Neighbour bought steps to look over our backyard!

[Eleoura]

We are doing up an old house, having an extension built. Diggers, mud and mess in the backyard. I've met the neighbour a few times and seemed friendly enough. I've noticed her peering over the fence more often, and on chatting, she has bought a set of steps to specifically look over!!!! I thought she was joking, but no. She could equally look far more discretely from an upstairs room. AIBU that this is odd?

Did she say why she's done that and what she's looking for? It is weird!

So you asked her and she confirmed it?
If you're having heavy work done, she's perhaps concerned about the disruption though presumably you've kept her up to speed with when that's likely to occur and for how long.

The freak! God love her, she must not have a lot going on in her life

A bit odd, but she may still be lovely, just a bit bored and interested?

Did you ask her why? It's defo weird unless she has reason to be concerned about damage or noise or something else?

I do think she is just interested in what is going on, and her and her DH do seem friendly. Yes, I have advised them when we have expected noisy work and they know about our extension plans. Just odd that she showed me the steps and pointed them out specifically

Just say it straight to her and ask if she wants to have a nosey, she’ll be welcome once the work has been done, but it’s unsafe to do so now.
I suspect she’ll be completely embarrassed she’s been caught out.
It’s exactly what mil did to both her neighbours, only it was making a hole in a fence to spy through. (Her fence). She was so embarrassed when I said if she was that interested in the neighbours, let’s go round and knock on their door and ask them straight out for a tour of their home. She never ever did it again.
I did have fix the panels though.

My neighbours built a tall deck right up against my fence and used to stand on it staring into my garden. I told them I was very boring and they would be really disappointed! I haven’t seen them use it since😊

I think it's quite funny. Nothing to get worked up about

Send over a pair of binoculars to help her see more clearly.

She sounds like a total sponge cake!

I imagine she's having you on 🤣 probably has the steps to reach things in the garden!

Those steps would mysteriously vanish in the middle of the night if I lived next door 🤣

Definitely weird behaviour, think this might be your first warning, could possibly flip the house after the work is done rather than living in it, if it keeps getting weirder.

Give her a wave every time you see her! Thank her for her vigilance

Ours waters the patio (!) in front of our house so she can have a good look through the window. Watches us in our back garden from an upstairs window (not her bedroom). Keeps tabs on every neighbour and pounces to talk at you at any given opportunity (no one can get a word in). Nowt as queer as folk.

Hmm... I'm being charitable but I suppose watching heavy machinery can be mildly interesting.

I would give her something to look at! Nude sunbathing? Over exaggerated snogs with DH etc

We need a diagram OP!

Get her a periscope

1. Get a hose.
2. Spray her in the face.
3. Repeat as necessary.