Refusing to start the parents mower at 9pm..?

[daddyorscience]

Due to the end of a relationship, I'm back living with parents. Well, Mother.

We live in a quiet village, no traffic. We have large lawns, and a petrol mower. I came back from work about 5.30, did one lawn. Went out. Came back at 8, started on the kids playhouse.

9pm, Mother comes out:

"Can you start the mower?"
"Er, no. I don't think it's lawn mowing time."
"What do you mean?"
"It's 9pm. There are young families in the houses over there, THERE, there, and 2 next door. It's a school night, the kids may be asleep".
"and? It's MY mower."
"Yes. And it's NOT going to be ME pissing off the neighbours. Nothing annoys me more than someone making a racket while my 2 try to sleep, I don't think it's fair."
"Well, sod them!"
"No. Do it on Friday when you're here all day, in the daytime. Nobody cares then. It's a lawn, not a crisis"

She's stormed off in a huff, I've disabled the mower (but will sort that before I go to work tomorrow).

Is this an unreasonable act on my part? The parent in me feels not..but..

YANBU.... I'm sure if you read the rules on your local coincil's website regarding noise, mowing at 9pm would be considered unacceptable.

That's what I thought. Mind you, I do wonder if I can be a bit overkill..if I come in late (10,11 or later, I shut the engine and lights off before I turn up the drive to avoid the other houses getting headlights through the windows, and keep the noise as little as possible..heh.

She just tends to run the machine at full whack..it's not a quiet engine. Any time post 8.30 is "non ideal" IMO...if I do one late, it's at as low RPM as I can get it, as fast as I can do it.

You sound very considerate! House next to me is for sale. Want to buy it?

Good for you OP

Plenty of time to do mowing in the summer.
9pm on a Tuesday night is not one of them

YANBU!

Yanbu

thank you OP.

Life would be so much happier if everybody was like you and considerate towards their neighbours!

One of my neighbours was mowing the lawn at 9pm tonight!

You are considerate But I wouldn't turn of lights coming into the drive, you may miss seeing someone out walking home, or putting something in the bins and hit them.
I made Dh stop playing guitar at 9pm tonight, A relief for us and the neighbors.

My neighbours used to mow the lawn fairly late at night when i was small (although I had to be in bed at 7pm every night until i was about 9) but they were nudists..... I apparently said in the foghorn voice of a 5 year old once "mummy, why does next door always cut the lawn with no clothes on?"
So you, OP, are way more considerate than my old neighbours ;)

YANBU! I wish you were my neighbour OP!

I'd say YWBU if she was going to mow. She's right..her mower, her choice. I agree with your opinion on timing, but you treated her like a child in her own home.
If she wanted you to now, YWNBU.

Mow!

If there's anyone on my drive at that time of night, they're a burglar, and my CCTV will get them..heh. Don't need lights though, once I get past the gateposts, the LED Floodlight kicks in. But because it's LED and set on the garage, it only lights the drive, and then only to the end. We don't have streetlights out here, and badly set up floodlights ruin the view of the stars!

I doubt anyone would be walking home...to describe this village - er..about 30 houses, 1 road, no shops or amenities, no paths, no street lights, no mains sewerage or gas..it's a case of "once it's dark, there's nobody about". :) Just wildlife and fields, and silence.