Balls in the garden...

[VelvetSpoon]

I don't get on with my neighbours. I find them and their DC noisy and irritating and I shall be bloody glad when they move (hopefully soon as they are very overcrowded in their current house).

Anyway their DC are always playing ball in the back garden. The balls often end up in my garden (they have loads). I've thrown about 4-5 over weekly when gardening.

The other week I caught one of them twice letting himself into my garden to get his ball. The second time I asked him to leave my garden.

Since then they've been knocking on my door daily for their balls back. Normally about 10 mins after I get in when I've got better things to do with my time!

Today (after they woke me up by all screaming in the garden at 730am) I've just seen there are again 5 balls in the garden.

I am fed up of giving them back time and again. Tempted to chuck them in the bin, or prickly them with something sharp. WIBU?

I do understand balls go over fence having had 2 children myself but mine managed 1 ball a month over at absolute most not 5 daily!

Just throw them back at your convenience , and if you see the parents tell them that you don't want them coming into the garden or to knock you will collect them once a day / three times a week ( whatever suits you) and put a lock on the gate . We had issues with this but they soon stopped doing it when my dog kept getting to the balls before I did and they were all thrown back popped or chewed .

Hmmm borrow a dog

Trellis to prevent them coming over in the first place?

Get a dog

Hmmm borrow a dog
Agree, we've only ever had one ball land in our garden, just after we moved in. My dog sprang into action, burst and then ate most of it before I even knew it was there.
A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, small boy asking for his ball back . I gave him the bits the dog had left and explained I had a ball eating dog so best avoid playing with balls near my garden.
Felt sorry for him, but not sorry enough to pay for a new ball.

Agree! Lock on gate for starters and say balls can only be collected once a week. They'll
Soon stop!

The gate is usually locked, unfortunately on that occasion we'd had to let someone in the garden and they'd left the gate unlocked.

The fence is nearly 6ft on my side (lower on theirs as their garden is at a different level) so I cant see how I can put trellis up.

No dog or anyone to borrow one from unfortunately.

So when they knock and ask for the ball back shall I just say yes and give it back later/ the next day/ weekend?

I get several balls a day. They knock on the door or shout over the fence and they want it immediately.
OH once peed on a tennis ball before throwing it back.
I also throw back everything else they throw into the garden, including tissues, sweet wrappers, used teabags and cotton buds

My sons balls sometimes end up next door, next door throw them back as and when they feel like it, sometimes he is ballless for a few days which makes him more careful when he gets the ball back. If you return them once a week they will hopefully learn to be moe careful

Balls get thrown back over on a nighttime for me not on demand now, I often sleep at weird times and being woken up several times in a very small space of time to return balls annoyed me, especially when the way the houses are positioned it would be very hard to kick it in unless you were deliberately trying to, so disconnect the bell when I go to sleep.
action figures, keyrings, bits of plastic and rubbish get put in the bin as these are deliberately thrown to try and hit my dog

I have lots of balls coming over too, I just throw them back when Its convenient. It sounds like they have plenty, so I would tell the neighbour you will gather them up and throw them back to avoid the children letting themselves into your garden and constantly knocking on the door.

OH once peed on a tennis ball before throwing it back.

Ugh

I would bring them into the house so even if they come over they won't find any.

Just chuck then back. It will take you all off 30 seconds.

There are now 7 out there. Plus various assorted toy parts, a plate and a baby bottle.

FFS!

OH once peed on a tennis ball before throwing it back

Well he sounds a charmer.

OP - tell them they're not to knock for them, you'll collect and return at the end of each day. They'll soon stop.

By the time I've walked all round my garden picking up their crap it would be more like 10 minutes...

Blimey you must have a massive garden.

Say "sorry, it's not convenient now, I'll do it when I can". Return it all in a carrier bag at a later time, covered in something undesirable, "it fell into this crap in my garden, sorry". Tell the parents they need to be careful because you are going to be putting ant powder down. Then return their stuff covered in talc if they persist.

It's not massive, about 30ft by 80ft. The time is more to do with the sheer amount of crap they've chucked over.

Oh he is. He'd had a few beers.
We heard "It's wet".

Oh he is. He'd had a few beers.
We heard "It's wet"

Wow. If my DH was so revolting I wouldn't be bragging about it but hey. Each to their own.

He sounds like a right idiot.

Mikeuniformmike - your OH sounds disgusting.

Op - I would just collect them up tonight and all there stuff and just give it back in a few days. If the parents got anything to say just say they need to be more careful as you don't want to go out and chuck all there play toys back multiple times a day.

My daughters only managed to chuck a ball once in to next doors garden and lucky enough she was in her garden at the time and just chucked it back but I reminded her to be carful as next time she might not get it back if the neighbor didn't want to chuck it back!