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AIBU?

To tell neighbour the lights look crap so take them off my hedge please?

111 replies

honeypie10 · 27/11/2014 19:49

Basically I've lived here for 15 years and share a hedge with my neighbour which she has always gone overboard decorating at Christmas time.

There was an issue 2 years ago with the back wall separating our gardens, it was found out that side of the house was our responsibility, fair enough we had the wall knocked down and replaced, they didn't offer anything. They then a few months later were asking us to go halves to have the hedge in the front taken out and replaced with a wall - this led to lots of laughing at how bleeding cheeky they were between me and dp (especially as they hadn't offered anything towards the cost of having the back wall done!) but we pointed out to them that it was our side of the house and our hedge so not their choice to make, they were ok with this.

So every year she decorates her house with anything available that's tacky (Some are ok but its the sheer volume I struggle with, I'm sure you could see her garden from space. I'm not just talking about nice little lights, she has them up the garden path, draped on anything that sits still in her garden for long enough

She says its for the "kids" - her youngest is 21 Hmm. So last year she gets out the stupid hedge lights, they didn't work. I saw her struggling with them so we got chatting, I said oh maybe just leave them this year, be nice to maybe do something for ourselves in our side of garden anyway, as we had a ds who was getting into the lights and Christmas thing, so in the end we had our side decorated in our lights and she had none, I knew she was absolutely Fuming that she realised the hedge wasnt hers to decorate as she didnt talk to us for around 2 months - yes she is very, very petty, shes the type to put her wheely bin in her space if she goes out for 5 mins to stop anyone else parking there!

You can set your clock by her usually, 1st December she will be out putting up her works of art, but not this year, nooooo, she must of been seething all year round waiting for the day to claim back "her" hedge. Tonight i've come home to a multitude of colours of twinkling fairy lights draped haphazardly, glow in the dark sunflower heads and a light up reindeer on the top. The reindeer has since gone not sure where but why it didnt take the rest i dont know. The rest of the garden has been done too but i know she'll have more, its not even half of what she does usually, almost as if she wanted to get the hedge done first Smile

So what do I do, leave them, say nothing but put mine up next year in the summer to beat her.

Take them off my side and tell her they look a mess and i've hated this type of crap for the past 15 years, now I know its our hedge i dont want your crap on it.

Or just stick my stuff on top, I wouldnt mind if she just did her own side but the fact she seems to think i need glow in the dark sunflowers in my life gets me wound up.

I realise this is not a first wrld problem but the first year were having lots of new people over at christmas for dinner, I dont want there impressions of us to be a light up meerkat wearing a tie and holding a pipe Grin

OP posts:
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makeitabetterplace · 27/11/2014 19:51

Tell her it's your hedge and could she remove the or you will?

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Sprink · 27/11/2014 19:53

Bwa ha ha ha ha! Please may I come round to see your decorations on top of hers?

What a sight to behold.

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Sprink · 27/11/2014 19:54

Ps--if it's your hedge, YANBU to decorate it as you wish.

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Writerwannabe83 · 27/11/2014 19:54

Your it's made me laugh (in a good way) and I'm enjoying imagining her tacky garden and the infamous hedge!!

Definitely tell her that the lights are crap and then let us know her response.

I bet she threatens to strangle you with them and then you can threaten to shove her shitty sparkly reindeer where the sun doesn't shine!

It will be brilliant!!!!! Grin

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Vitalstatistix · 27/11/2014 19:55

tell her you are concerned about the lights etc damaging your hedge (slightly stress that word Grin ) so unfortunately she is going to have to remove her decorations from your hedge (say it twice Grin ), or if she would prefer, you can do it for her, that's fine, you don't mind at all.

don't ask her if she minds, don't ask if it's ok, or anything else that makes her think she has a choice. Just tell her that they have to go.

Hopefully that'll piss her off so much that she won't speak to you for a whole year this time Grin

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honeypie10 · 27/11/2014 19:55

Sprink You are more than welcome, in fact when I get in a taxi and i say my road the first thing most drivers say to me is "oh do you live by that house with all the lights". She was on local news once in a competition for the best Christmas lights- shockingly she didn't win, but think she's been in a competition with herself ever since.

Dp just said why don't Ii go round and ask where she got everything from so I can buy the same as I want to do our garden so beautifully.

He's been banished to make a cuppa!

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Castlemilk · 27/11/2014 19:57

She's already not talked to you for two months over nonsense, so what's the loss if you fall out?

'Hi, Weirdo, can you take the lights off the front hedge please? I don't know whether you've forgotten but it's part of our garden, not yours, so we'll be decorating it. Thanks.'

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ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks · 27/11/2014 19:58

I'd take them down with her help. Tell her you don't want them there

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honeypie10 · 27/11/2014 19:59

castle Hi weirdo, Grin Love that. This is how I will be addressing her from now on.

*Not really, haven't got the balls!

Shes just gone out in the car, do I run out with my scissors now so the lights stop working by some freak accident (me cutting them is the freak accident) Smile

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sonjadog · 27/11/2014 19:59

I would remove her lights and say nothing more about it. If she asks, tell her the hedge is yours and she can't decorated it. If she doesn't speak to you for months after, that would be a good thing, surely?

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ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks · 27/11/2014 20:00

Can we have a photo please? Grin

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wibblyjelly · 27/11/2014 20:01

Totally off topic, but honey have you posted about her before? If so, that was one of my first threads I read Grin

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RachelWatts · 27/11/2014 20:03

Don't have an accident involving metal scissors. She might not have them on a circuit breaker. Could be a bit dangerous!

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Slowdownsally · 27/11/2014 20:04

I think it's obvious that the hedge needs instant pruning!

Oops! The secateurs cut the lights!

Never mind...

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Slowdownsally · 27/11/2014 20:04

Obviously a daytime activity when the lights are off...

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BlinkAndMiss · 27/11/2014 20:04

wibbly I was just going to ask that! I think it was one of my first threads too :).

Im not helpful OP but she does sound like a nightmare. Definitely address her as 'Weirdo' though!

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quietlysuggests · 27/11/2014 20:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks · 27/11/2014 20:09

Suggests the woman has taken over the OPs hedge. Marked it...left her scent in the shape of these tacky lights.

It's not the neighbour's hedge to shit upon with light up sunflower heads!

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honeypie10 · 27/11/2014 20:11

Wibbly Yes I did, I didn't think anyone would remember it!

quietly Its not me seething?? I just cannot put up with her crappy decorations for another year. Meerkats are ok in moderation but i dont need an army of them staring through my window!

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FelixTitling · 27/11/2014 20:12

Oh for gods sake. Stop spoiling her fun and leave her to it.

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crumblebumblebee · 27/11/2014 20:13

She sounds amazing as in utterly batshit insane(ly) amazing. We must see photos!

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motherofmonster · 27/11/2014 20:14

Please can we have a picture...pretty please Grin

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DixieNormas · 27/11/2014 20:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks · 27/11/2014 20:15

Yes. PICS! PICS! PICS!

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TheWitTank · 27/11/2014 20:18

I remember this from last year! The 'Christmassy' sunflowers stuck in my mind. Please take a pic. Can you trim your bush oo er and accidentally hack through the electrical cables?

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