Bit weird or not?

[Foxysoxy01]

I'm not sure if I'm being a bit ridiculous so could do with some advice or a good talking too!

Bit of background needed but this may be quite long, sorry

Where I live it is quite rural. I have a dog I walk morning and night around the same time each day but not same time on the dot. I sometimes walk on my own (with dog) sometimes with someone else (more often than not in the evenings)

There are two walks both rural with no street lights and nothing other than the odd tractor, walker, horse rider etc etc. Just to add neither of these walks lead anywhere other than one to a house that then branches off to a longer walk.

So the track I went down today has a house at the top, one a bit further down then nothing till the big house at the end where it branches off.

The middle house (although closer to top of track than middle) goes garden, house, gateway, garden, shed, fence, big tree with the track running along side.

So that's the background now what happened.

I have walked past the middle house, down to big house and am on my way back. I see someone coming and get dog back on lead. The person notices me and moves quickly from right hand side of track to under the big tree (just off left hand side of track) just behind shed of house. Person lights a fag and turns around facing tree.

I find this bit odd but carry on as I get next to him he is still just off track under tree and facing the actual tree. I'm getting a bit on edge as this is clearly a bit strange behaviour.

I say good evening (admittedly I might have sounded a bit nervous) the person turns round while lifting their hood up so I cannot see their face.

I walk past quite briskly! (I'm not sure if IABU but something about the person did frighten me)

As I get nearer the middle house gates I see they are not in as car is not on drive (there is a mid 30's woman on her own living there) I stop and turn to look thinking I wouldn't actually hear if the person ran up behind me. They are still under tree looking straight ahead (not at me, but across the track into side with hedge)

I carry on and as I get to the next house I look again but can't see him and I was not about to walk back and see if he was still there.

Now the whole behaviour of this person was off. They very clearly did not want me to see their face. They were either an incredibly burly woman or a man, fairly thickset about 6ft obviously in black and just quite terrifying.

I am home alone tonight and just a bit worried I suppose that he was either waiting for a person walking (maybe not with good intentions!) or to break into the middle house? Or the thought did cross my mind if was he waiting for my but chicken'd out.

The woman that lived on her own is I suppose fairly vulnerable as her house is a bit away from any others and she is on her own (the house is quite large and obviously worth a fair bit of money so you would presume there could be antiques etc)

This all happened about an hour ago now so it was dark.

I'm not sure if I'm just being silly or should o go and check if he is still there? Phone someone? Or just ignore it all.

Writing it all down makes me think I am over reacting and the bloke maybe just wanted a walk but it really didn't feel like that at the time. His behaviour seemed odd and his body language was quite menacing tbh.

What do the collective of MN think?

Sorry it was so long!

Would a potential buyer really go to that extreme just before Xmas though and risk being caught? It seems a bit far fetched...? It is bizarre how they seem to just be targeting you though. The first bauble was left before you had encounter with creepy man on walk. I don’t believe they are burglars though as no way would they make their presence known. Maybe idiotic teenagers with nothing better to do. Next time you hear something flash huge floodlights outside and yell very loudly you are calling the Police!

Just checking in to say nothing out of the ordinary has happened today so far.

The house move is the only thing that has changed. The house has sold though and had been on the market for a while so not sure why it would start now?

I can't imagine it's the buyer as we met them and they seemed very normal, polite and friendly enough.

The baubles could be marking a trail I suppose but on the second track they didn't start until the copse not at the start of the track and also one was on DH car.

The buyer? REALLY?

Our local baubles don't make an obvious route either, Foxy. It's one explanation I came up with (for ours, because the first couple puzzled me when I saw them!), but it may well not be the reason they're out. I haven't seen any on cars, but there are a couple on gate posts / house name signs just off the road (as well as on trees and less obviously owned things). It's odd!

An alternative explanation would be that there is a phantom baubler travelling around the countryside and hanging his calling card wherever he wishes to stake a claim to some territory. Which raises some delightful imagery for me

hope all stays quiet now and you have a lovely Christmas. I had a thought that maybe its someone making a 'treasure hunt' for bored kids on xmas or boxing day? Still weird though...

Your DP doesn't work for Universal Exports, does he?

the phantom baubler

sahmummy80

Indeed your comments are 'total bs'

Why spend the time typing out a comment on a thread you think is bullshit? Why not just move along and find another thread to piss and moan on instead.

I'm tired and titty from no sleep for the past couple of nights. I feel really stressed out with worrying about this fucking bloke.

Let me make this clear I don't care who believes my thread but if all you are going to comment is how bullshit it is and how I'm a troll then don't bother wasting your time or mine.

I wonder if the baubles are unrelated to the two men? Baubles sound like teens messing around (especially the bauble on the car wing mirror) or as part of a treasure trail somebody's setting up for kids. We used to have 'string trail' events in Brownies, where we had to follow a trail of bits of string tied to trees, fences etc. Sometimes the trail had gaps of the person laying it wanted to confuse us.

Have you thought of going to the woods in a group, to where your DH saw the bauble trail, in case it leads somewhere?

The men situation is creepier. I wouldn't dismiss that as kids messing around. They seem to be trying to frighten you, or lure you somewhere... but why? Could they be friends of your DH doing it for a prank?

Have you thought of going to the woods in a group

If you do this please take a hand held video camera and wear a bobble hat.

Ta.

I do have an update but I'm not sure I can face the comments I will get.
It's all really unbelievable.

About half an hour ago we had 3 bangs one on each door. (We have a front, back and double patio doors)

The knocks were at the same time and we were sat at the kitchen bench. LFDH and DH made it to the front (like back) door first.
There was a , we presume, bloke running across the garden to the fence.
LF ran to the back door and I followed as this was going on. We didn't see anything so I suppose we were too slow.
DH and LFDH didn't get to the person in time but we can back to the door with the big floodlight torch (that was suggested earlier, so thank you) and shouted we had called the police.

Will have to see what happens next.

Oh my god op, bet you're dying to move house now!

Yeah I won't be setting foot in those woods at night ever again.

But if you wish to pm me I can give you directions and you can fill your boots.

Omg OP you must be mixture of rage and fear! What are your thoughts now? It's hard to piece all the behaviour together! Mentally ill .... god knows. Hope you're not too shaken up!

I'm sorry it all sounds horrible, hope that you are feeling ok.

woah. So there were bangs at each of the 3 doors at the same time? So three people?

How frightening!

I wonder if the initial guy in the wood followed you home and this is some sort of ‘revenge’ stemming from you interrupting whatever he was doing, or he just saw how unnerved you were and now he thinks it’s funny to mess with you. Scary!

Hope you are ok, op!

OP have you called the police again after this latest incident? I am worried for you.

I hope you're not going to step in side those woods during the day time either. The police really need to do a search now. This is harassment and trespassing. Have you a camera set up anywhere? It's very scary now it's gone from one to three people. Stay safe op.

OP this is terrifying! I'm glad you've got friends staying. Do you have a friend with a big dog, who could come over and turn the dog loose in the garden, in the hope it might catch one of them and you get some answers?

It sounds like their motivation is to drive you out of the house by scaring you so much you all go elsewhere for Xmas. Is there anything in the house they might desperately want? Could a stash of something have been hidden inside or in the cellar and they're trying to access the house when it's empty? I wonder what would happen if you turned all lights off and pretended to be out?

Ignore the disbelieving posters, MN is full of people casting doubt/scorn on threads. They have probably never lived in the deep countryside and have no idea!

I’ve been following this thread, OP and getting increasingly spooked in your behalf. Hope you are OK and there is a simple explanation. Agree the baubles and the dodgy blokes may not be related.

Are you part of the local hunting scene (as either supporters or sabs)and now you're being targeted by opponents? Or do you and your DH work for an organisation known for animal vivisection?
Have you in another way publicised controversial beliefs, or put in an objection to a local planning application?
What is happening to you sounds like a programme of intimidation/terrorisation, rather than an attempt to set you up for a burglary, so I'm wondering if there are some fanatics out there who have decided you are their target.