To confront neighbour?

[VicWillia]

Really don't know what to do for the best!

We've lived in our house for 6 weeks. The neighbour on one side is a lady, maybe a single mum as I haven't seen a man at all. She has 2 dds, one is about 5, I'd say the others 2.

She seems nice enough. I've taken in a couple of packages for her and thought she seems fine.

The other day, I bought a couple of butterfly ornaments for the garden. Only silly, cheap things.

Today I went out there and they were gone. Her dds were in their garden and they came over to say hi to me. The older one said look at our new butterflies! I looked and there were my butterflies, in next doors garden. I asked the girl where she got them and she said "I found them in my garden"

Now I don't know what to do. I don't care about the butterflies, they were silly cheap things. I do care though that my neighbour must've climbed over my fence to steal them.

Theres a high trellis between our garden but there's a crumbling wall at the back which someone could quite easily climb over.

I really, really don't want to create a bad relationship with this neighbour. We were forced from our last home by a neighbour who had all night parties 5 times a week and almost caused me to have a breakdown. Should I just let it go?

Don't let them keep them! It doesn't matter how little it cost, it's the principle. Buy a gnome and see if she takes that

Drunk people. They do weird shit.

When I was a pissed up art student I stole a chipped and dirty gnome from someone's garden, repainted it all nicely and put it back the next night.

Twat.

I would personally say something because one of them is a thieving git otherwise any other ornament you put in your garden may get nicked

Any chance she has a key to your house from the previous owners and let herself in? If so, change locks pronto!

Go and steal them back in the middle of the night. Then oh so subtley display them in your front window with a copy of the garden centre receipt and a framed photograph of you with your middle finger up.

This was an act of war.

I would have thought the children are the most likely culprits.

Joffrey You were such a caring and thoughtful drunk! Love it

SaucyJack hahahaha, my kind of people

the phrase common or garden thief arose for a reason!

Just buy some more butterflies and write your name in the back of the wings, don't take any more parcels for the nut job and just say hello when passing.

Aren't you curious to know though? Why would she do it as you'd so obviously find out! Like the wreath stealing neighbour. It's such an obvious perpetrator!

There is a third party here incited by the devil. (Anyone else thinking 'Needful Things'?)

I agree with poster who said nip round and cheerily say that your butterflies seem to have ended up in her garden and mind if you take them back? You'll know the way forward from how she reacts.

Look, she's deffo a twat - she knows she didn't buy them and they didn't appear out of thin air. If my DD took something from someone else's garden I'd make her bring it back and apologise, or at least return them myself. She's chosen not to do that so either she took them or she's a dimwit. I'm with you in hating the idea of falling out with neighbours over something small, even if it is the principle of the thing!

The only thing I can think of is to cheerfully say you hope her butterflies don't get stolen as you bought identical ones right before she did and they have gone.

Neighbours can be the best or the worst thing about your home, many sit somewhere in the middle

I agree that if you say nothing you have set a precedent and it will likely happen again regardless of whether it was the kids or the mum.
I would politely ask for them back too.

If ask her if she's had trouble with teenagers messing with things from the garden because your butterflies have gone missing. Pretend you assume it can't possibly have been her/her kids.

If you don't say anything, who knows what she might do next, thinking she can get away with it? I would say something.

I would definitely say something, but do try to make it lighthearted if possible. I think you're setting a precedent otherwise - that they don't have to respect you or your home and belongings.

Pop round after the dc bedtime and ask the neighbour for them back.

My butterflies seemed to have ended up in your garden, thought I'd come and collect them.