to BBQ in my own garden?

[QueenofKelsingra]

We live in a terraced house, 6ft ish fencing separating us from neighbours on each side. our garden is set lower down than the ones either side so our decking starts where theirs ends IYSWIM, so our decking areas are staggered, not all in a line. New neighbours moved in about 2 months ago.

We have a BBQ (charcoal) and unlike a lot of people, ours is not just for the odd family party. We cook lunch and dinner on it every weekend it is sunny and if DH is home in time we cook dinner during the week too through the summer.

last night we finished dinner and I rounded up the DC to go in for a bath. DH took them up and I popped back out to collect up toys. Neighbours didn't realise I had come back out and I overheard them complaining about how much we BBQ, that we are being really inconsiderate using it all the time and that if we keep it up they may have to have word with us. They must have had a visitor as they exclaimed ' they even do it during the week!' - visitor agreed that we were being inconsiderate.

TBH it never occurred to me that I shouldn't use the BBQ as often as weather allows it and I want to be prepared for the inevitable knock on the door to complain. So AIBU to BBQ as often as I like in my own back yard??

For all those of you pointing judgemental fingers at the op just remember that there are ALWAYS 3 pointing right back at you

Oh the irony

Grow up flipflop you ate being a ridiculous bully

And there we see it folks, projection in action.

Thanks for the demonstration, whereisthelight.

More irony

No protection thank you.

Yabu to bully and continue to chastise when the op has already conceded she may be being inconsiderate.

Sirchenin - grow up

Dig, dig.

is it really odd - or even odd to not like the smell of flames cooking the flesh of slaughtered animals

(emotive words because I'm a bit peeved that it is ok to think people who don't like the smell are somehow weird)

Protection??

Grow up??

I think she meant projection

Grow up Still

I would really loathe this in a terrace (like the one I live in). The highly carcinogenic smoke wafting in through the open windows on a regular basis. Urgh.
I think it's almost as bad as lighting a massive bonfire four evenings a week. Yes it's your garden but I think you should compromise and at least give them week nights off having to share the experience of your family's dinner.

Oh sorry OP, I see you have conceded. Read the thread Echocave, you muppet...

I'm still curious about the cost of the charcoal .

OP I think you need to bear in mind when you speak to your neighbours that the outcome isn't going to be that you find a way to continue to do what you want, when you want but with their blessing. Its likely going to be that you have to switch the oven on a bit more often or have a sandwich Saturday lunchtime.

Christ I wish my life was so boring that I gave a tiny rats ass how many times a week my neighbours used their BBQ. Oh hang on, no I fucking don't.

If my neighbours were barbecuing that often I'd start turning up with a bottle and a pack of steaks. My neighbours thankfully would do likewise.

In the name of neighbourly relations OP I would suggest giving them a knock and offering to help them remove the giant sticks from their arses

well, you clearly have a sufficiently boring life that you've posted on this thread . And perhaps if, like me, you'd been on the receiving end of neighbours like this, where you end up rushing around on many a hot day closing the windows and taking the washing in so that it doesn't reek, because your NDNs are incapable of see a ray of sunlight without firing up their BBQ which they have helpfully positioned a nice close distance to your house, where the smell of burnt meat can waft pleasantly up into your bedroom, you wouldn't be so snide.

"meat everyday is very healthy, morally not so great, but very healthy"

This isn't true. People eat way too much meat. Everyday is completely unnecessary and not healthy.

I'm never quite sure why washing trumps a bbq. You can still dry washing indoors on a clothes horse, it's not like you can't get it done at all. How long does bbq smoke last, an hour approx?
We had neighbours who cooked with chilli and garlic every single meal, eye wateringly strong. I'm allergic to chilli and the thought of eating it let alone the smell makes me feel quite ill but it wouldn't have ever crossed my mind to go next door and tell them they couldn't cook it or even when to cook it!

BBQ in your garden is fine if you keep your smoke, smells and noise out of my garden - which I am equally entitled to enjoy the way I want to - how's that for a compromise.

It's unreasonable for a terraced house, as effectively you're doing it all weekend, every sunny weekend. Thus every lovely weekend in their garden is spent with the smell of your BBQ smoke.

YANBU to have the kids out in the garden, or to use it yourself, every single moment of every sunny day. They also bought a terraced house and the noise of your neighbour's daily life is only to be expected.

I live in a terraced house, too. It makes otherwise reasonable behaviours unreasonable.

Wont somebody think of your bowels?

Clothes that will dry on a line outside in a few hours will take 24 hours or more inside, that's if you've got room for an airer inside (I haven't) so the alternative is to spend money on electricity tumble drying them and if they get smoky they will have to be washed and dried all over again. Evenings are one thing, washing is normally down by then, fair enough, but at lunchtime washing trumps BBQ.

When our neighbours used to light their BBQ, it really was a matter of dashing out to get the washing in pronto, as it was so, so smokey, and no matter what way the wind blew, it always seemed to come over to us.

Now when they BBQ, I notice the smell of the food - which is pleasant, not the smoke. I think they may have changed to gas.

Funny, only reading this thread has reminded me how it used to be.

I have a friend who BBQs on those ridiculous disposable charcoal things, and they are very, very smokey. I always have to have a shower before I go to bed after visiting.

However, if you are going to BBQ as much as you say, then it might be worthwhile to invest in a really good gas BBQ.

noooooo Captain C! I love my charcoaly flavour. While I love the ease of a gas bbq, I am back to good old fashioned charcoal for taste. I don't bbq quite as often as the OP, maybe 5 times per week in the summer, and the odd time in the winter (although we eat indoors then). I just love the flavour of charcoal bbq-ed food.

It also never dawned on me till quite recently neighbours could get pissed off about bbq-ing. Someone I was talking to was regaling how much she hated the fact that every single weekend her inconsiderate neighbours fired up the bar-b.

I thought it over a bit and decided I wouldn't change my habits.

Some people are just easily irritated and if it wasn't my bbq they were moaning about it would be something else that triggered their lack of tolerance. If people can't live with the give and take that comes with having normal neighbours doing normal day to day things in a normal considerate enough manner, then they should maybe consider moving to a remote area with no neighbours nearby.

Having neighbours means you need to have tolerance. Or live in a state of constant pissed-off-ness. Either way is fine with me.