We live in an apartment building in a tree-lined cul de sac, in a relatively new suburb of Jerusalem. We are lucky enough to have a large balcony which leads off the living room. The balcony was actually a draw card to moving into this apartment in the first place.
The balcony we used to enjoy
It has been wonderful to be able to sit out on the balcony and take in the view of the surrounding hills and the vast expanse of sky above us. We used to be able to get some exercise walking up and down, or back and forth along the length of the balcony. During the recent pandemic with all the lockdowns, the ability to get some exercise has been especially important. But NO MORE!
What ought to be a peaceful space has become a landing stage for anything our upstairs neighbours choose to rain down on us at any time. What happened to our right to enjoy the balcony we pay rent for?
Some of the items the neighbours throw onto our balcony
- many balls of all sizes and other toys;
- balloons
- pink butterflies
- old used tissues
- a packet of baby wipes
- half eaten pieces of bread or biscuits
- used cups, half finished yoghurt, egg shells
- shell of sunflower seeds
- open, partly used sauces from salad or pizza
- partly eaten fruit, obviously been in the mouth
- sweets and chewing gum (very difficult to remove)
- even the odd half eaten fish cake
- uncountable amount of cigarette butts (still lit)!
A few more were:
- items of clothing, from shoes and slippers
- a backpack
- T-shirts (several)
- a scarf
- a belt
- the head of a “sponja” (Israeli squeegy)
- a long shoe horn
- an old key ring
- chains
- and even an old hammer (very dangerous!), this just missed me as I was walking one day.
Then there was a bundle of 18 inch multi coloured straws, which when asked, the neighbour said she no longer wanted! We have stopped trying to return these items after that comment. Our balcony is not a rubbish dump, so items discarded will in future be put in the TRASH.
Be careful what you wish for
Yesterday I returned from an appointment and was relaxing in the shade with a much needed cup of coffee and my book, when WHAM! SPLASH!! Down came a chocolate coated ice cream, we presume from a stick! It missed me by a couple of centimetres.
Earlier, on my way home I had wished for an ice cream – after that episode, my daughter kindly reminded me to be very careful what I wish for! One just never knows…
We definetly learned the importance of being specific. We wanted a yummy ice-cream to eat and enjoy. Not for the neighbours to throw their partly eaten ice-cream onto our balcony, making a huge mess.
The outcome
For our own protection, we will now have to sit right back under the covered area up against the wall. We wont be able to walk back and forth to get some exercise. Come to think of it, we wont be able to enjoy the section that has no cover at all. There is no possibility to put pot plants either. They will be destroyed by the flying objects of burnt from the lit cigarette butts.
We live in dangerous times on our balcony, which was once a much enjoyed area. No amount of talking has made any difference to our neighbours attitudes. Giving gifts has not helped either.
It’s quite sad, really. What do you think?