We had a bit of a ruckus in the neighbourhood last night. Gregoire and I were cleaning in the backyard around seven thirty when we heard a really loud motor spring into life. It was some kind of cutting tool but it sounded like a Harley being continuously revved up. It was if it was right in our yard. Still we were busy, so ignored it.

About five minutes later we heard a man's voice shouting. "Shut that damn thing off. Do you know what time it is? My baby is trying to sleep." Initially the motor just kept revving but the man continued to shout and it sounded bad. He was swearing at the top of his lungs and we could hear him over the sound of the motor. A crew were cutting down and removing a tree from a neighbour's front yard. The slings and arrows of outrageous language were hurled across the road.

Eventually the motor was shut off. A vitriolic slanging match continued between the two neighbours. A member of the gardening crew tossed in unhelpful jibes, adding fuel to the fire. The complaining neighbour seemed to make more noise than the offending machine. It sounded like things were going to come to blows. After a few minutes they ran out of steam and both parties disappeared back into their own homes, fuming as they went. The crew picked up the remaining branches of the downed tree and drove off.

I checked the noise bylaws. Reasonable noise between 7am and 10pm is ok. Unreasonable noise appears to be above 55 decibels continuously for three minutes or more. The output from the motor was definitely unreasonable.

A little later on in the evening after all was quiet on the western front, I ambled out and spoke to another neighbour, Harry as he tended to blades of grass on his immaculate lawn. He agreed it was loud but it was only for a short time. Everybody complains at every little thing, Harry said, gesticulating at the sky. We all have to get along together. Harry should work for the United Nations.

I was somewhere in between. If the guy had a baby in the house, he's going to be pretty protective. The noise was ridiculous. However he could have negotiated his way to some quiet time without stirring up world war three. Effing and blinding at the neighbour isn't smart. Now he's made an enemy where he could have had a friend. It wasn't clever for Flossie to bring in a tree cutting crew well after supper time. Somehow I doubted whether she was even aware of noise bylaws. I'd never clapped eyes on Flossie before, she's a bit of a recluse and keeps indoors.

Anyway the tree is down, the crew is gone. The neighbourhood is quiet. For now.