to think our neighbour is spying on me through a wall?

[gnocci]

We live in a semi but a semi that backs onto another house, so our entire back wall is another house's entire back wall IYSWIM. So upstairs we share a wall on our bedroom, the landing and our bathroom.

The only noise I ever hear from their house is that noise of a pull switch light cord. And the only time I ever hear it is just after I go to the bathroom at night before I go to bed. Whatever the time. I never hear it before or after. Without fail it is just after I leave the bathroom. I go to bed at very random times (DH works away...). it could be 8pm, it could be 1am. Whatever time it is, I always hear that cord go within 20 seconds of me leaving the bathroom...

Uuummmmmm AIBU to think I might be being spied on..??!!! How do I find out for sure?!!

Ah, OP, I do feel your pain - I suffer from anxiety and when DP is away for work (which happens a lot) every wee noise tends to freak me out, and I tend to convince myself of all sorts.

Your theory that they watch the same programmes as you before bed makes sense - as PenisVanLesbian said upthread - Occam's Razor. If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras (reminding myself of this always helps me calm down when I'm getting myself all freaked out). It is far, far more likely that there is some mundane explanation, like similar TV viewing patterns or an electrical oddity due to houses having previously being one, as opposed to your neighbours getting their rocks off watching you having your pre-bed pee. Try not to let it play on your mind too much.

laurenamium, I am fecking wetting myself laughing at your 'please don't kill me' jam sandwich offering. Brilliant!

1am even

I think yuou're going to have to sit in there between 8pm and 1am and monitor how many times they use their pull cord light switch.

For scientific purposes clearly. You never know. It could be that they go in and out of there all evening. You know, in their own house.

Not that I'm implying that you are suffering from anxiety or anything, gnocci, just that I know what it's like to be home alone and get freaked out. I don't know about you, but sometimes my imagination runs wild (like when I get home to an empty house at night, I always check in all the closets, the hot-press and under the beds - I have no idea why, as surely I'd notice if someone had broken into the house, but it's like a compulsion).

They may just have IBS or a weak bladder and need the loo lots, scared shitless cos they hear a lightcord being pulled at odd times (yours), and here you are thinking you have someone in your loft or watching you on camera...! Have you written a novel yet?

the 'hot-press' Shadows? Enlighten us, do

If I didn't have a very alert dog (who has stopped burglars twice in the last 6 months) I would be anxious for things like shadows said too! I remember in my teens laying awake with my eyes shut thinking "if they think I'm asleep they'll move and I'll know they are there" not sure what I planned to do when they moved or why someone would want to be on the stable floor of my room, I was a messy teenager!

I am amazed that everyone has assumed it's the neighbour turning the switch off. Perhaps he has been spying on Gnocci with his light off and then when she has finished in the bathroom he pulls his own chord to turn his light on.

Don't know why I am even suggesting this tbh...I live by myself in a relatively secluded situation and am about to go to bed by myself.

ohhh exciting!

Just a thought but we had an on it's way out click-pull fitting like yours and despite pulling the cord and switching the light out, by the time I got down the long hall, the thing did a delayed click.
It did it every bloody time until the day I pulled the cord and it jammed.

What I'm trying to say is don't panic but fit a new click connection. they are not expensive.

So... send DH to the loft, check the wardrobes- if you creep then open them really fast you have the element of surprise on your side, get a dog, make a jam sandwich...any other suggestions?

Ha, creative, did I make it sound like I have some kinky wee sex cupboard? I wish... 'hot-press' is what we call our, er, airing cupboard? Laundry cupboard? Damn, it sounded so much more interesting before I explained. I do have a kinky wee sex room, I swear!

Shadows - are you in Scotland or NI? We call it the hot press too, haven't heard anyone else say that for years!

Shadows- Surely you're referring to a red room of pain and should be heading a thread on Fifty Shades? Kinky wee sex room my arse,- Pervertedtly Hot-pressed palatial sex cavern

you're paranoid! Calm down!

Sallyanny - Ireland - though just south of the border, so it could be an NI phrase that 'migrated' down . We've always called it a hot-press (although Hot Press is also a pretentious Irish music magazine, so that can get a bit confusing!).

creative - hmm, Pervertedtly Hot-pressed palatial sex cavern, I rather like that. I'd take it over Christian arsing Grey's Red Room of fucking Wankery any day. More exciting stuff happens in my hot-press (of palatial, cavernous sexy perversion) than in that damn book anyway!

OP, have we taken your mind off the weird noises yet??

Oh Jesus, I'm never going to be able to put towels and sheets away again without thinking sordid thought Shadows:)

Hot-press is an all over Ireland thing I think. I'm NW and DP is a Dub and we both say hot press. And a press is a cupboard, obviously.

Gnocci - hope you're feeling a little less weirded out:)

My new neighbour who was renovating the house next door told me thatbthere was a crack in the wall and did I know he could see into my bedroom... He looked rather sheepish. Well, I can't find the damned crack. I thought it was a wind up until his wife mentioned it. He was stood beside her at the time and looked v embarassed.

The only sign of a crack in the wall is one in the bathroom and it's just a crack, closed, you couldn't possibly see through it and anyway it's papered over.

So what they were going on about baffles me. Maybe it's a cavity wall and what they see is that, not my bedroom ( which means they must think my bedroom is innpermanent darkness??)

Odd.

FuckerSnail, clearly you should always keep some handcuffs, a whip, a ball gag and a hot iron in your hot-press. Just to spice up the towel and sheet folding .

Hot press is the airing cupboard creative, but I quite like the wee room of pain - it is that to me anyway!!!

Hot press is used all over Ireland, north and south. It's usually where the immersion water heater / boiler / pipes are - it's hot and it's a cupboard, see?

I thought it was a trouser press when I heard it first. Still sounds lewd!

Kissing, even lewder, I wouldn't bother looking for cracks in the bedroom some-things are not worth finding!!!

Right applying man logic.

Yiou have a two way switch installed that probably feeds both a light and an extractor fan on a timer.

Can't remener if you said there was a fan or not, but this may have been left connected behind the new wall space and not removed. Any you probably here the thing more at night than during the day.

Frogs! Ask to go round and look!

Just getting on this thread you are all mad!

Any news OP?

But a timer on a fan would wouldn't vary would it? The OP said it's sometimes only a matter of seconds after leaving the bathroom when she hears this sound.

Maybe tonight you should should try going to the bathroom before bed as usual, making quite a bit of noise - maybe speaking to your DH in a loud voice - all to let any interested parties know you're in there ... BUT ... don't put the light on. Keep the door open and the landing or bedroom light on.

Then after you've left listen for their click. If there is one it cant be your light as you wont have used it.

If there isn't one .... er ... we'll be none the wiser!