"No one can hide behind bad behavior of children. If there is noise at night, or mess on the grounds, the adults have to take responsibility," she says.
I am invited in for tea with Marie and David, who have lived in the village for two years. They came from Merseyside to be near "like-minded people," in a community where "children are not seen as the center of the universe."
"Children and noise go together," says David. "It is heaven sitting out with a glass of wine, not hearing kids screaming and banging the fence with footballs. And there is no litter, because it tends to be kids who drop it."
Jimmy and Maureen Greig, both in their early 60s, moved to Firhall from Glasgow to "make new friends, and have a bit of peace."
"There comes a time," says Maureen, "when you want to live without children."
I realize as I am leaving Firhall that for me, the absence of children does not necessarily appeal. It feels too contrived, too quiet and rule-bound. Living in my ivory tower in a neighborhood where, so far, I have been lucky enough to have well-behaved children playing in my street, an adult-only environment is not something I hanker after.
So will the Firhall concept take off elsewhere in the UK? Certainly there are no regrets from the residents. But occasionally things can get a little dull.
"There is no gossip," says Maureen. "No scandal. That is the one thing I miss."
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