The Boy Next Door.

Did you have a boy/girl next door when you were growing up ? I had a boy next door, but not in the Dawsons Creek sense. He only moved in when I was about sixteen, he was very nice and I may or may not have peeked out the second storey window occasionally when he was chilling out in his back garden wearing nothing more than pair of footy shorts...but, I digress, it was a romance free yet lovely friendship.

We have a little boy next door, for arguments sake lets call him Little Lord Fauntleroy or LLF (we don't want to be here all day, do we ?). He is a little older then Petal, he is English, he wears coke-bottle thick glasses and is cute as a button. Unfortunately LLF's affections are torn between Petal and Le Artiste, the allure of a 'big boy' is tricky for a little fellow and I watch his small face scrunch up in consternation as he tries to navigate the treacherous waters of natural sibling rivalry.

Last weekend the children played musical houses, backwards and forwards, wearing a little path through the gap in the hedge. LLF has taken to calling me *insert adorable British accent* "Mummy," to which I dutifully respond, much to the confusion of my own children. Petal pops next door and gazes up at our neighbour with soulful puppy dog eyes and requests if there is anything for her to eat, because she's "staaaaarving." (We're saving a fortune in grocery bills, LLF is a grazer, Petal is more a three course kind of girl) and Le Artiste just looks at the two littlies and shakes his head whilst trying to work out if a batch of fresh scones is a better deal then playing Olympic Sports on the wii.

I love watching the way the children interact and how they are equally at ease in my home or next door. It's comforting to have wonderful neighbours and we're trying really hard not to scare them away.

Next year heralds Petal and LLFs transition to the 'Big School' with Le Artiste and I'll be interested to see if the dynamics between them changes. Petal has already been grilled on numerous occasions by Le Artiste as to who she will marry, LLF or Action Man ? (a favorite friend from kindergarten) and to see her sigh, roll her eyes and retort "Oh, I don't know," makes me smile and feel a little pang as I sneak a glimpse into the future.

So which team will you be on ? The Boy Next Door or Action Man ? At this stage I'd give it 50/50 odds because lets face it, women can be fickle and who knows, Simon Baker Jnr could be waiting at the school gates. Eek, I think I just gave myself another grey hair.