, another wall, some more space and a swimming pool.

[sadie]

Each of the ground floor flats had a garden, with a wall and a gate. That was their garden, not a public space divided from their flat by their garden, a wall, a pathway, another wall, some more space and a swimming pool.

Those tiny spaces were their personal place.  The tapas area was effectively the back garden to all the flats.

Plenty of Victorian terrace houses had back gardens with a space near the house, a pathway through paralell to the houses,  then another part of the garden behind the pathway.  It was all their back garden. 

The pathway serviced the other houses in the terrace. but nothing stopped people walking thru, if they wished.

My hubby spent the early years of his life in such a house

Ocean club is a very similar set up.

[sadie]

Totally unprotected from what though?  I thought the view was that burglars don't harm or abduct children?  As to your use of the word "cretinous" are you aware that this is an offensive term often used to describe people with mental retardation?  Leaving the door unlocked was foolish, had they locked the door what would that have been...?

The Front door WAS LOCKED Alfie, single locked.  It needed a key to open it.

The only door that we know was unlocked was the patio door ... and that patio area was bathed in light from the street light immediately opposite.

It was also only 50 metres away from the parents and their friends and they could see the whole area.

[slartibartfast]

Face facts stephen.   It WAS the garden for the apartments and they had one of the apartments, so effectively it WAS THEIR back garden. 

My previous back garden was 50+ metres long and it felt absolutely OK to be there with the children asleep in an unlocked house.  Little doubt about it, they would feel the same.

So you went and sat and picnicked at the end of the Garden?

[sadie]

So you went and sat and picnicked at the end of the Garden?

No, we backed onto a golf course and chatted and joked with my hubbies golfing friends.  We had our backs to the house, but I knew if anything was amiss the children would have yelled us and we would have heard.

One is tuned into the cries of ones own children

[G-Unit]

Those tiny spaces were their personal place.  The tapas area was effectively the back garden to all the flats.

Plenty of Victorian terrace houses had back gardens with a space near the house, a pathway through paralell to the houses,  then another part of the garden behind the pathway.  It was all their back garden. 

The pathway serviced the other houses in the terrace. but nothing stopped people walking thru, if they wished.

My hubby spent the early years of his life in such a house

Ocean club is a very similar set up.

Did he have to climb over two walls with hedging on top to get to the bottom part of his garden too? 

[sadie]

Did he have to climb over two walls with hedging on top to get to the bottom part of his garden too? 

Your photo gives a VERY false impression of 50 metres.

It is very simple to check the actual distance using GEarth and the little blue upright ruler on the top band of the GE Image.  If you check, you will see that it is 50 metres only

[G-Unit]

Your photo gives a VERY false impression of 50 metres.

It is very simple to check the actual distance using GEarth and the little blue upright ruler on the top band of the GE Image.  If you check, you will see that it is 50 metres only

I wasn't speaking of distance but accessibility. If that was the other half of my garden I'd want a gate; it's a bit of a scramble to get in and out.

[slartibartfast]

No, we backed onto a golf course and chatted and joked with my hubbies golfing friends.  We had our backs to the house, but I knew if anything was amiss the children would have yelled us and we would have heard.

One is tuned into the cries of ones own children

So a quiet back garden then.

[sadie]

So a quiet back garden then.

Fairly but with the main busy, quite noisy ring road at the front (four lanes).    Also exhuberant conversation.

With a mini orchard in between, so limited visibility of the house, but it felt very safe.

The neighbours seemed to feel it was totally safe too, cos when their little ones were asleep in bed, they would be out in the garden as well.
 

[slartibartfast]

Fairly but with the main busy, quite noisy ring road at the front (four lanes).    Also exhuberant conversation.

With a mini orchard in between, so limited visibility of the house, but it felt very safe.

The neighbours seemed to feel it was totally safe too, cos when their little ones were asleep in bed, they would be out in the garden as well.

So what percentage of your garden time did you spend at the end?

[stephen25000]

Fairly but with the main busy, quite noisy ring road at the front (four lanes).    Also exhuberant conversation.

With a mini orchard in between, so limited visibility of the house, but it felt very safe.

The neighbours seemed to feel it was totally safe too, cos when their little ones were asleep in bed, they would be out in the garden as well.

Your obsession with the Tapas being their 'back garden'  is quite disturbing, when it has been explained to you on many occasions, it wasn't.

[Robittybob1]

Fairly but with the main busy, quite noisy ring road at the front (four lanes).    Also exhuberant conversation.

With a mini orchard in between, so limited visibility of the house, but it felt very safe.

The neighbours seemed to feel it was totally safe too, cos when their little ones were asleep in bed, they would be out in the garden as well.

Is it possible we took more risk years ago?

[slartibartfast]

Is it possible we took more risk years ago?

I think most people understand the difference between a back garden and a nearby allotment.

[Robittybob1]

I think most people understand the difference between a back garden and a nearby allotment.

I hate to list the risks my partner and I took.