everybody needs good neighbours

TOM & ANDY

ANDY: I met Tom because we share a very low fence between our houses – we can always see what the other person’s up to. I think we would have started chatting about gardening, what veggies we’re growing, why our soil sucks. I spend all my time out in the garden and Tom pops his head over and asks what's going on.

I've lived here for about four years, and Tom and his family have been there for over 15. My first impression of him was that he looked like a naturalist – someone who’s interested in plants and the world around him. He’s definitely got that aura about him. It turned out he’s one of the leading mycologists – or fungi experts – in the world, so I’m always picking his brain.

Over summer, I could hear a different kind of phone ringing in Tom’s house. It was actually the poison hotline, which is a direct line to him. Whenever someone eats a mushroom, they call him and he can determine if serious action is needed. You never know what your neighbours are doing, so to ask a few questions and get that thrown at you is pretty cool. He’s often birdwatching in his backyard,