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CF allotment thief thread no 4 - Babs’s dodgy solicitor and TV producers looking to cast for the role of Penfold?

990 replies

YaMuvva · 09/05/2024 15:24

New thread! Last one was here
www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5049200-cf-allotment-thief-part-3-the-plot-thickens-and-auditions-begin-for-the-west-end-musical?page=38&reply=135136744

So a quick update.

DH dropped me off for my surgery this morning then dropped the kids at school before heading to the allotment. Babs was there gardening as were some other people on their own plots. All her crap was still there

DH went up and reminded her that she needs to be off the plot by the 20th. She said that she is awaiting advice from her solicitor to see if she can challenge us. She also said if the solicitor says she has to be off, she will be gone by the 20th but isn’t giving it up without checking if she has rights first. She did a fair bit of guilt tripping to DH about how she has spent 10 years being part of a community and having a hobby and she now has to give it all up but he held strong and told her, unless she comes back with a legitimate legal claim her property will be off the allotment by the 21st - wether it’s removed by her or by him.

However - enter Penfold stage right

Penfold is what we are calling the allotment neighbour who marched over from the other side of the plots (because that’s who he looks like). He started shouting at DH saying “You’re a bully! Fancy picking on an old lady and taking her allotment off her after all her years of hard work”. He pointed out it’s his allotment now and Penfold said that “just because your name is on a piece of paper it doesn’t give you the right to steal it off it’s rightful owner”. He then start saying “What do you know about gardening pretty boy? These allotments should be for real gardeners not pretty boys like you”

When DH told me this I laughed so hard I thought my stitches may burst 😂 DH IS very pretty but he’s also mid-40’s and hasn’t been called pretty in many many years. We are in semi-rural Yorkshire though and a man wearing a top that isn’t either blue black or white is considered a feminine.

When DH stated he does actually know about gardening, Penfold was all “Yeah right yeah right all you know about is putting your make up on” 🤣🤣 and said how these allotment owners have been around for decades he can’t just barge in and kick people out. DH said he was half expecting Penfold to say “this is a local allotment for local people”.

Then it was BABS of all people who told Penfold to STFU. Not quite those words but she said “oh do calm down Nigel”. The other plot owners just kept their heads down apparently. DH took off in the end but he is considering buying a Danger Mouse t-shirt to wear when he gardens. I’ve told him I can help him apply his make up 😂.

Anyway Babs’s words don’t exactly fill me with confidence but it’s better than flat out refusing to leave I suppose. I’m absolutely confident that legally she hasn’t a leg to stand on, but that doesn’t mean some dodgy solicitor won’t claim otherwise for a bit of easy money off her. Either way unless there is a claim that has legs (highly unlikely) DH will be round on the 21st to set up his stuff. PP were right about insane allotment owners - but we are just gonna have to lump it and not let Penfold ruin our time there.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
17
Unopenedpackofmenssocks · 10/05/2024 13:04

Worthitforthe · 10/05/2024 13:02

It's a good thread this, but honestly all the spitting out of wine and calling for 'classics' is just weird 🤨

First Law of Mumsnet: on any remotely amusing thread, someone will say “this should go in Classics”
Second Law of Mumsnet: some killjoy will always come on rolling their eyes at people being enthusiastic about a funny thread.

needsomewarmsunshine · 10/05/2024 13:06

Loving this thread.

GnomeDePlume · 10/05/2024 13:07

Re legal advice, one of the troublesome plot-holders on my field would claim to have had legal advice whenever challenged.

Turned out the 'legal advice' would come from a solicitor he went shooting with. The solicitor would have been unimpressed to find his idle chats were being presented as actual advice.

diddl · 10/05/2024 14:17

Fraaahnces · 10/05/2024 11:11

Babs will probably instruct her solicitor (if they are not fictitious) to act at the last minute, to drag out the process until her rhubarb is in season.

Hope it doesn't turn into Jarndyce & Jarndyce!

diddl · 10/05/2024 14:22

I mean to a point I feel for Babs but she can't have thought that the arrangement would last forever!

Speedy recovery Op!

artant · 10/05/2024 14:29

Babs could have introduced herself when OP moved in and explained that she’d been using the plot for many years and asked whether it was okay to continue to do so. If she’d had any sense she’d have done that before planting anything for this year. She’s had the ground sold out from under her by Sally but that’s not OP’s fault.

OVienna · 10/05/2024 14:37

artant · 10/05/2024 14:29

Babs could have introduced herself when OP moved in and explained that she’d been using the plot for many years and asked whether it was okay to continue to do so. If she’d had any sense she’d have done that before planting anything for this year. She’s had the ground sold out from under her by Sally but that’s not OP’s fault.

Agreed that whatever the outcome is with Babs, Sally deserves a major scolding as someone else put it earlier. I would not let this go. "Ghosting" her lawyers, indeed.

myfaceismyown · 10/05/2024 15:09

Sally is too busy living her best life in her Toremolinos caravilla with her toyboy to reply to solicitors about Babs!
(I have no evidence that she has scarpered to the Costas....)

Delphinium20 · 10/05/2024 15:45

CaptainMyCaptain · 10/05/2024 07:03

Definitely visit looking frail. It will take the wind out of their sails.

THIS!!!!

BighairandIdontcare · 10/05/2024 15:54

Shamelessly placemarking, cannot wait for the 20th!

Worthitforthe · 10/05/2024 16:12

Unopenedpackofmenssocks · 10/05/2024 13:04

First Law of Mumsnet: on any remotely amusing thread, someone will say “this should go in Classics”
Second Law of Mumsnet: some killjoy will always come on rolling their eyes at people being enthusiastic about a funny thread.

Edited

Yes I've been on here for 20 years so well aware of the rules. It is amusing but spitting out wine and tea? I will continue to roll my eyes

BMW6 · 10/05/2024 16:20

I do wish we could know what Babs is saying to her "good friend" Sally.........

myfaceismyown · 10/05/2024 18:10

BMW6 · 10/05/2024 16:20

I do wish we could know what Babs is saying to her "good friend" Sally.........

I was wondering how it all started - perhaps with Babs wearing Sally down by telling Sally repeatedly what a favour she could do for her by taking the stress and hard work of having the land off her, How she would be more than happy to look after it for her, of course with the proviso she was welcome any time to pop over and have a look at Penfold's marrow, or even his aubergine :)
Right now Sally probably has a new number... which she is not giving to Babs.

ExpatAl · 10/05/2024 18:26

Fascinating. ‘Pretty boy’ 🤣
The seller knew full well she was leaving a mess. I feel for Barbara and have a feeling Sally isn’t a fan of difficult conversations but it is not hers and she needs to accept that. Maybe op could compromise to Oct if there is total acceptance of the change.

user1485851222 · 10/05/2024 18:34

I was only thinking about you last night, wondering what was happening. Don't forget to update on the 20th......

HappiestSleeping · 10/05/2024 18:37

BMW6 · 10/05/2024 16:20

I do wish we could know what Babs is saying to her "good friend" Sally.........

I don't suppose Babs has even phoned Sally. From OP's first post, Babs admitted from the off that she knew she didn't have any rights.

There is a miniscule part of me that though perhaps she was under the impression that she had been given it, apart from a) she said she knew it wasn't hers in the original post, and b) nobody can be stupid enough to think that land can be given without any paperwork (Penfold may preclude this).

My view is that she knows and has been hoping it would all go away / she could bluster her way through it.

DeanElderberry · 10/05/2024 18:44

Absolutely no compromise to Oct - they've already lost months of access to their own property by being exaggeratedly conciliatory to bullying Babs, who now needs to move - she should have started to shift anything she valued off the plot as soon as it was sold. I do not believe that an adult woman does not understand the concept of property ownership.

MagicFarawayTea · 10/05/2024 18:45

Penfold made me think about Mr. Morris from Friday Night Dinner. “Punk Rockers!” 🤣🤣

SellWell · 10/05/2024 18:55

BighairandIdontcare · 10/05/2024 15:54

Shamelessly placemarking, cannot wait for the 20th!

I've actually marked it on my diary to check back. So invested in this thread.

RamblingAroundTheInternet · 10/05/2024 19:23

I know it’s done now but I wouldn’t have given the CFer 28 days to vacate. End of May is quite late for growing anything decent for summer. 7 days would have been generous enough. She knew the property was being sold months before I imagine.

I’d be concerned she’s got time to damage the soil so you won’t be able to grow anything (put loads of salt down or something).

If she didn’t have her own large garden, I could kind of understand why she wants to keep it but that was between her and the previous owner before the property was put up for sale.

She obviously wanted to keep her own garden nice and neat and use someone else’s property for free for her hobby.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised from her behaviour now, when she knows full well that she has no right or business using your allotment but hasn’t left, that she strong armed the elderly lady who used to own it into giving it to her but without offering to pay for legal ownership or to rent if off her. As soon as she knew the property was being sold, any normal person would have offered to buy it or accept that they could no longer use it and remove their stuff, not just expect the new owner who is a complete stranger to let them have the use of their land for free. Absolutely batshit!

Can she even prove she owns the shed and it wasn’t there before she started using it? Receipts etc?

Can you fence the plot OP? As I wouldn’t be surprised if you have loads of issues with plants being ripped up, dog fouling etc, after she’s gone and she sounds the type who will cause a massive fuss when the date to leave comes around.

Your name will be mud in the neighbourhood for sometime too although I’d say the people on her side are just as bad as her.

Its extreme but I’d think about seeing if the local paper might be interested in running a story about the allotment squatter so you can get your side across to negate the bad blood she and her friends are probably spreading about you.

Pineapples1234 · 10/05/2024 19:26

OVienna · 10/05/2024 14:37

Agreed that whatever the outcome is with Babs, Sally deserves a major scolding as someone else put it earlier. I would not let this go. "Ghosting" her lawyers, indeed.

I expect it's how she deals with all confrontation, which is how come she ended up with a couple of pushy cheeky fuckers taking over her allotment and garage in the first place and how come they were still there when OP moved in.

YaMuvva · 10/05/2024 19:28

For fucking fuck sake

I went for a snooze earlier and missed a call from my conveyancing solicitor - they left me a voicemail (at 16.55! Who does that!) they have an update on the Sally situation.

I now have to wait until Monday til they open again.

Im annoyed at having missed the call so I’m afraid you lot will have to endure the suffering with me😂

OP posts:
PrettySenior · 10/05/2024 19:30

Sounds like Barb's friends on the allotment won't make it easy on your DH. What a difficult situation all around.

HappiestSleeping · 10/05/2024 19:31

YaMuvva · 10/05/2024 19:28

For fucking fuck sake

I went for a snooze earlier and missed a call from my conveyancing solicitor - they left me a voicemail (at 16.55! Who does that!) they have an update on the Sally situation.

I now have to wait until Monday til they open again.

Im annoyed at having missed the call so I’m afraid you lot will have to endure the suffering with me😂

It is what it is. That's what alcohol is for. Are you able to partake in your weakened state? I hope your husband is mopping your furrowed brow.

artant · 10/05/2024 19:35

That’s really annoying OP! I hope it turns out to be good news but having to wait through the weekend is really frustrating.

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