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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Nosy neighbour

51 replies

Peachyfizz · 22/02/2018 15:13

I've lived here almost 11 months. My neighbour is an old elderly lady who I have no problem with other than she is overly Nosy! I understand she may be lonely but I also get lonely as a single parent and am not nosy like her!
Last summer she would peer into my living room whilst standing in her front garden. Sometimes she would pretend to garden, stand up, peer in. I'd catch her a few times and she would quickly turn away. However it's now started again as spring is approaching. She's peering in again, trying to get a good look. It's becoming irritating! I'm quite a private person and I don't like it. AIBU to be annoyed at this??

OP posts:
flumpybear · 22/02/2018 15:18

Really annoying - I'd pop out and ask what she wanted as she was peering in

Then if invest in some white Venetian blinds and close them so she can't see in if she goes into the garden again - I'd make it obvious!

Original poster
Peachyfizz · 22/02/2018 15:22

Today i gave an awkward smile as if to say "what are you looking at"?
I do need to invest In blinds! Haven't got round to it yet though. It's just so irritating!
She has also come out into the back garden to listen to mine and my mum's conversation before. Then went inside when she realised we stopped talking as she was listening

OP posts:
DancesWithOtters · 22/02/2018 15:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Nikephorus · 22/02/2018 15:52

Definitely a blind.

Original poster
Peachyfizz · 22/02/2018 16:19

dances I was expecting that response actually! She has friends from the street pop over and her family over and she's always out and about so it's not like she doesn't see anyome. I tried to not get annoyed last year. But now it is really bugging me.

OP posts:
Paie · 22/02/2018 16:20

-cardboard cut out/ paper cut out of silhouettes of people peering out the window
Set them up, leave her to stare at the paper people unknowingly.
Maybe the girl from the ring could be useful here, creeping out from the side of the window?

OutyMcOutface · 22/02/2018 16:21

Get sone shutters?

OhCalamity · 22/02/2018 16:21

You need to have some fun with this. Pretend you are a spy. Start having cryptic phone calls out the back about something to get her rightly gossiping.

Thistlebelle · 22/02/2018 16:22

We used to get people staring in you kitchen window as they passed and then I realised that they were using it like a mirror. Grin

Could she be looking at herself rather an you?

Either way I would definitely invest in blinds.

snewsname · 22/02/2018 16:22

Sort your house out so she can't see in. Plant bushes in the garden. Most people like to have a nose if it's easy to do so. the best time is at dusk when people have put their lights on but haven't yet closed their curtains

teaiseverything · 22/02/2018 16:25

We have a case of nosy parkers round my way too. Voile curtains and some strategically placed, tall perennial plants have done the trick. I can still see out and when we first got the curtains, you could see the frustration on the faces of the arseholes who couldn't peer in anymore. Grin

mommybear1 · 22/02/2018 16:43

Oh I feel your pain I lived next door to one of these for 10 long years! She had keys from the old neighbour and let herself in when I first moved in to see "what changes I was making"! I had not been told she had a set. They also had no garden fence so that they could "pop in and out" errrr no fence up within the first month as she continued the tradition of popping in to be nosey! Couldn't stop her haranguing me on the doorstep when I got home from work or being in the garden if I was - so when I decided to move didn't put up a board did a one day pre market viewing and told her I was going three days before the removals van showed up! I wouldn't have told her then tbh but I feared she would be out chatting to the removal men to get my new address otherwise! Managed to duck off without passing that on with her face a picture at the window as I had not popped in to say goodbye Confused

Somethingveryrandom · 22/02/2018 17:26

Walk around naked

fairypuff · 22/02/2018 17:30

GrinYes, do what Somethingrandom said!!!!

MsMims · 22/02/2018 17:30

Take a photo of her looking in, then stick it in the window so she’s looking at herself.

Or put it on posters around the area saying ‘found stray - keeps looking in windows. Seems hungry’.

SmashedMug · 22/02/2018 17:30

Put a sign up inside that she'd only see looking in saying STOP LOOKING IN MY WINDOW YOU NOSY MOOSE.

falsepriest · 22/02/2018 17:37

Had much the same with an old boy living next door. We solved the problem by having some binoculars by the window. When he peered in or over the fence, we'd look back at him through the knockers. Worked a treat!

RiotAndAlarum · 22/02/2018 18:23

Get your "pet giraffe" to peer back at her!

Nosy neighbour
BackToThe90s · 22/02/2018 18:27

This is where naked housework comes in handy Grin

GrannyGrissle · 22/02/2018 19:28

I also have a lonely little old man neighbour who accosts me in the manner of a trap door spider. Wouldn't be so bad but he talks at me on and on, thinks nothing of trying to keep me chatting in the pouring rain laden down with shopping and a toddler in my arms for a good half hour and most of DD4s friends are terrified of him which is a problem as our garden is toddler party central come summer.
I've trained him now but it's taken time and i do bring him baking/cards DD has made for him as on the whole he is a decent chap just very lonely and you could have MUCH worse as neighbours.

DalekDalekDalek · 22/02/2018 19:45

Flash her once. She probably won't do it again!

EbonyJade · 22/02/2018 20:21

I have voile curtains up.

Talkingfrog · 22/02/2018 20:24

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be. We have vertical blinds up. I would have chosen them, but they were there when we moved in. They are actually great because we can leave them in a way that we can see out, but others can't see in, which feels safer when we are not there.

On the positive side, nosy neighbour could be seem as a one person neighbour hood watch/free security. Image what she would do if someone was acting suspiciously around your house.

agbnb · 22/02/2018 20:24

She had keys from the old neighbour and let herself in when I first moved in to see "what changes I was making"! I had not been told she had a set

!????

that is bonkers

strawberriesaregood · 22/02/2018 20:25

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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