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AIBU?

Neighbour bought a trampoline to look over our fence

301 replies

LazyJayne · 11/10/2022 17:45

Have had issues with overly friendly neighbour since we moved in. The original divider between our back gardens was a low hedge, and she would come out and talk to us every single time we were out in the garden. And boy, can she talk. She also used to lift her DC over the hedge without asking to play with our DC (who is years older and not interested).

Eventually, we put up a 6ft fence on our side of the hedge. I’d tried to warm her up to the idea of this beforehand by saying we were thinking of getting a dog and needed a fence to keep it in.

When we put up the fence she initially made few jokey comments about how it was harder to talk to us now, but she solved this problem by placing a step on her side and continued to pop up whenever we were out in garden.

My husband then planted bamboo along the fence which shot up over the summer and is now about 8ft.

Last month, we saw from our bedroom window that a large trampoline had appeared in her garden. We assumed it was for her DC and thought nothing of it. However, they don’t use it, she does.

When I was out in the garden a few weeks ago, up she popped over the top of the bamboo, laughing hysterically, and shouting ‘see what I’ve had to resort to! hahaha!’ I said something along the lines of ‘oh yes haha, is that a trampoline for X’ and she said it was originally but he wasn’t interested so she’s going to use it for exercise instead.

So far all her exercises have coincided with us being out in the garden.

We’re now back at square one and whenever we’re out she appears over the bamboo, laughing and shouting.

My husband is very non confrontational and says the bamboo will keep growing and eventually she won’t be able to see over it, but I think this will take year as she must be hitting the 20ft mark at full jump height. We would also start losing light if we let it get that high.

WIBU to tell her directly to give us some privacy? Is there a gentle way to do it that won’t hurt her feelings that we’re missing?

OP posts:

Am I being unreasonable?

AIBU

You have one vote. All votes are anonymous.

bringincrazyback · 11/10/2022 23:08

Hallmark1234 · 11/10/2022 18:05

I'm reminded of the programme 'One foot in the Grave', where Victor Meldrew's neighbour Mr. Swainey used to swing open a fence panel to chat to him!!

Be thankful your DN hasn't thought of doing that (yet)!

That's exactly what I was thinking of! And when Victor blocked it off he just made a new opening further down! 😂

I really want this to be real because it's cracking me up. 😂

lborgia · 11/10/2022 23:15

Not all bamboo is a nightmare, we’ve inherited some that has stayed in it’s patch for 20 years without encroaching…but hope you got the right stuff.

I don’t think you can say anything, it will never be comfortable again. I now live next to a neighbour who had an absolutely hissy when we asked her very politely about builders/concreting over her huge garden, and we will never get back to civil by the looks of it.

I’d carry on with all the passagg ideas, including headphones, and just ignoring.

Boopeedoop · 11/10/2022 23:59

What about a triangular sun shade that you can angle for privacy?

Cancersurvivor · 12/10/2022 00:02

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Quackpot · 12/10/2022 00:12

You could start saying "pardon" "sorry cant hear you" "I must get a hearing test" etc, so she thinks you're going deaf. Then you can ignore her totally cause she'll just think you can't hear her, and all you have to do is make an effort not to look in her direction. You avoid an awkward conversation and if you "can't hear her" she will probably stop popping up.

Rogue1001MNer · 12/10/2022 00:19

Wait til it gets icy.

She'll be like bambi

Wetblanket78 · 12/10/2022 00:22

That's weird it's a bit stalkerish. She will probably just hang out of a bedroom window once she can't see over. 🙈🙈🙈

BEAM123 · 12/10/2022 00:23

Gf and I have just spent 15 minutes literally crying with laughter at this 🤣😂
Hilarious image, and comments. And now we are desperately trying to unimagine the naked trampolining man...😂

Wetblanket78 · 12/10/2022 00:24

I thought it was just me.😂😂😂

Dishh · 12/10/2022 00:30

She's had children? And now she's jumping on a trampoline to great heights? I'm just thinking about her pelvic floor. If I tried anything like that, everything would just fall out.

missmamiecuddleduck · 12/10/2022 00:32

Real or not, it makes for a comical image.
Probably how many comedy skits come about.

You can spray her with the hose each time her head pops up over the fence.

Candymay · 12/10/2022 00:33

When she bounces 20ft high she stops and hovers just enough to have a quick chat and then she tucks her knees in and goes back down and then comes up again in a sort of a star jump whilst hovering again and smiles and laughs warmly am I picturing this correctly? You’d think she would come and chat at the front door wouldn’t you?

aboutanidiot · 12/10/2022 00:37

jetadore · 11/10/2022 17:50

Hilarious, sorry not helpful but the thought of you and your neighbour in a bizarre fencing/jumping arms race is cracking me up. What next, stilts?

😂

AlternativelyWired · 12/10/2022 00:42

Is her name Tigger?

MysteryBelle · 12/10/2022 01:40

Dreadful. This is what I would do. Put to work. As soon as she pops her head up, don’t ask but tell her she must help you with some awful task, and how glad you are to see her. You must have something very terrible to suggest (so it doesn’t backfire on you). Do this every time.

I bet she will never bother you again! This works to get rid of just about anybody pushing themselves on you.

ImustLearn2Cook · 12/10/2022 02:11

LazyJayne · 11/10/2022 18:01

To clarify, we don’t dislike this woman, we think she’s funny and bubbly and enjoy saying hello and having a quick chat in the FRONT garden. We just want to enjoy the back garden as a family.

Just say something to her like what you have said here.

“We like you, we think you are funny and bubbly but sometimes we just want to enjoy the back garden as a family. You understand, yes?”

MsBucket · 12/10/2022 02:58

Sounds of these comments are hilarious. Hope you can break the news to her quite gently because she seems like a bubbly person who just wants to have a chat.

MsBucket · 12/10/2022 03:26

Some*

Herejustforthisone · 12/10/2022 04:44

The image of this woman bouncing and shouting and hitting 20ft, while the despairing OP is soothed about rates of bamboo growth by the passive husband, is marvellous.

onlythreenow · 12/10/2022 04:46

Not all bamboo is a nightmare, we’ve inherited some that has stayed in it’s patch for 20 years without encroaching…but hope you got the right stuff.

My ex neighbours probably thought the same about the stuff on their side of the fence, but it definitely encroached on my back yard!

MK85 · 12/10/2022 05:01

Your neighbour sounds like a right weirdo

RIPQueen · 12/10/2022 06:38

EmmaH2022 · 11/10/2022 21:14

But OP says the lady goes to exercise on the trampoline when OP is in her garden. You're going to say it's a coincidence every time?

It’s just confirmation bias. OP is looking for her to be doing this so notices it only when she does. She’s probably out there more but OP doesn’t realise because 1) she’s not there or 2) or doesn’t fit her narrative

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 12/10/2022 07:33

katepilar · 11/10/2022 19:50

Is this ment to be a joke that I dont understand? Can you explain?

Yes, it was just meant to be a joke.

It related to the escalation of the defensive barrier. that OP was having to do.

To be fair the Berlin Wall cut out all the lower level stuff and went straight to concrete.

icelollycraving · 12/10/2022 07:38

Anyone else now getting ads for trampolines on the thread 😁

ZorbaTheHoarder · 12/10/2022 07:53

Does she also happen to have a dog, OP?

Neighbour bought a trampoline to look over our fence
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