Smoking in a SMOKING AREA

[Littlemissred21]

OK, out for lovely lunch with a friend yesterday. Sitting in a beer garden in a SMOKING area (ash tray thingy on Wall, ashtrays on tables)
My friend & I sitting at a table with no one else nearby enjoying our lunch.
During which time 2 other women come and sit at the table next to us.
Others waiting for their food, we finish ours & I light up. I'm sitting away from them, holding my fag in opposite hand to them, blowing smoke in the opposite direction. No children around, no food, no other people.
Hear them muttering something about smoking and tutting.
I turn and ask them if it's bothering them - blank looks from them. Me 'is this bothering you? Oh, I'll go and stand over there then shall I?' no response from them except a nervous laugh type thing.
I go and finish my fag a few feet further away & go carry on chatting to my friend.
Friend later says, oh I wouldn't have even acknowledged them.
Some people piss me right off.
Not like they were eating or anything.
Wish I would have said something like 'probably best not to sit in a SMOKING AREA if you don't like fucking smoking that much eh?' but maybe that might have been a bit too aggressive
Why do some people have to be so bloody irritating? Next time maybe I'll have a cigar instead.
The more I think about it the more wound up I get. Can't stand muttering / tutting. If you have something to say why not just fucking say it!!!!!
Knobs

FFS - the OP sat outside in what was a smoking area (ash trays dotted around are the clues to that). As a non-smoker I still have great sympathy for smokers who are treated like lepers (imo) for daring to light up. There is far too much exaggeration from people in day to day situations. Litter on floor - "wading knee deep in litter", having a child in a pram/buggie and passing someone having a quiet fag "child with lungs full of smoke". Get a grip people.

Yay a smoking thread! Hi gamer
Of course YABVU you should have to,d them to fuck off inside while chain smoking your little heart out!
Don't you just love summer

I don't think YABU to have smoked. After all it was a smoking area. But I do think you could have sorted out your attitude.

Yanbu to have smoked, but should have ignored the tutting.

I don't like smoking at all anywhere but wouldn't make faces or noises at anyone if they're doing it legally and not being totally obnoxious prat about it

Tutting, waving and other passive aggressive behaviour are now common place, once I was a perfectly reasonable person but EVERY summer this happens I am out of nice reasonable replies.

Non smokers bloody love smokers having to go in the beer garden through the (~10 months/year?) rubbish UK weather. If smokers want to stay in their usual approved area through July and August, I suggest anyone who feels oppressed should vote with their feet. I guarantee publicans won't miss them when compared with the "ash-grey pound".

An ex smoker here. Absolutely hate it now and am shocked people still smoke In public areas. The smell is disgusting (I realise I notice it more than never-smokers). I do think it'd a bloody shame that every previous nice beer garden in the country is now considered the smoking area. Our local has banned it in the actual beer garden but there's a section that's enclosed and sheltered with ventilation for the smokers. If other people can smell it and considering the chemicals in that smoke - home is the only suitable place for it. Inflicting it on other people is just disgusting and selfish. You wouldn't go into a pub reeking of dog shit would you?

Anyone else remember the days when a cabbie would not only let you smoke but join you on the way home from a night out?

'An ex smoker here.'

Followed by a bad tempered rant.

Why do some people seem to think that starting off by stating that they're an ex smoker somehow gives their post extra importance?

I know a lot of ex publicans, it seems that between beer duty and the smoking ban we seem to have finished them off......

I stopped smoking years ago but I seem to have forgotten to pick up the crabby 'ex smoker here' style rantings. Neglectful of me really.

You must try harder madam! Buy yourself a handheld fan immediatly

Ex smoker here too but I love the smell
Can't bear anti smoking rants , where do they expect smokers to go
I'd have sat on your lap and nuzzled your neck to get a good wiff

Just to clarify my original posy is not an indication of how I conduct myself irl - the comment regarding attitude may be justified had I squared up to the ladies in question & ambled off, fag hanging from lips leaving a cloud of smoke behind me.. My post was me having a moan after a particularly stressful morning at work.
And another thing - just because smokers smoke in the beer garden, that does not necessarily mean we take take over the whole garden, in this case just a smelly corner of it.
Loving some of the responses though, I've cheered right up now

MrsKoala - so does a being Californian mean of course she smokes or of course she doesn't?

In California smoking (in public) is about as socially acceptable pissing in someone's pint, er, I mean wheatgrass shot! I believe it's banned in public areas. (smoking that is, I'm not sure if there's a law about pissing in someone's wheatgrass).

I find ex smokers worse than non smokers for moaning of cigarettes.It didnt bother them when they did it but now they no longer do it.Neither can you.

Actually i reckon they have some new age piss drinking specialist shops where it is considered positively healthy to drink someones elses lag. Far more preferable to inhaling a molecule of smoke.

Ah ok

I'm an exsmoker, and couldn't care less if people smoke in smoking areas, in the street or in their garden next door to mine.
I don't expect to go through life just smelling 'nice smells' or to have everything arranged to my convenience.

Oh come on, OP wasn't being aggressive... She was being direct in the face of passive aggressiveness. Sometimes we need to not be so British and shame people for their sneery tutting YANBU, non-smoker here and the outdoor area is designated for you. That doesn't change when the sun comes out...

I hate smoking (sorry!) but a smoker in a smoking area is perfectly within their rights. I recently sat in an (empty) smoking area to avoid grumpy dd disturbing others; had someone lit up next to me I'd have moved as I had the freedom to do so.

Bus stops are worse.

I don't think it's fair that non smokers are confined to indoors in nice weather!

They aren't.

The OP said the beer garden was empty but the tutters chose to sit next to her. I bet they just wanted a good pass agg tut.

Isn't it strange how non-smokers hate smokers so much but always want to follow them around? First, they all wanted to be inside but now smokers have to be outside, the non-smokers just have to be there too.