To not throw ball back from communal garden

[MardyGarden]

I have a garden. Surrounding it is a large communal garden which is rarely used. On the other side of the communal garden are other people's large private gardens.

I am working from home, I am never usually here in the weekday. Upset about the lockdown but following the rules - I haven't opened my front door since I got back from a medical appointment on Saturday, am eating weird combos of cupboard food until I absolutely must shop again, etc etc.

A family from the other side of the communal garden, who have their own large garden, have decided to make full use of the communal one. I think this is a bit silly because other people will follow suit and stop thinking the rules apply to them, but I try not to get too het up about it. The mum also has an ongoing cough that I can hear through my closed windows.

I try to ignore and get on with working from home - I have no intention of going out until I need to, I am not using the communal garden so it's no skin off my nose, and I don't want to be arguing, it's a tense time for everyone. I sympathise, it's difficult to keep kids indoors in this beautiful weather (though am about why they can't use their own garden, like every time I've seen them outside at weekends etc).

The kids are shouting and playing over the last two days, I block it out. Until... they kick a ball which goes over my 6ft fence and thuds against my window. The kid somehow climbs up and looks over my fence but scarpers when he sees me.

A few hours later my bell rings. I ignore as I'm not expecting anyone. It rings again and I answer (on the phone) - it's the mum asking if I can throw the ball over. I say "no, because of this whole coronavirus thing", and she tells me to just wash my hands after. This annoys me so I say they shouldn't be playing for hours in the communal garden anyway, playgrounds around here are shut on the same principle... She says OK and goes.

I am now thinking she'll send her husband over to shout at me later

Ordinarily I would have just chucked the ball back as soon as I saw it in my garden, but I don't know if I'm extra grouchy having to stay in while people all around me seem to be looking for loopholes. I'm not scared of germs, if I get the virus I get it, but it's the principle. I'm torn between a) just throw it back and stop being sour and b) maybe this is a lesson in community responsibility...

So, aibu to not throw the ball back? They'll probably climb into my garden to get it...

You're allowed out you know. You just have to keep it to a minimum and keep a sensible distance away from people. It really won't kill you to throw the ball back.

You should have told her you are working from home and will throw balls back at the weekend.

Shame if it had a puncture...

I know I'm allowed out, I just have no reason to right now. I have no essential journeys to make.

Maybe yes my day off is an option!

It’s fine not to throw the ball back but equally you’re being a bit OTT. Why shouldn’t they use the communal garden if there’s no one else there?

I thought you were going to say the ball kept coming repeatedly into your garden. Throwing a ball back once is HIGHLY unlikely to give you Covid 19. You're just behaving like one of those cranky odd people that other people can't understand.

Wow. How mean of you.

How mean of you.

Just throw it back.

Do you have a spade or something, you could pick it up and lob it back over with that so you don't need to touch it?

Throw back the ball and get ready to do it lots and lots in the coming weeks and months. It's great to hear the kids are playing and being active instead of wasting their lives on screens. This period will feel like a lifetime to children so don't be so mean.

I would probably just throw the ball back, but I understand why you don’t want to do it. I think they said 3 days on plastic. Maybe throw it back in 3 days?

Gosh these are your neighbours? i hope you never need their help. Just throw the ball back, and if it keeps happening just do it once a day or every other day.

"You're just behaving like one of those cranky odd people that other people can't understand."

Yes, which is why I was torn between thinking I'm being sour...

I am not concerned about catching coronavirus from this. I had to go to work on packed trains until recently, if I were going to catch it it would have been there. I am annoyed about a woman with a cough thinking the rules about isolation if you have a symptoms don't apply to her, and choosing to use a communal garden instead of their own perfectly good one, when that increases the chances of households mixing, against the instructions.

I will probably throw it back. An afternoon is enough penance.

I'm not using a spade if I chuck it back I'll use my hands

If you don't want to touch it pick it up with a spade and throw it over. Only do it after tea if you don't want to keep doing it all day long

Our neighbour is tying themselves in knots and hasn't used their garden since we told them we were self isolating due to some symptoms. She was really worried about kids toys that had gone over the fence and been thrown back. A shame, the weather is so nice.

These neighbours have been selfish in other ways so I'll never be calling on them for help, but that's irrelevant to the thread. When their toys have ended up in my garden before I've thrown them back no question.

Ha. If it kept happening. I would explain that I'm not chucking it back

And they shouldn't really be using the communal garden

It's only outside if necessary and once a day for the shortest amount of time. As per the rules. They can use their own garden

They think the rules don't apply to them.

I have no essential journeys to make.

Daily exercise in the fresh air?

Lighten up!

It's only outside if necessary and once a day for the shortest amount of time.

Where does it say that? Boris has said once a day, not for a specific time.

Yes Rollercoaster. I'm not germ phobic at all (but understand that this is not just 'germs') but it must be difficult for people who get anxious about these things. This whole situation sucks and I don't want it to be extended any more if we can avoid it, so I don't understand why people aren't sticking to the simple rules.

I guess the ball is by the by, I'm more annoyed about the needless communal garden use with a cough, so on balance IABU.

"Daily exercise in the fresh air?"
I didn't do that pre lockdown... I can get fresh air in my garden and I routinely exercise indoors in my home.

Don't be that neighbour, just throw it back and wash your hands.