It's a beautiful evening so Why Light a Bonfire???

[handbagsatdawn]

Beautiful warm sunny evening here, kids are playing in the garden, washing hanging on the line, me pottering around whilst sipping on a chilled glass of white, so why does my neighbour think it appropriate to light a flippin' bonfire?

I have huffed and puffed and coughed loudly outside to express my disgust, and have shouted to the DCs how terrible it is that someone thought it a good idea to pollute the air, but it's still smoking away out there. AIBU?

[southeastastra]

no i hate them too

[Macforme]

Drives me insane too! I have a neighbour who I swear watches and waits for me to hang whites out before lighting his bonfire. Oh and his BBQ..swear he can't have an oven in the house because he seems determined to cremate everything outside...

YANNNNNBU

[handbagsatdawn]

Glad it's not just me then. Have been driven inside, but have the doors wide open and it still stinks. It's the guy 2 doors down and I think he's fairly old, hence has probably had bonfires all his life and thinks it's his right to do so. I'll light one next time I see his smalls hanging on the line .

[snorkie]

Perhaps he thought the atmosphere was so full of volcanic dust at the moment a bit more pollution wouldn't make much odds...

but I doubt it.

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

I love them! I'd sit out there and enjoy the smell

[3billygoatsgruff]

Sounds like my dodgy neighbour, he used to burn stuff (who knows what) in his garden all the time last summer. It was horrible. One of the things he burnt was the old fence between our two properties & gardens, which he has still not replaced!! Grrrrr!!

[SixtyFootDoll]

You should have gotten your washing in by now anyway or it will get damp!

I love the smell of a bonfire.

[Goingspare]

It's baffling - here we're on a modern housing estate, nobody has a large garden and we all have big green wheely bins for our garden rubbish, but the first sign of fresh air and sunshine and someone rushes for the matches.

[handbagsatdawn]

Must be some primal man instinct thing, like BBQing. Men love to burn stuff.

[leavingonajetplane]

Stand in your garden and shout loudly "OH MY GOD I CAN SEE THAT CLOUD OF ASH!"

[leftangle]

YABU I don't see why he shouldn't have a bonfire sometimes, and it is allowed unless you are in a smoke free zone. I like the smell (depending on what is burning of course) and certainly if you clear a lot of stuff in the garden it's still the best way to get rid of it.
Yep annoying if you've got washing out but unless it happens all the time you can surely cope.
Far rather have bonfire next door than loud noise or big dogs.

[GrendelsMum]

I came home this evening and thought 'I'll get that bonfire on tonight, so that it's not burning tomorrow during the day, when the neighbours will have their laundry out, the kids playing in the garden and they'll be wanting to sit outside with a nice glass of wine'. After all, what kind of person would be so inconsiderate as to have a bonfire on a Saturday daytime, when they could get it out of the way late on a Friday ?

[ray81]

This is a tricky one, a couple of yrs ago we had a bonfire in the garden and our neighbours called the firebrigade it was such a waste of their time as it was well contained they just didnt like the smell, i get this but it needed to be done and we let everyone know so they could get their washing in.

However for the last 3 nights someone has had one in our area and being 39 weeks pg i cannot stand the smell and my bedroom stinks all night as need the window open to keep cool and it has annoyed me. But then i suppose if it needs doing it needs doing.
he should have let you know though so you could get your washing in.

[brightyoungthing]

Sorry, I can beat this hands down as last night a neighbour ( I think 2 doors down) was actually letting fire works off his balcony!! I couldn't believe it and pulled DD from the patio doors as was worried a stray one could fly in. After the display he decided to light some kind of fire on there though surely it couldn't have been a bonfire?? Maybe it was a chiminea thing but it was producing loads of stinky smoke and I couldn't enjoy the evening on my balcony either The balconies are rather large but not enough for a fire works display and a bonfire. Usually I enjoy the smell of a bonfire though

[2rebecca]

Well they aren't going to have a bonfire when it's wet are they? You need a dry nonwindy evening.

[Blu]

Having a bonfire is a perfectly normal gardening activity - when do you think he SHOULD have his bonfire?

[dawntigga]

I can beat that last year we knocked on our neighbours to tell them we were having a bbq - so they could get their washing in. They were out, as they have young children we waited a bit, in case they came home. GP's popped round to see them and we told them, in case they had keys etc. as gp's are always round (yes am v jealous that they have such a lovely family dynamic and I don't ). GP's phoned next door neighbours to tell them - they were over the road - and they came back all huffy that we were being considerate. Was told by lots of people on here they would have just lit the bbq.

YouCan'tWinNoMatterWhatYouDoTiggaxx

[mintyfresh]

YANBU
Someone is always having a bonfire around here on nice days - infact neighbours house looks like it is on fire atm there is so much smoke! I've pretty much given up on putting my washing out at all.

We have a perfectly good tip just up the road - can't see why people don't just take their garden waste up there???

[missmoopy]

Any excuse in our house. Hubby is a pyro and loves a bonfire on a summer evening. I admit, the smell is lovely.

[susielmer]

I remember years ago my dad, a v keen gardener who always had a bonfire heap on the go, saying that he would only have a bonfire in the evening, on a dry but grey, miserable kind of day when people would be unlikely to have their windows open or their washing out. Sounds sense to me but amazing how few people seem to even think about anyone else around them. I live on a terrace in inner London, and come the good weather, it's bonfires a-go-go. Am fed up of having to drag my washing in. I also used to have a neighbour who sparked up the BBQ at the first glimpse of sun - they kept their BBQ right outside their back door, which given the layout meant within feet of our house, and again, we would often have the windows open and the washing out. Our neighbours on the other side kept their BBQ at the end of the garden - sure, more hassle for them perhaps but it meant that we didn't have to have our house reeking of burnt burgers. So I'm right with you on this one.

[mrstimlovejoy]

bungalow 3 doors down from us has just been sold and for the last week they've been having a bonfire.so annoying.

[mrsruffallo]

I love bonfires
It's lovely to sit around a fire as the evening chills a bit

[taffetacat]

To be fair, we normally check with our closest neighbours before we have a fire. DH loves em. Because it has been so wet and he's been so busy, he had a massive one the other week.

It had loads of garden stuff but also loads of timber on it, and got so hot he got heat rash all over his arms and burnt the hairs off one of his forearms. He didn't care, he had a mad glint in his eye.

The only problem I have with it is the invasive smell on his clothes and more importantly anything his clothes have touched. I honestly want to put a raw piece of salmon on his top just to see what happens.

[honeydragon]

i have to tell the neighbours to put their washing in if I am brushing the dog (summer moult), neighbour decided she would do hers at the same time by the time 2 doors down laughed and said she'd do her dog too the bottom end of town was probably wading through two foot of labrador and spanial hair and wishing we had just had a fire instead.that was a comparitve tale unintended to offend in no way was I inferring that we should set fire to our dogs! or any other pet **apolygies to any phoenix owners out there I am not inferring that you cannot care for your birds - set alight to them at will

< leaves thread to gibber quietly in corner with nice tidy brushed dog>