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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Viewing the neighbours differently after this?

193 replies

bmbonanza · 04/04/2020 12:38

Neighbours are a nice older couple. Friday afternoon they had a BBQ - two cars arrived. Today they have packed the dog in the car and left at 9am, presumably since they both went, with the dog, and are not back 4 hours later, its not an essential shopping trip so guessing they have done what the do most weekends and gone to visit their children and grandkids.

I always thought of them as 'nice people' - Am I being unreasonable to think I will view them differently at the end of all this.

OP posts:
bmbonanza · 04/04/2020 14:26

@brassbrass "How do you know they haven't had it already?"

I would doubt it as I see them with their dog most days, but even if they have the guidelines dont change so they are still flouting them.

OP posts:
Easilyanxious · 04/04/2020 14:28

People not following the rules does actually affect all of us though so can understand why people are annoyed if they know neighbours are having friends or bbqs etc.

byebyebeautiful · 04/04/2020 14:29

How about we all just make sure we are doing the right thing and forget about the people we can't control? You're all going to drive yourselves nuts carrying on like this!

Wehttam · 04/04/2020 14:30

Yep a lot of twatty neighbours showing their true colours. It’s shocking how carefree some people actually are how they always have a reason and excuse for breaking the rules. Tick tock.

PickwickThePlockingDodo · 04/04/2020 14:32

What if they drove somewhere so they could have a long nice walk with the dog while being away from people?

Well then they'd be even more stupid than originally assumed Hmm We have been told to exercise near where we live otherwise everyone does it and it turns into the Snowdonia fiasco all over again.

SimonJT · 04/04/2020 14:33

We have set up a rota so we all have an hour a day to use the courtyard.

I don’t know anyone acting in a silly manner and see very few people out and about despite living in London.

brassbrass · 04/04/2020 14:33

No you wouldn't know if they've already had it. You don't really know anything. We're not living under martial law. Though people like you would probably feel at home if we did 🙄

wheresmymojo · 04/04/2020 14:33

Back during ww2 the nazis had the neighbours spying on each other reporting back who was a jew, etc. Just saying...

What a stupid comparison.

Reporting someone for simply being from another religious background isn't in any way the same as reporting someone who is breaking laws in police to protect the whole of the public during the worst pandemic in 100 years.

Get a grip FFS.

You can tell which posters on here are more likely to be sticking to the rules...

Quickquestion2020 · 04/04/2020 14:35

Wonder what my neighbours thought seeing us pack a load of food and our dog into the car and leave for the day? We're taking food and medication to our parents at the other side of the country. Cant leave the dog alone all day. Maybe dont judge people by the small fraction that you see?

brassbrass · 04/04/2020 14:35

It's a slippery slope being a stasi informant on any level.

PyjamaLlama · 04/04/2020 14:37

**You can tell which posters on here are more likely to be sticking to the rules...

Completely agree

SimonJT · 04/04/2020 14:38

@Quickquestion2020 I drove to my boyfriends flat earlier and picked up his belongings in two big suitcases that his flatmate had packed. There’s probably an angry neighbour at his flat moaning about someone going on a holiday

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 04/04/2020 14:40

I was getting filthy looks from a couple walking their dog, this morning. They actually stopped and loitered, when they saw me go leave my drive with a dog and go to my neighbour’s door. She then followed me to the footpath and detached the dog from the extended lead I had the dog on and popped her into her van. They stood taking and shaking their heads. Only leaving when we both gave them a cheery wave. Grin

It looked like we were being irresponsible. What they didn’t know was that I was looking after the lady’s dog because she was in hospital for a couple of nights. The dog was given to me on an extended lead, which I removed and put my own lead on. The dog was immediately taken to the outside shower and bathed and I did the reverse before handing the dog back. At no time were we closer together than eight feet. Perception can give a totally different story.

RantyAnty · 04/04/2020 14:41

You have entirely too much time on your hands.

PainintheholeSIL · 04/04/2020 14:50

My neighbours have had multiple visitors every day. They go out together and individually every day. We live rurally and we can't help but see them pass our house. it's so annoying to see them carrying on as usual. I'll never look at them the same again.

TheDogsMother · 04/04/2020 14:51

Agreed, when four different families arrived from London to our very small village to live in their weekend homes for the duration. One of whom is a retired doctor who supposedly had the virus last week but we then passed earlier this week while we were walking the dog. Whose wife is out and about everyday going to the shops. Or the guy down the road who still has a cleaner and DIY guy visiting. Most people are just following the rules but those others I will look at very differently after this.

HughGrantsHair · 04/04/2020 14:57

Make sure you're absolutely right about your neighbours when judging them though. My mum has been moaned at for me "going in her house and spreading the virus" when in fact all I've done is take her shopping and prescriptions into her back garden and had a chat to her at a distance. Grin

TwoZeroTwoZero · 04/04/2020 15:02

I don't really notice the neighbours much tbh so no, I probably won't think or feel anything different about them after this is over.

LaLaLandIsNoFun · 04/04/2020 15:03

I’m too busy minding my own business

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 04/04/2020 15:03

The curtain twitchers need to move to a gated community somewhere, where they can peer out of the window and twitch away to their mean little hearts' content.

Absolutely pathetic, every single one. You're making this harder on everybody.

blackwych · 04/04/2020 15:08

I can hear my neighbours' grandchildren screaming and playing in my neighbours' garden. I haven't heard this all week, but I did hear it last weekend, so this is making me think that at least two household are mixing, if the grandkids are only there at weekends. It makes me despair. Don't people want lockdown to end?

PickwickThePlockingDodo · 04/04/2020 15:10

their mean little hearts' content

Mean little hearts? I think you'll find it's the the idiots disobeying the rules are the mean ones, killers in fact. Hmm

2015newstart · 04/04/2020 15:12

YANBU.

Our 60 year old neighbour told us she was isolating as she was worried (3 weeks ago). We get on quite well so offered help etc. Then saw her out and about. Then she told DH she felt unwell, had a cough etc. and was still going to clean for some of her elderly customers. Then we bumped into her out for a walk with a vulnerable neighbour when she should still have been self isolating (gave her a super wide berth), and she also went to one of her seniors social groups despite us trying to persuade her it wasn't a good idea with a cough (weekend before lockdown). And now she's on our local Facebook page trying to organise "socially distant meetups" as she's lonely (thank goodness most people have told her off).

We've offered several times to get her anything she needs, she knows loads of people and is part of a local church group so won't want for help. I'm trying not to judge as she must be lonely, but I used to really like her and I'm finding it hard to now. She has a lovely house, garden etc. so is physically comfortable for the duration and has it much easier than most.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 04/04/2020 15:12

Then perhaps DO something about it, Pickwick, what's the point railing on here? What good does that ever do?

I'm complying as are my family, it's hard. I don't see the point in making it harder still. This board used to be a pleasure and now it's just a morass of meanness.

The complainers who do nothing have no more moral high ground however much they back-pat each other.

Wehttam · 04/04/2020 15:13

Lyingwitch what absolute idiocy you just spewed there.