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Original poster

AIBU to think that if you hate animals you shouldn't move to the countryside?

335 replies

shiklah · 16/06/2018 23:02

I live in a very rural community which has become popular with commuters in the last 5 years. Over the last 18 months the following complaints have featured heavily on the local WhatsApp and Facebook groups:

Cows blocking the road for 10 mins (they do this twice a day and have for hundred of years as they go in for milking)
Escapee sheep roaming the verges and traffic islands
Cockerels crowing
Church Bells

Our neighbours moved in Jan 2016 and have built a conservatory overlooking our field. They have complained:

A ram was tupping ewes in the field
Many Sheep gave birth in the field
A sheep had a prolapsed and was attended by the vet in the field (the vet delivered 2 healthy lambs, revived them and saved the ewe, it was awesome and brilliant and they are all healthy and happy but apparently it spoiled mothers day breakfast)
A fox killed a rabbit and ate it in our field
A ferral cat lives in the hedge at the side of our field
A sheep pooed when Mr Neighbour was eating breakfast

Th least one was reported to me at 7pm this eve when I was getting out of my car at the end of a 60 hour working week. He DROVE to my house to tell me a sheep pooed in his view whilst he was eating breakfast in his conservatory that he built, overlooking my field, that has been their since before my house was built, in 1762. I literally don't know know what to say to these idiots any more. AIBU to simply laugh in their faces and move on with my day Grin

I have had wine and am feeling frazzled Grin

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TwitterQueen1 · 17/06/2018 10:37

Similar to BMW6's post: I think you should start an anonymous blog OP, where you can detail all these ludicrous complaints... You could tip off your local mag/newspaper to feature extracts from it. Wink

Or do it from an animal's perspective, like Animal Farm. You could have Seamus the Sheep on the indignity of doggers/voyeurs interrupting his sex life.

Tom the cat on the disgusting habits of his neighbours. etc etc

IdaDown · 17/06/2018 10:33

Loving Perfs idea about a big ugly Layllandi hedge. Absolutely nothing the neighbours can do about it.

Frame all the soc media, emails etc... Would make an excellent feature in your hall/downstairs loo.

DiddimusStench · 17/06/2018 10:33

Oh YES! You should contact one of the energy companies or a pjone company and say you’d be happy to have a wind turbine and/or mobile phone mast in your field.

Excellent ideas.

Original poster
shiklah · 17/06/2018 10:29

Feeding the rats!!!
Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
shiklah · 17/06/2018 10:29

Wind turbine!!!!!!!! Omg OMG brilliant Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
shiklah · 17/06/2018 10:29

They frequently post their own complaints on social media!

DH is reminding me he's had moaning about thistle, nettles and reeds in our field which are spreading seeds and contaminating their garden.

OP posts:
derxa · 17/06/2018 10:21

Tell him you've got planning permission for a wind turbine.

iNeverFinishAnyth · 17/06/2018 10:12

Our (thought they were posh) neighbours used to put food out for the water voles they had seen in their garden.... which were actually rats.

Lucisky · 17/06/2018 10:09

Reminds me of a similarly moany person who converted a barn, which of course was surrounded by farming land. The farmers revenge for complaints was to stack his big black plastic wrapped round silage (or possibly hay) bales to a height of about 15 feet, right where they blocked the barns best view, and within a few feet of the boundary. Bit mean, but I bet they didn't moan again.
When I was a child in a rural part of Surrey commuter land, a newly arrived neighbour phoned the police to tell them there was an escaped wild animal in her garden. Turned out it was a deer.

BMW6 · 17/06/2018 09:48

I think the solution to this fuckwittery is to post their complaints on local social media and really take the piss out of them. No need to name them, just their complaints.

bumbleboots · 17/06/2018 09:47

I think it's because they are twats. I think a goat is the way forward.

HolyMountain · 17/06/2018 09:42

Shockers Grin

Shockers · 17/06/2018 09:34

I live rurally too; just know feck all about the leisure activities of horses.

Shockers · 17/06/2018 09:34

Fasten large laminated speech bubbles to the heads of your sheep, saying, “Don’t look at me- I’m shy!”.

Hardly dare admit this on here, but I once phoned the police because I passed a field with two dead/ill looking horses in.

They were sunbathing Blush.

musicposy · 17/06/2018 09:29

We had the same. Neighbours moved in from the town.

Complained the cows were mooing at night.

Complained the owls were hooting at night.

Complained there were bats flying over their garden and they might carry disease.

Complained in the autumn that all the mice were coming in from the fields.

Complained to the council and everyone you can imagine about the farmer putting manure on the fields! Yes, it does smell, but if you buy a house in the country next to fields, what do you expect?

Utter idiots.

HolyMountain · 17/06/2018 09:20

Grin you can provide Mumsnet gold with these neighbours.

mycelialnetwork · 17/06/2018 09:17

This is what you need to do! Grin

AIBU to think that if you hate animals you shouldn't move to the countryside?
Pywife2 · 17/06/2018 09:02

We've had similar. There was a letter in the parish mag from someone complaining about horse manure in the village. I can only assume the editor put it in so we could all have a laugh.

People don't realise that the countryside is actually an industrial area, for the farming industry. They seem to think it's empty space for their use, but at the same time that someone is responsible if they get hurt using it.

One of the big complaints from people moving to our area, mostly from Essex or London, is that there are no amenities nearby, like GP surgeries, shops and pubs. That's the reality of rural life, be prepared to drive a lot. And if you can't, move to a town. And yes, people really do go to bed that early.

DiddimusStench · 17/06/2018 09:02

Ah yes, we have a few of those...
Complaining about church bells (it was Christmas...)
Complaining about the smell of fertiliser
Complaining about a cockerel

Sons of it is down to being on the commuter belt but unfortunately, some of the thicker locals like to join in Hmm

Definitely time to get some geese and a peacock OP!

madvixen · 17/06/2018 09:00

@shiklah tell them that you've solved the problem and sold the land to a housing developer. For flats. Smile

Bowlofbabelfish · 17/06/2018 08:56

Having spent far too long living in cities I’m amazed that anyone could be offended by a field of sheep.

Perhaps you could train your sheep in some kind of synchronised grazing to spell out rude words? Or there’s always the ‘paint the bright colours’ option (I’m not sure where you are but there are several flocks in Scotland that get the tartan treatment or get dyed bright colours and it’s quite a draw.)

Definitely get some alpaca.

Original poster
shiklah · 17/06/2018 08:49

I NEED THAT SIGN!!!

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LakieLady · 17/06/2018 08:47

My solution would be to fence off the part of your field closest to his end, get some nice corrugated pig arks then put some porkers on there to turn their nice green view into a mud pit.

Yes to this! And get a boar in to service the sows, in full view of his conservatory, while he's tucking in to his bacon and eggs.

Iwantacampervan · 17/06/2018 08:46

UrbaneSprawl I was about to look for that sign to post.
We are in a semi rural village and newcomers have complained about the church clock which chimes on the hour.

Original poster
shiklah · 17/06/2018 08:46

Oh god they did make a HUGE fuss when the lambs went to the abattoir. I actually thought they were vegetarians and did have sympathy but they were tucking into meat at the village BBQ and donated cheap sausages so its not an animal welfare issue.

I'm off to work in 5 mins. I found a dead squirrel yesterday so I might lob that into their garden for the feral cat to discover! (It looks like a well cared for tom cat that is summering in the hedge tbh!)

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