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?
AIBU?
Neighbour bought a trampoline to look over our fence
LazyJayne · 11/10/2022 17:45
Am I being unreasonable?
AIBUYou have one vote. All votes are anonymous.
PoundShopPrincess · 11/10/2022 18:22
This happens all the time. Neighbours building higher fences. Other neighbours getting trampolines. Then someone gets a tree house. Before you know, you're taking flying lessons just to maintain that neighbourly spirit.
Lifeomars · 11/10/2022 18:49
unless you have planted the bamboo in tubs you may very well live to regret it. My ex-neighbour did this (not because I am in any way nosy nor in posession of a trampoline) and it took over their tiny back yard and invaded mine. They moved out and this year I had to have it professionally dug out as it was everywhere. It is an utter nightmare, it puts out runners that burrow many meters underground which then thrust up branches all over the place. It grew massive, invaded the guttering on my kitchen extension, blocked a lot of light and was a real headache. You'd be better with the highest fence you can get away with. As for the leaping lady next door, it sounds as if she could join a circus!
Starlyte · 12/10/2022 19:50
I get half the village peering into the garden, to see what's going on...
In the village I lived in before (as opposed to on the outskirts as now) our garden was low with a carpark above it... where some would stand watching us, on their way to the graveyard. It was very unerving, but as the house burnt down we got away.
Now it's only from a distance.
I live in a deserted part of the French mountains, where some villages had no road till 60 or 70 years ago. I won't go into the diversity genetic, obviously.
Long from towns there is nothing to do except talk about the other habitants, and me being a hermit, I am the weirdy
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