To be annoyed about her collecting the stones?

[forestblade]

I thought there was an unwritten rule that if you found a stone someone had painted you would pick it up and hide it somewhere else for someone else to find on their walk etc.

My SM now has a collection of painted stones she's found and leaves on her doorstep. I was round the other day and noticed the collection had grown somewhat and was quite surprised and then annoyed. She doesn't paint stones and leave them for others herself, just collects everyone elses!

AIBU??

I'm willing to bet that if someone she actually liked had a collection of painted stones on their doorstep, OP would be telling them how lovely it was to see them there. Only a SM/MiL/SiL gets this kind of response.

Until this thread I didn’t even know this was a thing - the pictures of the painted stones some of the PPs have done are lovely and I’d be taking those home to put in my garden! Will now have to start looking for them on my dog walks.

Hate this twee crap and am grateful to your SM for taking them.

I hate it when people arrogantly feel the need to 'decorate' places that are already beautiful. I don't want to see your shit handpainted naff stones. It screams 'I don't know how to behave in the countryside'.

I also don't want to see your stupid piles of pebbles either.

I live in a village with houses and walls, and a school, the children seem to like the ones I drop?

We're country, but still urban

I don't think it's a massive deal, although I have a friend who paints stones for her child who died. The thought of one of those ending up on a random doorstep is a bit strange but I'm sure she's aware it's a possibility.

It's a bit of harmless fun that only Mumsnet could find vitriol for. You can keep or hide them again. I tell my kids if they want to take one they need to paint and hide a new one.

I think they look awful in the natural environment, lovely muted scenery interrupted by garish colours like a crisp packet. If people take them home so much the better - it’s litter picking.

You were “aghast”?

God help you if you were ever faced with a real problem.

perhaps you should just ‘find’ them and hide them all again if it bothers you ?

I would find this annoying too OP, because I am on a group and me and my DC paint stones and hide them, with a message to post and re-hide. I can count on one hand the number that have been posted, and my DC now have no interest in joining in because the game doesn’t carry on. It was a good activity to keep them busy and get them outside, so it is a bit annoying.

In lockdown our town (like every other town!) had a rocksnake that people added to on their 1hr of freedom, people started taking rocks out of it and the self appointed organisers went absolutely berserk. They set up a "name and shame" wildlife cam and put photos of children who "stole" from the rock snake on the local Facebook group.
Eventually they got so upset about it that they bought a load of concrete and set them in it so people couldn't steal them. 4 years down the line the paint has rubbed away (into micro plastics) and it's a bizarre rumble strip down the edge of a path through a nature reserve.

It's a strange memorial to the collective madness that we all went through that year.

I remember at the time thinking that covid relics were going to quickly become very creepy, like when you see old cold war era signs. That's exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of. Brrrr.

In lockdown our town also had a little painted display of rainbow rocks in the woods that all the local kids added to with a rock with their own name on. It was cute when they couldn't see each other. One day it just vanished and I always assumed some busybody had taken it for "safekeeping" or something in their own garden. DS was pretty miffed, but tbh he was four.

If they are on her front step the can be found and taken home

There is also Moo's Rocks

A local(ish) little girl paints them then goes to various places to hide her rocks

One Halloween night I was left one with a pumpkin painted on it. Apparently they left them on displays they appreciated.

I hadn't heard of this rule.
I wouldn't get worked up about it,let alone be aghast!

I thought it was just me being all grouchy and seeing painted rocks as theft/graffiti/litter.

I think it’s a very sweet thing to do, I thought you could keep or relocate. I have seen two but just left them as thought for kids. DS GF found a knitted angel with a happy Christmas please keep me msg on. A local church had put a few round town, she loved that and kept it.

OMG isn't there enough tat in the world?

If you are aghast by this how do you react to stuff that actually matters?

I found a couple in a little park the other day. I had no idea what they were for until a little girl told me she was going to hide it for someone else to find. And I do follow fb groups. Being aghast is a bit much and paying it forward doesn’t mean just shoving a stone on a bench for someone to spot.

The unwritten rules must be regional going by some of the replies.

I shall let her off and leave her to enjoy the painted stones on her doorstep.

Were you really struck with terror, amazement, and horror over a rock? Are you ok hun?

gosh what a lot of feelings about painted stones.

Me too. Nature, including rocks, is fine the way it is. Rock piles I’m not bothered about, it’s a bit like sand castles, they get washed away. But micro plastics, no thanks.

Doesn't matter whether she follows the group or not. It's YOU who has misunderstood the rule. You can keep or rehide. If they bring her happiness, surely they're done exactly what they're meant to.