Whistling Neighbour

[HettySunshine]

Obviously not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, however, please allow me to vent!

The close where I lie is a lovely old hodge podge of houses all facing in different directions, our front garden faces the side of our across the road neighbour's back garden and mine & DH's bedroom and dd2's bedroom are at the front the house.

The couple across the road have lived there since they got married about 50 years ago and as they're on the corner seem themselves as the gatekeepers of the close, they talk to everyone who comes into the close and comment on all visitor's roadside parking, state of people's gardens, children, habits etc etc.

None of this bothers me too much, they're not unpleasant and give us veggies from their garden everyone now and again.

But OH MY GOD the man whistles ALL THE TIME when he's outside. Last night it was until passed 10.30pm and he started before 7am this morning. It causes havoc with dd2's bedtime and woke her (and me!) up this morning. It echos round the close and is so loud!

WWYD? We've not been here long but we love our perfectly imperfect house and don't want to upset anyone.

Omg this is my worst nightmare. Ever since sharing an office with a guy who whistled (beautifully..) fucking constantly the sound stresses me out!

I'd have a calm polite chat with him and explain it's disturbing your daughters sleep and could he please try to stop doing it outside. He'll not realise he's doing it though so may require some gentle nudging to remember.

I feel for you OP. I don’t have the same problem but I understand how annoying it is because my FiL also does this - constant tuneless whistling pretty much from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep, except when he’s eating or talking. And it’s so piercing - you can’t tune it out like some other sounds. As you say it echoes.

I don’t actually understand the mentality behind making such pointless, thoughtless noise all the time, but that’s beside the point.

I think you have to say something. Perhaps a polite note through the door, saying ‘you may not be aware, but...’ I think maybe whistling is a kind of absent minded tic and often the whistler doesn’t realise how unpleasant it is for others.

Random whistling gives me the RAGE. He'd be under the patio by now.

Good luck with that conversation.

I absolutely detest whistling, it irrationally gives me the rage, it's like nails down a blackboard to me. I feel for you OP but don't know what the solution is.

I had this in a place I lived. Grandad next door out in his garden warble whilslting from 7am. Not proper tunes, just snatches of notes put together randomly. Maddening.
One morning after a big night out, probably still a bit worse for wear, stuck my head out the window and shouted "would you shut the fuck up!" Not my finest moment, even worse when I saw he had his 2 grandkids with him. I apologised later...

He'd be under the patio by now.

My first thought but didn't want to be blunt 😂

I was going to advise just exactly what Belle did.

I had no idea how piercing this could be until I had an office colleague do similar. I feel like stabbing someone when I hear similar in shops etc, it's a horrid constant noise to try and tune out, I have to get away from it!!!

I would speak to him and sod the burned bridge , frankly. Your other neighbors will feel the same probably!

OMG completely agree with everyone else - it is dreadful when someone is whistling. Could you not enlist a few other neighbours to jokingly but firmly get him to stop it?

Oh we had a whistler in work as well. I just stood up and said "who is whistling?" Everytime. And I glared. It soon stopped. No need in the workplace. Zero tolerance.

Maybe he does it unconsciously or it's a nervous habit. As you say you have not been there that long they maybe have a chat with him.

I absolutely hate whistling. I’d probably move...

I miss a good whistler. It is a dying art.

Does he do requests?
"hey Bert! Do you know any Eminen?"

bellende I love this! I can just envisage it!

Try this - if you can hear him, he can hear you, right? So play some music over and over and over again and then when he comes across to ask you to stop say, oh, I'm so sorry I've disturbed you but I had to drown out someone's really annoying constant whistling it was driving us all mad... simply don't even let him suspect that you know it was him, butter wouldn't melt in your mouth.

Yabu. If thats your biggest problem then lucky you.

I'm probably biased though because my Dad was a whistler and I'd give anything to hear it again....

Whistling is one of my pet peeves. The sound of it really grates on me. I don't know why. I feel for you.

It's interesting that it's almost always men who do this. Just you know making their presence felt. You should definitely talk to him. Otherwise you will end up snapping and that would be worse!

OMG, this has brought back memories of the cul-de-sac I lived on as a child - one of our neighbours was a whistler, and I remember well waking up to his tuneless whistling. It was strangely comforting.

It's like cockerels - I don't mind the noise at all.

I would ask him to only whistle during hours that aren't anti-social.

Or I might just move because I hate whistling.

I understand OP. My DP is a whistler (he's actually very good at it - professional musician), and he doesn't realise he's doing it most of the time. He too has been in the garden, watering the plants or something at 6.30 am, whistling his head off, and when I tell him, he looks really surprised.
You can either have a conversation with him, or do what onalong said.

I hate whistling, I think people that do it are oblivious and slightly stupid. There was s guy in our street used to always whistle and there was no need for it. A guy in our office is always singing, talking in daft voices or whistling.... I have told him ‘x sing or whatever but quit the whistling!’

He won’t even realise he is doing it 😂