Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to have ruined her peace?

58 replies

wimblehorse · 30/05/2012 14:32

As it's still warm & sunny here, I decided to eat my lunch outside. Too far to walk to a nice park & back (work lunch half hour), so I sat on a nearby bench.
As I got up to leave, a woman sitting at the other end of the bench muttered to me "Thanks for ruining my peace".

I laughed and went on my way.

Was this a peaceful, idyllic setting?
No, it was the pavement outside a parade of shops on an A road in north London with buses, cars & vans driving past and a LOT of people walking past.

I was not eating smelly food, did not have a conversation on my phone (or try to engage her in conversation) and do not smell. I sat at the opposite end of the bench to her. There were no other free benches.

Am still trying to wonder if I breached some unspoken rule of only one person being able to sit on a bench at any time, or what could have happened that she was having such a bad day that me sitting a metre away from her could have made worse.

Suggestions please?

OP posts:
NarkedPuffin · 30/05/2012 14:33

Were there empty benches near to the one you sat on?

scentednappyhag · 30/05/2012 14:34

Are you a loud chewer? Grin

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 30/05/2012 14:35

YANBU - My suggestion.......actually my assumption is that the other woman is a miserable old bag. As you said there were no other free benches so what were you supposed to do!! Maybe next time sit on her lap :)

FreeBirdsFlying · 30/05/2012 14:36

Shes the bench police.

Move,change your name and buy a wig.

Or ignore her. Your choice.

Original poster
wimblehorse · 30/05/2012 14:37

Nope, no other free benches. If there had been, I definitely would have sat on one - she was smoking, I am 4 months pg and wanted to eat!

Don't think I am a noisy chewer. Certainly don't chew with my mouth open!

Although DH did say to me last week (when I had a cold) that I was breathing too loudly. Maybe I should have stopped breathing?

OP posts:
Whitamakafullo · 30/05/2012 14:39

We're you eating crisps? Loud crunching and rustling make me want to punch the person making the noise Wink

Original poster
wimblehorse · 30/05/2012 14:39

Betty I was secretly Grin when as I walked off, someone else came along and sat in my recently vacated spot..

OP posts:
Whitamakafullo · 30/05/2012 14:39

Were! Damn iPhone

Original poster
wimblehorse · 30/05/2012 14:40

It was a ham baguette, then an apple. The apple was nice and crunchy..

OP posts:
Thetokengirl · 30/05/2012 14:42

My DS1 complains that DS2 breathes too loudly, so maybe it was that. Grin
Hope you are going to share the bench with her again tomorrow, it sounds like the start of a lovely friendship.

Whitamakafullo · 30/05/2012 14:42

Ooh could've been the apple then Grin

TheHouseOnTheCorner · 30/05/2012 14:42

so you sat there...guilted her by your very presence whilst she smoked and then proceeded to breathe heavily over an apple and a bagguette. She probably wanted to scream. Grin

AdoraBell · 30/05/2012 14:43

She's having a bad day. Her bad day = her bloody problem. Hope you enjoyed your lunch.

Original poster
wimblehorse · 30/05/2012 14:48

It's forecast to rain tomorrow. Should I wear waterproofs so I can claim my bench for my lunch half hour regardless?

OP posts:
AmazingBouncingFerret · 30/05/2012 14:49

Oh please say you remembered your manners and said "you're welcome"
otherwise YABU Grin

knowitallstrikesagain · 30/05/2012 14:51

YABU

She wanted a bit of peace and quiet to watch the traffic and evesdrop on other people's conversations. You came along with your quiet fragrence-free lunch and sat a reasonable distance away from her.

I can't believe you don't see the problem.

storminabuttercup · 30/05/2012 14:55

Maybe she wanted a bite of your sandwich?

FreeBirdsFlying · 30/05/2012 14:57

You're going to be issued with a bench warrant.

Sallyingforth · 30/05/2012 15:45

Look for her again tomorrow. Sit in the middle of the bench instead of the other end and make a few phone calls. Fart when you get up.

Ormiriathomimus · 30/05/2012 15:50

Acquire a one-man band tomorrow.

ENormaSnob · 30/05/2012 15:51

You could inch closer every day.

Kewcumber · 30/05/2012 15:51

Must have been your loud breathing. Stop it at once.

Or... are you sure you don't smell (even if your lunch doesn't)?

squeakytoy · 30/05/2012 16:00

YANBU as she was rude, but the sound of someone eating an apple is really really irritating to me, so if it was that, I can sort of understand her pain. Grin. I am a bit phobic about the sounds of people clacking and chomping on food. In the supermarket queue the other day this bloke was very loudly eating a boiled sweet and believe me, I felt quite sick.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 30/05/2012 16:02

Next time you need to take scampi and lemon nik naks (at least 3 packs), crunch them really loudly, breathe all over her and then when she lights up a fag mutter "thanks for polluting my baby"

corlan · 30/05/2012 16:02

She may have been Canadian - they are used to having a lot of personal space.

(So my Canadian friend told me as she picked me up and moved me out of her personal space once!)

Swipe left for the next trending thread