To wonder why people seem to forget that if they're sitting talking in their gardens, WE CAN HEAR YOU!

[Eeepsh]

I'm sitting open mouthed listening to the personal details of the life of our next-door but one neighbour. Does she think no-one else might be sitting in their gardens on this gorgeous sunny day.

And yesterday, I was waiting in the car with the windows open waiting to pick up DS1, and had to endure a racist rant from the man in the garden of a nearby house.

incredible!

Two houses down? Presumably wouldn't expect YOU to hear them. Indeed unless they were shouting I wouldn't expect to hear them

Got a problem? Stick music on/headphones in rather than trying to police what private conversations people have on their private property

My next door neighbours shout. He's deaf and shouts what??.until his wife is shouting too. It's painful. It's usually utterly inane and goes on for hours. Earbuds are essential.

you have a racist neighbour?

The Houses are terraced so close together. I'm not bothered about hearing them, just amazed that they are having such a personal conversation where others could hear them.

No, I was parked in a street in a different area waiting to pick DS up

They're probably just forget 🤷‍♂️

Slightly different but sitting in a train carriage - the man opposite from me as blurting out what I am fairly sure was company confidential information. I suspect he just thought I was a woman of a certain age & therefore had no experience in business but I almost said to him as I left the train - lovely to know what your company's projected 2Q earnings are & names of prospective customers - you my want to keep that quieter in future. 😏

Well are you going to tell us what they were saying then

But why should they care if someone can hear them? Unless they are confessing to a crime or something 😀

talking at normal volume presumably could even be heard if so close?

I don't know why you sound so shocked?

There are racists everywhere unfortunately, the chances are we all have at least one racist neighbour.

shocked? no

curious? yes

Ooooh. What have they done that you weren't meant to hear?

You're lucky, i can't hear any gossip where I am. I've even tried holding a glass up against the fence. No joy, unfortunately.😐

Our neighbours have a cigarette late at night and seem to forget that windows are open in summer and they talk at a normal voice! It is sometimes 2am and as silent as the grave apart from their booming voices. Wakes me up every time. Fortunately my children sleep through it. Last time it happened (about a week ago) I popped my head out of the window and shhhed them 😂 they are lovely neighbours so it's something I have to just put up with.

Next door but one? You must have been straining to hear unless they were shouting? Are you sure it was your neighbour, could they have had people over that didn’t realise how close by the neighbours are?

Especially funny if they're sat in a hot tub yelling at each other over the noise of the motor.

I'm cringing more at the fact you're obviously listening in on other people's conversations. I'd apply the "not my circus, not my monkeys" adage and move on with my life determined to reserve my nose for my business only.

You only attend to your own business as a matter of principle but here you are cringing on behalf of the op's behaviour??

Even though op didn't say she had a racist neighbour?

Years ago at our old house, I used to automatically open the double doors to the garden if I was home on a nice day. I liked the connection to the garden and meant I could see and hear the kids if they went out there.

One day my closest neighbour told me I should be aware she could hear everything. I was mortified but didn't dare ask her what she heard. I presume a row with my DH, but I cringed trying to think what it could have been about.

It made me more circumspect about the content of what I say when I know the neighbours are about.

Especially if there is no noise coming from the ppl in the garden doing the 'listening in'.

I love overhearing conversations accidentally or maybe not so accidentally

Our garden has a tall wall so people walking past don't know we're quietly sitting outside.

A guy just walked past and did a massive fart. Lovely.

Once, on a very packed train coming home from London with a friend, standing room only, we had a loud, detailed conversation about swinging, his wife, me, my husband.

We were both single actually and just mates. It was so funny watching the carriage go quiet near us, then a bit further away until the while carriage was silent and just earwigging our completely made up story.

I still giggle about it now and that was about 20yrs ago!