To sit here? Diagram!

[BenchLife]

I live in a row of cottages along a public footpath. It's in a very rural area. We do not have back gardens (there is a field to the back of the houses but it's for livestock for the farm up the road).

All of us along the row have benches outside our front doors. The footpath is about 3.5m wide.

When the weather has been nice I've been sitting reading on our bench. There aren't huge numbers of people who use the footpath and there is enough room for us to keep away from each other if people walk down.

Today a woman muttered to me as she walked past that I shouldn't be sitting on the footpath as it wasn't my garden and I was breaking lockdown rules.

AIBU?

If there's room and, in light of the fact you've supplied a diagram *(although you've lost points for not colouring in the flower beds in coloured pencil) and you don't have gardens... yeah i think it's reasonable.

It isn't like you are sprawled out sunbathing in the middle of the path!

Damn, I was going to draw some flowers but thought it may have been overkill. Wanted to keep it professional

I think you should sprawl out sunbathing in the middle of the path

OMG. How dare you actually open your own front door. I bet you think milk and bread are essential too, don't you?

Yes, totally reasonable. You should have asked her where she had come from and whether her walk was within the rules. Then told her to fuck off.

Today a woman muttered to me as she walked past that I shouldn't be sitting on the footpath as it wasn't my garden and I was breaking lockdown rules.
I'd have jumped up and followed the fucker (at over 2 metres distance obvs) see how she liked that as an alternative.

What @Shoppingwithmother said, fuck off

Okay phew! I was worried I'd been unconsciously rebelling against the rules and hadn't realised!

So it's ok for her to walk on it but not for you to sit on it? Tell her to go take a running jump.

I bet you think milk and bread are essential too, don't you?

I even got a bar of chocolate on my last shop run runs and hides

She's a selfish woman that walker

Did you tell her you were sitting outside YOUR OWN HOUSE!

Yes, that's when she said it wasn't my garden

If you really wanted to stop the comments, sit in the open front door with legs on outside. Not quite the same, though.

Topless sunbathe tomorrow, really boil her piss....

Yanbu

She is another one of those people out walking annoyed that other people are also out. Her being out takes priority over you being out, obvs. I bet you also breathed the air, didn't you, you vile being? 😀

On a wide, quiet footpath, in a quiet area, this isn't an issue. The fresh air will be doing you good.

Everything we can safely do to make an intolerable situation tolerable is absolutely fine.
The woman's a twat.

You should have been eating crisps! She wouldn’t have said a word otherwise.

I'd be tempted to measure two metres and mark it out with a line on the ground for her info!

Buried deep in the advice for vulnerable people is to sit on the door step to get some air if they be no garden as long as they stay distancing.

We have the same situation, except it's deemed 'communal area' despite each house having their own bit..my neighbour went apeshit at me on Sunday for sitting out there. I'm self isolating, practically shielding due to my underlying issues. No one is taking more care than me. Trust me - no one needed to come within 3 meters if me, let alone 2 and other than her coming out to shout, there wasn't another person there all day. So now I need to either stay in or be prepared for a barney with her 😢

I think you should have some cocktails and a picnic tomorrow and cheers to the corona police lady if she walks past

Maggie has a good idea. Every cottage should chalk out a 2 metre space outside their door and call it their front garden. After all, if you can't sit outside, they can't come within 2 metres of you standing in your doorway either.

You can do the same, BestOption. Chalk out a 2 m x 2 m square that no-one is allowed to enter. Quote the Vitamin D advice at her.

@Benchlife and @BestOption neither of you ABU. The obnoxious outside space police are. You need fresh air and if you can get that sitting outside your house then do so and ignore them. Actually, tell them to fuck off and enjoy the loom of outrage whe you do it.