To be annoyed about her collecting the stones?

It's fine if she keeps them, no one has to join in with this if they don't want to or don't know about it. Once the stone is painted and left where it can be found, in a public place, people are free to take them.
It would only be wrong if she took them out of a private garden or place.
You can't force people to play your game or do what you do.

How is someone meant to know about an unwritten rule? Weird.

There are painted rock groups on FB for my town, and they all say to keep or rehide.

I have painted a few with nice messages on, with the Samaritans number on the back.

Saying that, a lady in my local FB group paints about 200 stones every summer with children's names on. If you want to see a bunfight, then this is it. Lots of parents with tantruming children who could not find "their" rock. I have no idea why the lady still does it each year.

It’s hardly stealing her jewelry is it! Lighten up!

Is it light to take some stones from the doorstep of a step mother because you don't want her to have them? It just seems petty and fucked up to me rather than a light frothy thing to do.

Yep, they’re litter and they’re annoying. Your SM is doing a good job in cleaning up the countryside.

Why can’t the OP lighten up and accept that keeping a few stones is hardly Buster Edwards territory?

It’s hardly stealing her jewelry is it! Lighten up!!

Lighten up - in a post about Burglar Bill!

It’s hardly stealing her jewelry is it! Lighten up!!

If this is all it takes to make you 'annoyed', 'surprised' and 'aghast', she's probably winding you up for fun OP! 🤣🤣

Microplastics

It's fine as long as he served the faries due notice

It was alright in lockdown when we all went a little odd and thought we'd never be allowed to touch another human again lest we kill them. But if you want to connect with people now you don't have to resort to trashing microecosystems

not as bad as those awful 'fairy doors' I've seen on random trees in the countryside. Ugh, they are so twee.

Agreed! there was a huge outrage near me when a farmer removed these things from trees on HIS land.

Where do you leave them? In the built environment I hope

I'm so surprised that so many haven't heard of this! It's huge round here. They always say keep or rehide but somehow keeping too many feels a bit off, it's not really entering into the sprint of it!

We keep them!

Finders keepers! That's how it works round these parts.

Go geocaching if you want to find and replace.

I think they are completely different to fences and gates and other man made items that have a proper purpose. I think they are fine in urban areas but I dislike finding them in the countryside. I see them as litter although not as bad as those awful 'fairy doors' I've seen on random trees in the countryside. Ugh, they are so twee.

In which case it's fine, because the council is on board with it on their land, but from that group's rules that were posted earlier in the thread it's clear it is a problem to some land-owners:

"it’s best not to hide your rocks in the living coast and occombe farm, they have asked us not to, we have to respect their decision, there is still lots of places to hide them, please don’t leave rocks on any grass areas think about the danger to mowing equipment and those who operate it".

If you've got permission, crack on, but it is a form of littering if not. And like I said about the ribbon-hanging at the waterfall - you could say it's "only" a few ribbons, but it looks like shite in no time and does nothing good for the environment.

Indeed the land isn't yours or mine. If you find rocks perhaps contact the land owner like say the local ranger and ask them before deciding to enter yourself into the fun sponge of the year awards by binning rocks children painted for a bit of a fun game. Who does that!? Of all the ways to spend your time and be a member of your community...

Land that isnt yours?

So a park or a common?

My local very large council is very much on board with rock painting and hiding and does events themselves
Its a painted rock for goodness sake

@category12

I'd be perfectly happy for people to put painted rocks all along their own fences.

There's a bit of a difference between painting your own property and leaving things in a natural setting and on land that isn't yours.

Yes, I agree.

There's a waterfall I know where people insist on hanging ribbons and other shit - it's naturally beautiful there, leaving ribbons to fade and go mouldy just spoils it. I bet it's "woo"-type people who think they're one with nature or something. 🙄

Painted stones and such don't belong in the countryside.

Agree! People are sooo odd

Gates, Fences, Boats but a tiny rock, dear lord noooooooo 😱

And for those saying they put them in the bin, how about clearing rubbish and collecting plastic from the sea instead

Nor me. It all sounds very silly. They are just stones.🙄

Acrylic paint is recommended for outdoor use. People need to give over saying those rocks are polluting. So it's ok to paint a whole fence or a boat but not a tiny rock? It's very very thinly veiled snobbery.