What can I get as a leaving present for my good neighbour?

May 31, 2007 7:15 AM

I'd like to get a gift for my neighbour, as we're moving out soon. They've invited us over for "A Banquet" to say bye (which is fab!). Pertinent details: she's friendly, about 60ish, Islamic, from Bangladesh, she likes growing vegetables. She's been a good neighbour over the last 7 years, but partly due to the language barrier, I haven't a clue what she likes to do. Any suggestions?

Her 4 kids have grown up, and some of them hang around still. There are small children in the house - her grandkids - and I have considered that maybe buying something for them might be good (actually I will probably get something for them anyway, but I'd like to get something specifically for The Matriarch, and to be honest the kids come and go so much I'm not entirely sure how many of them there are). Most of our exchanges have been in the garden and mostly conducted through sign language - she brings me food whenever there's a family do, I have in the past given her various plants (a bay tree, a head of rhubarb, coriander shoots, that sort of thing). Her kids, of course, speak proper English but getting hold of one of them to ask is hard as I'm never quite sure who's living there at any one time.

posted by handee to shopping (10 comments total)

She sounds intriguing, and you two had a nice rapport going, mainly through gardening and food, it seems. Nice. What about a really nice trundle basket to carry veggies from garden to house, or a market basket filled with seed packets, or a good set of hand gardening tools, or a straw hat? Anything from the Smith and Hawken gardening section might be nice...that's where I get my gifts for gardeners, and they're always really appreciated. One thing I've given several times to diehard gardeners that's been a huge hit has been gardener's soap. It's great stuff, and isn't something that someone would ordinarily buy for themselves. A tree is also a great gift - maybe she'd like a tree that bears fruit, although those require some upkeep, so you'd probably want to know beforehand if that's something she would like.
posted by iconomy at 7:34 AM on May 31, 2007

I lived next to an older Islamic couple, also from Bangladesh, when I lived in England. They were vary nice and let me use their washing machine when my kitchen flooded. When I moved out, I gave them a book of photographs of great mosques of the world, which I found at a Borders. They loved the gift and remembered me last Christmas with a card. They said the book has been very helpful in keeping their grandchildren interested in their Islamic heritage.
posted by parmanparman at 7:35 AM on May 31, 2007

Maybe a really lovely orchid plant? I think iconomy's Smith and Hawken idea is great: nice garden things one wouldn't ordinarily buy for oneself.
posted by dog food sugar at 7:39 AM on May 31, 2007

A gift certificate to a local store? Perhaps a local gardening store? They seem impersonal but really, almost everybody likes getting a gift certificate.

The risk involved with getting her something related to a hobby that you don't share (I'm assuming you don't garden, I apologize if I'm wrong) is that, in your well-intentioned ignorance, you may end up giving her something that is actually completely useless, or that she already has.

That said, the thought always counts.
posted by doift at 7:52 AM on May 31, 2007

I don't garden much. Azma's gardening is of the "Raze the garden in spring, plant lots of spinach" school. She borrows my spade and fork a few times a year, so maybe tools are the way to go.
posted by handee at 8:01 AM on May 31, 2007

There you go - she won't have access to them once you move, so that's a good idea. She'll think of you every time she uses them.
posted by iconomy at 8:11 AM on May 31, 2007

For beginners, don't call her "Islamic". People who practice Islam are Muslims. May seem like semantics, but it's an important distinction. Objects, values, anything non-human is Islamic. People are Muslim.

It's like "Oriental" versus "Asian." Rugs are Oriental but people are Asian.
posted by jk252b at 8:14 AM on May 31, 2007 [1 favorite]

I think a grape vine or a berry bush would be nice. It is personal to your history together (growing food), and should also be around for as long as she lives there. If she has a big yard, a fruit or nut tree would be nice too, but these would be inconvenient in a smaller yard because of all the droppings they produce.
posted by textilephile at 8:54 AM on May 31, 2007

a book of nice nature photographs
posted by matteo at 9:17 AM on May 31, 2007

Would it be possible to get seeds or seedlings for heirloom (or just unusual) variety vegetables? Oxheart tomatoes, etc?

Seconding a nice set of gardening tools, if she's often borrowed yours.
posted by dilettante at 9:50 AM on May 31, 2007