To wonder why people seem to forget that if they're sitting talking in their gardens, WE CAN HEAR YOU!

I heard someone in the neighbouring garden having sex yesterday evening. I decided to finish reading my book indoors!

I can hear neighbours voices, but I'd have to really concentrate to hear what they're actually saying. And I prefer to concentrate instead on what's going on in my own garden.

I wouldn’t mind hearing what the NDNs are saying, but unfortunately it’s mostly in Arabic. 😂

Nope, I love it too.

Oddly, I can hear the people in the gardens that back onto mine better than the gardens next door. I don't know if it's because their road is further up the hill or something.

But the man in the house behind works from home, and when he has the patio doors open, I can hear every word (which is annoying, as I also work from home and a lot of my work is over the phone, too, so I have to keep the back door and windows shut).

He's always moaning about his wife to his colleagues, and I'm often tempted to butt in with things like "You're far from perfect yourself".

My husband hates when I talk in the garden for this reason, but I honestly couldn’t care less. I don’t talk loudly but our gardens are close together, if someone can hear me so what? I do have quite gossipy phone conversations in the garden in the summer with my mum or my best friend and I hope if anyone is earwigging they enjoy the drama too!

Tell us the gossip then OP? What are they up to!

Before i moved i could tell you so much about my neighbour including her bank details, She thought nothing of sitting in her garden on the phone ordering stuff. I could have ordered so much and let her pay for it. Folk need to keep their private details private.

😂

I used to be bothered, and try to be quiet more for the sake of the neighbours. But our neighbours clearly don't care so now I don't either.

For some reason I can hear the neighbours in their bathroom like they are 1m away. I think the noise gets funnelled, but it’s crystal clear. They are saying things in their bathroom they do not think anyone else but them can hear. If I wrote the specifics I’m sure my neighbour on MN would identify her and me 😂

I live next to a small care hone for adults with additional needs. The other day when it was beautiful weather, the staff were conducting a review meeting about one of their residents in the garden. You are right op, people forget how far voices carry.

I hate having to hear other people. I was walking the dog with DH and we were behind a group of 4 women being really loud. I know what size dress each is, where they shop, which shops are more generous sizes… I tried to overtake but they blocked me- literally. Eventually I asked them to pause at the corner so I could get by and we overtook.

When you talk like that, you don’t only make everyone else listen, you stop them talking or force them to shout over you.

We are fast walkers so soon left them behind and were able to chat ourselves.

Childish of me, I know, but I would not have been able to resist a "More tea, vicar?" in my best, plummy Joyce Grenfell voice as he walked on.

True. I checked on the leaked BNP members list a few years ago and we had 2 on the street. It is a very long street though

😁 Guilty

Am I the only one who loves it when this happens? When you accidentally through no fault of your own, couldn't be avoided, so guilt free..get a proper nosy into other people's lives?

My nieghbours deliberately shout when they know I'm at home because when they want to talk about something they don't want me to hear they suddenly find their quieter voices and this is in the garden and I'm indoors window open. Makes me laugh how they revolve their conversations around me....living rent free in their heads as the phrase is often used here.

They don't like me because they think I should let them have this 1metre strip of land that is mine. 🙄

Today it was the wife leaving to take the kids to the cinema with other kids friends and then husband wanted one kid to stay behind and why did mummy book a ticket is x friend wasn't even going. She then retorted that he had agreed when she booked the tickets...

He is an arsehole of a guy and I'm not surprised he talks to her like shit sometimes this isn't the first time heard gim through the walls once, he even threatened me oneday after trying to steal part of my land.

Luckily today they have been out and it's been lovely chilling and reading a book with no headphones on

If only. Our neighbour only has one speaking volume, eleven and she never fucking shuts up.

Out of sight, out of mind?

I'm guilty of this, not so much that I don't realise other people can hear me, more that I don't care. Although I do remember not too long ago, my friend and I went out for dinner and she had said she would happily never have sex again and I loudly shouted oh no, I love sex! Which is when I realised I had eyes on me from the tables round about 😂🙈

Our immediate neighbour is a very sweet little old lady, reminds me of Mary Berry. But each summer when she sits out in her conservatory or hangs out washing, she makes some, er, odd noises.

When we moved in 3 years ago I thought she had a little dog that was playing gently with one of those quacking duck toys..."honk, honk, honk, honk." Nope, no dog...over time I thought it sounded like someone gasping for air, more like "Ah, ah, ah, ah." Firgured there was an elderly spouse or relative with maybe a breathing problem. Nope, just her.

I think it's some kind of habitual tic. She's a lovely, well spoken and well-groomed lady, very kind and tries to talk to my dogs through the hedge, really nice neighbour. Utterly mystified by her honking/hooting/gasping habit.

Haha, our old next door neighbours used to do this, they had a long, loud discussion about their finances one evening. I was actually inside my house but the patio doors were open so I could hear everything

Agreed. I also live in a terrace and my neighbour’s daughter was conducting an argument with her ex over the phone in the garden a few days ago, it was SO LOUD and the only way I could’ve avoided it was closing all my windows which is tricky in this heat. I guess some people just don’t really care what their neighbours think, which is their prerogative!

lol. I'm currently listening to my neighbours talking about people reserving Sun loungers on hols. He's just said "the Germans are the worst for it" 🤣

I think when it comes to a choice between living your life as you want to and having the conversations you want to have vs worrying your neighbours might hear something by private, people choose the former.

For lots of people, their neighbours remain almost strangers - people you nod to but that (unless they are a pita) have absolutely no influence on your life and you will move on and forget. So I kinda see why they make that priority choice tbh.