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AIBU?

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Original poster

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:
horatioisabrick · 21/12/2017 09:58

I’m very glad you’re alright. Your friend and your DH will be with you, so it should be alright.... take care and merry Christmas 🎄

TheHodgeHeg · 21/12/2017 10:28

Glad to hear all is well OP. You have a very good friend.

Goodasgoldilox · 21/12/2017 11:36

I hope you will put a note through the door of your neighbour and just let them know that someone was hanging about last night. It might make them careful about security... and he might have been checking the place for a future burglary.

Original poster
Foxysoxy01 · 21/12/2017 17:08

Well I have an update, not sure if anyone is interested but I will post anyway Grin

Took the dog out just now and all quiet and normal.

I thought I would have a good look at where he had been standing yesterday and under the tree there was a silver wrapper half hidden in the leaves (it caught the glint of the torch light) and wrapped up in it but with the end sort of poking out was a small heart shaped xmas bauble. Hmm

I did notice that the shed completely hides the house from where the tree is so he was literally looking at the tree and back of the shed (no window in the shed) while he was turned away from me.

The woman is there tonight so I am going to drop round a note trying to be light about it but that I saw a person that was hanging out by the tree. I might not mention that it was a bloke or that he was weird just that he had a good look around her shed. Do you think that's ok? It makes it seem less menacing but sort of keeps her in her guard?

The dog has been quite odd today. He has been barking more than usual and laying by the patio doors where he usually goes to the back door if he wants to go out or wait for postie/delivery drivers. (Our house is a strange layout and the back door is like the front)

DH will be home in 20 mins so will tell him all about it as he rolls his eyes and laughs at me Grin

OP posts:
twiney · 21/12/2017 17:53

Hmm abandonned flowers and heart shaped bauble? Middle house woman has a stalker.

Littlehenrylee · 21/12/2017 18:10

An ex would be my guess and possibly an unwelcome one.

impossible · 21/12/2017 18:13

Glad you had a good night in the end.

Do tell the neighbour - if you drop a note round you could put your number on it so she can call. Do give her full details (say it was a bloke) though perhaps leave out subjective words like weird. If it were me I would want to know and in any case if you give a description it might make sense to her. Could be an ex, son, brother etc

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 21/12/2017 18:26

Yes, she needs to know, don't sugar coat it. That way, if she needs to up security, she can crack on.

ObscuredbyFog · 21/12/2017 18:41

Definitely let the woman know a man was hanging around by her tree, he put his hood across his face when you looked at him, you heard whistling in the night, today you've seen there's a wrapped heart-shaped xmas decoration where he was standing and a discarded bunch of flowers (specify location)

Whilst I appreciate you don't want to scare her witless, she needs to know, please don't make light of it, any one of those things could give her a clue as to who it may be if it's an unwelcome visitor from her past or some stranger she needs to know is hanging around.

It's hardly a legitimate visitor, is it? She needs to know so she can keep herself safe.

Original poster
Foxysoxy01 · 21/12/2017 18:46

Well I told DH about everything and he was actually a bit uneasy.

Apparently he had a bauble tied to his car aerial the other morning. He thought it was me messing around and just forgot to say anything about it after work. So not sure what to make to that?

I posted the note through to the lady. I didn't knock as I know she probably wouldn't appreciate that but I did leave my number if she wanted to call.

Dog is still on edge which is very odd as with DH home he would normally be crashed out by the fire all night.

OP posts:
Original poster
Foxysoxy01 · 21/12/2017 18:48

Just to clear up the flowers, they were on my garden. My house is up the road from hers, I would say about quarter of a mile away. The bauble was by the tree behind her shed and the other bauble was on DH's car.

OP posts:
threehoursin · 21/12/2017 18:57

So there was a bauble in the woods and y ur DH has had an anonymous bauble tied to his car? Xmas Confused That's odd.

My money is firmly on them casing places burgle. Properties (but not normally cars, with a bauble) are often 'marked' by offenders in order to indicate opportunities for / vulnerability to burglary.

threehoursin · 21/12/2017 18:57

*your

Microwaved111 · 21/12/2017 19:18

The bauble thing is really strange Confused

ObscuredbyFog · 21/12/2017 19:21

I'd be a bit uneasy, maybe more than a bit. It's much more odd than my recent experience.

I live rurally too but not as remote as you, I had someone knock on my door at 2.30am on a freezing cold night with lying snow and below zero temperature saying they'd had a car accident 4 miles away (and only 1 mile away from a nearer village which is odd isn't it) and they couldn't get a mobile signal, so I shouted through the door for him to wait outside my village's pub as I was going to ring 999 and the Police would pick him up. First I rang 2 big burly neighbours who came straight away, then I rang 999 and they said they'd send a car. The Police were here in 10 minutes, picked the guy up, questioned him and said he seemed legit. Nothing's happened since so I'm not on a state of high alert, although I do still jump out of my skin if anyone knocks on the door after dark.

However, I do think you need to inform the Police and both neighbours on your road, because what's happening in your road is so peculiar. Add to all that with your dog behaving so strangely, I do think you have cause for concern. It's possible your other neighbours have seen something but not mentioned it to you and your pooled reports of odd stuff could form a bigger picture.

AnnieAnoniMouse · 21/12/2017 20:26

I’m glad you eventually had a peaceful night & that DH is back now. Hopefully he’s not due to go away again for a while, if he is, maybe ask your friend to stay.

I really think you should call the police back & update them. You don’t know who else might have rung them and it might all add to the overall picture.

BadFeminist · 21/12/2017 21:02

Keep the dog close op and maybe change walks for a bit.

Just because.

BulletFox · 21/12/2017 21:07

Foxy someone was asking about you on the Chat forum earlier, they just wondered what happened.

Baubles is odd. At least you have called the police and let the woman know.

user1466690252 · 21/12/2017 21:24

That's mega freaky. has the neighbour contacted you?

Original poster
Foxysoxy01 · 21/12/2017 21:39

Well we have had a bit of whistling again. Not sure what to make of it tbh. It sounds like an actual tune and a person doing it rather than a phone or something.

DH not overly concerned at the moment.
Dog has gone nuts along our fence line when we let him out for a wee earlier but is settled again now.

The neighbour hasn't contacted me but I didn't think she would to be honest. People around here aren't terribly friendly and they really wouldn't take kindly to me knocking on their doors even if they were being burgled there and then they would tell me it was none of my business.

OP posts:
user1466690252 · 21/12/2017 21:44

bloody hell the neighbours sound charming! I think you have done her a huge favour. The whistling is odd? maybe seeing if anyone is in and how the dog night react?
It's good that the dog is going mental. make sure your phone ia charged and you have it with you at all times

user1466690252 · 21/12/2017 21:46

also, don't disregard your instincts. don't overthink and wind yourself up, but instincts are a powerful thing

froshiechipandbrickie · 21/12/2017 21:53

People around here aren't terribly friendly and they really wouldn't take kindly to me knocking on their doors even if they were being burgled there and then they would tell me it was none of my business.

Your neighbours sound rather terrible.

ShoesHaveSouls · 21/12/2017 21:56

Very odd, foxy, I'd feel uneasy - and I'm generally a reasonable person.

Glad you have your dog and your DH with you - keep some lights on tonight, and keep your phone with you. Lock up well.

This sort of thing would drive me mad to be honest - there's probably a fairly uninteresting explanation for it all - hopefully it's not anything sinister - but you don;t know what it is, so it's a bit disturbing.

Original poster
Foxysoxy01 · 21/12/2017 21:58

DH has been out with the dog and torch and cannot find a reason for the whistling. I'm not sure if that's good or bad Confused

OP posts: