My neighbour is driving me mad!

[Silky12]

I live in a small cul de sac, I’m at the end so the houses on either side of us are forward which means our bedroom window is level with the driveway and garden of one of our neighbours. They are an older couple and although we don’t know them well they are very nice and we’ve helped each other out with small things in the past. HOWEVER! He is driving me mad. He is up every morning between 0530-0545 filling up his watering can (surprisingly loud when water hits a plastic echo chamber), unlocking his car (loud beep), slamming his car door, talking to his dog, taking bins out etc. He’s in his 80’s so it’s not like he needs to get things done before going to work. I know this is the price you pay for neighbours but it’s just so early and I’m so fed up!

A few people have said that an early wake up is no worse than having a party in the garden until 11. I wouldn’t do that either! The house behind us sometimes does and my DC are usually in tears by 11 because they’re so tired and can’t get to sleep.

The trickiest thing about this situation though (and the reason I haven’t posted on AIBU) is that really they’re not making a ridiculous amount of noise but because they’re pottering under my bedroom window it wakes me up. He isn’t being particularly unsociable and probably makes less noise in his garden than my DC make in ours. I do wish he’d leave it by 30 min but he won’t. Plus I’ve had a ‘lie in’ for a good week while he’s been away and I’m feeling less grumpy now!

Also scorches the leaves if the water droplets stay on them

Elderly late 70’s? That’s not elderly

Of course it is.

@Sarahtm35 I said in my OP he was in his 80’s. He’s very sprightly but I’d still class him as elderly.

Nope. And that has been scientifically tested and proven to be false (by some research chap at a university in Hungary, I think it was).

People seem to believe that the water droplets act as a prism and concentrate the sun's rays. It doesn't work, because A - it is rarely ever totally still outside so the leaf (and the water) will be moving and B - water itself is a liquid. The molecules are not stationary at any time, and cannot therefore act as a prism.

Besides, look outside next time the sun comes out after rain. What would be more stupid than leaves evolving in such a way that rainwater damages them?!

The Royal Horticultural Society advice on watering:

www.rhs.org.uk/garden-jobs/watering

You make very good points!

@Nanny0gg I try! 😂

@Yamadori @tailinthejam It is NOT a myth, even the RHS say this and I'm pretty sure they know what they're talking about! 🙄

It's literally on the RHS website! 😂

If you read and inwardly digest the entire sentence instead of just the words you have circled, you will notice that it LITERALLY explains the reasons WHY that time of day is not ideal. It says that a lot of the water would be wasted through evaporation from the soil, and that the plants are able to use the water more efficiently if watered earlier. It does not describe the effects you mention.

The reason why your friend's plants all died is because they left it too late and the irreparable damage to the plants had already happened before they watered. If they'd left it and waited until the following morning before watering, their plants would have been just as dead.

Watering plants does not bring plants' roots to the surface. Roots are hard-wired to grow downwards in search of water. If people are watering too little (at whatever time of day), it doesn't soak down far enough. Then, because the plants find water near the surface they don't bother growing roots any deeper down. Then, when some idiot forgets to water them in the morning, the plants' roots dry out fast. Then, in the 'heat of the day' they notice that their plants are wilting and water them. Next day the plants are dead. It wasn't because of WHEN they were watered, it was because it was already too late.

Nowhere did I say that watering in the heat of the day was the best time. It isn't. But leaving parched plants till the next morning would be worse.

Heated watering tangent aside :) I think your neighbour is a pillock.

I have 2 small kids and our neighbours yelled loudly at them once for playing in the garden before 9am because they were being too noisy and disturbing them! I told him not to yell at my kids obviously, but also that we would keep them indoors until his definition of 'a reasonable hour' to be neighbourly...

If you tell him and he fobs you off them you have every right to remind him that he's being rude, un-neighbourly, and unreasonable. His right to potter at 5:30am doesn't trump your right to sleep in your own bed!

Best of luck.

@WoolyMammoth55 If it was heated water, then there really would be a problem 😂

You seem remarkably proud of your complete lack of consideration for others.

It would be better for you of he filled the watering can up the night before!

I agree. He is taking the bloody piss.