Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Bit weird or not?

804 replies

Foxysoxy01 · 20/12/2017 18:10

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 Blush

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!

OP posts:
gingergenius · 24/12/2017 02:56

Is this a local village for local people. Are you living in Royston Vasey??

Kookietoo · 24/12/2017 07:23

Rainbowmother, I was also so spooked I checked all doors & windows last night & was equally shocked to find two downstairs windows unlocked & key missing....spent at least 20 mins hunting for the key (& found it,phew!) having decided that if I couldn’t find it I would not be sleeping & would have to stay up guarding the house. I feel so sorry for poor Foxy having to deal with this but on the other hand I think she has some amazing friends.

Foxy, I still think you should try to record these people. You can get decent CCTV home kits that you fit yourself & you can just take it with you to your new house when you move: www.which.co.uk/reviews/burglar-alarms-and-home-security/article/burglar-alarms-and-home-security/home-cctv

SM2132 · 24/12/2017 07:36

I think someone has seen this thread and they are enjoying knowing you are bothered by it. If so, they are complete sad acts who need to get a life! Your village sounds awful! I would film them if you see anything else- also get a security camera outside.

Rainbowmother · 24/12/2017 07:48

Kookietoo well one positive is everyone's upping their security checks! I agree cctv has to be the way to go. It may be all fun and games to 'them' while they know they can't really be caught

mumonashoestring · 24/12/2017 08:04

That's still no excuse - not choosing to be an active community type doesn't mean you deserve to be intimidated and harassed. Sensibly speaking (rather than setting tripwires and pit traps) I think my next move would be CCTV and a request for a visit from the local community police officer - at the very least to provide them with some evidence that your neighbours are as mad as a bucket of weasels before your poor buyers move in and get more of the same.

BonjourMeDarlin · 24/12/2017 08:45

I also wondered if the completion date isn’t confirmed yet then the sale isn’t completed - therefore do the house purchasers have the right to know? Especially if the police and neighbours are involved?

ZoopDragon · 24/12/2017 08:48

What was the ghost story they tried to scare you with?

bluesu · 24/12/2017 09:08

Ah OP it must be so frustrating for you. What a bunch of twats

Bridechilla · 24/12/2017 09:17

Could you not just go round today in daylight and ask what their problem is? Maybe that'd nip it in the bud. Or if they don't answer just dump all their stuff, baubles notes, whatever they've lobbed on their doorstep to make a point.

I'm struggling to believe it all, but it's not your story OP - I struggle with WHY anyone would want to behave this way. It's really disgusting.

gingergenius · 24/12/2017 09:21

This sounds like a plot line out of the film 'hot fuzz!' Does the village regularly won 'village of the year'? More importantly, do they have neighbourhood watch and a living statue?

Crazy crazy people!

DesertSky · 24/12/2017 09:36

So these village idiots got all up in arms about the fact you turned down an offer from an ex resident. You said the neighbours have never been friendly. Sounds like they never really welcomed you in the village in the first place. Is this the reason you’re leaving?
I reckon they all got together down the local and premeditated to give you a ‘Christmas to remember’ as a leaving present. Total numbskulls.
Are the Police aware of your recent discovery re motive?
Wishing you and your family a merry (and stress free!) Christmas xx

Mystripeywellies · 24/12/2017 10:07

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

threehoursin · 24/12/2017 10:42

What makes you so sure it IS actually the locals, OP? I get what fag man said, but you seem to have immediately ruled out other conclusions. I'm not sure what those conclusions could be, however Xmas Grin

bretonknickers · 24/12/2017 10:43

This sounds like a plot line out of the film 'hot fuzz!

I spent hours last night trying to remember what film it made me think of - definitely Hot Fuzz.
Bonkers

Runningwithscissors12 · 24/12/2017 10:44

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

froshiechipandbrickie · 24/12/2017 10:54

ElsieMC Jesus, that sounds horrible.

ZoopDragon · 24/12/2017 11:38

It all sounds believable to me. I've lived in remote country villages/hamlets like this. The locals often dislike newcomers, especially if you've bought as a second home.

PidgeonSpray · 24/12/2017 11:57

What the fag man said can't be the reason surely?!

. It doesn't explain man down the lane. The 3 Baubles on track 2. Random pagan drawings.

I hope it all settles down, Take care

Foxysoxy01 · 24/12/2017 12:16

I'm not sure what to type and have written out and deleted my update a few times.
Anything I say makes this all sound so utterly unbelievable and I feel like we are living in the twilight zone!

We have family over within the next hour or so which will obviously take a lot of explaining about what's been going on so I may not be updating again for a while.

We think it might be better not to put too much online as like a few of you have said we think someone may be reading it.

This morning we had 2 heart baubles and one smashed one in the middle hanging from our fence. God knows why.

When we took the dog out we had a local follow us to the big house the another local followed us on the way back. There wasn't anything we could do, they were just walking. If it was to intimidate or not I did not know.

Friends left fairly early just after the dog walk but have said they will come over whenever we need them.

The troll hunting on here has brought me down a fair bit but I can understand it I suppose. If I was reading this from someone else I would think they were bonkers!

OP posts:
AmysTiara · 24/12/2017 12:21

I thought originally the man was by someone else's house and you were worried they'd get burgled.

How has this all turned into a hate campaign against your family? I don't understand this whole tale. I'm not doubting you btw, its just not fitting together.

froshiechipandbrickie · 24/12/2017 12:23

Maybe I’m too gullible... But half of my grandmother’s land was burned down this autum but in her case the tosses were most likely family. So no, what your describing seem particularly unlikely to me personally. (Unfortunately!)

Although I’m still unsure why they were on your neighbours’ land initially. Or was it your neighbours that actually planned / initiated it?

Be careful, log everything (people following you etc) with the police.
I hope you’ll still manage to enjoy your Christmas.

froshiechipandbrickie · 24/12/2017 12:25

*tossers (wankers. Stronzi. Whatever)

Foxysoxy01 · 24/12/2017 12:40

AmysTiara
Yeah the first bloke when this all started was walking down the track I was walking up it. He saw me, moved quickly to the other side of the track and under the tree there. That's where he lit a fag, I got near him said evening he turned pulling his hood up.

I didn't say he was going to break into the middle house. It was the most logical idea at the time though. I did explain earlier on in the thread all of the logistics. I didn't catch him 'casing the joint' he saw me then moved to the tree, lit his fag, turned his back and looked at tree/back of shed.

It doesn't really matter anyway. It is what it is and we will just live with it till we move. What else can we do?

We don't have a moving date yet but should be exchanging contracts and getting a date straight after the Xmas break. Does that mean we should tell the buyer and solicitors?

OP posts:
Foxysoxy01 · 24/12/2017 12:46

I don't know how the baubles and bit of paper fit in. I've been trying to put it all together when people ask questions on here but I don't see why they are leaving baubles? Why not like an earlier poster said leave a dead rabbit or song if it was to scare us?

The paper is strange too, why not just a note saying piss off or something?

I don't know if something odd is going on, someone from the village has picked up this thread and is using the weird stuff and elaborating on it for their own reasons?

I'm driving myself mad trying to find a logical explanation to obviously completely unstable behaviour.

OP posts:
ObscuredbyFog · 24/12/2017 12:49

No, this is all designed to make your buyer back out and for you to be unable to sell your house so you have to sell it to the 'local' who will get it for a very reduced price.