CF Stole my hedge

[12FreeRangeEggs]

We live in a naice part of London which thinks it’s the countryside but is actually just a green suburb. To the side and front of my property is our hedge. It’s a mix hedge; Holly, Ivy and other trees. Our Holly has been very good this autumn and we have lots of red berries. I make a door wreath for my front door each Christmas, and I usually forage from my own hedge to make my wreath. So far this year I haven’t gotten around to it but was hoping to make my wreath this weekend.

Well, I returned this afternoon and there was a lady stood on my driveway with a large blue IKEA bag in one hand and a pair of pruners in the other, helping herself to my holly.

I politely challenged her, but she didn’t seem to think that she was doing anything wrong helping herself to my Holly in my hedge. Infact when I protested that I was going to make my own wreath with my own Holly she told me she had a business making Christmas wreaths and usually only made 10 a season despite huge demand because she simply doesn’t have the time but was willing to make a professional wreath for me using my own Holly and charge me £85. I, less politely this time, declined her offer for a professional wreath and asked for my Holly back. She refused and accused me of being bitter and uncharitable.

Name 'n' Shame on here? Or leave a (very poor) review on her instagram and let all her customers know what she does.
I'm kind of admiring her sheer brass neck but would be raging in your position OP.

😂

OP is this a real story? The latest development is too good 😂

I'd definitely leave her reviews on loads of her posts saying she uses stolen material from people's gardens. That would put a lot of people off and I wouldn't buy a wreath if I knew the maker did that, no matter how cheap it was (which it isn't, in this case).

I'd be telling her to return your holly or you will be informing her clients that the wreaths are made using stolen materials.

She'll likely block you but you can use your teen's account to do it, if necessary.

CF's never expect to be challenged, do they?!

I reckon it’s this one. Will be interested to see if OP’s DD found the same or whether there are other pisstakers charging £85 for a bit of bush.

OP, even thought it would be illegal, I would be tempted to search her business name on companies house to see if I could find where she lived, then go with pliars helping myself to her garden plants....you know...since we're sharing and everything!

Ooh, I am getting flashbacks to my old front garden, I had a Rosemary bush that anyone in the street could take from, gave peonies for the wedding of a neighbour's daughter and lavender could be taken by any of my mates. However, one morning I was just walking down to the station when I noticed a dog walker hovering... at this point I had a lot of oriental poppies in the front because the garden had been dug over and the went for it.

Anyway, I walked round the corner and thought... he is going to nick something from the garden, so I walked back and, lo and behold he was snapping off all the poppy head... I yelled so loudly at him, Phyllis at no.20 came out in her nightie! I removed my property and told him, if he asked he could have had them but as he had stolen them, I wanted them back right now! Amazingly, he never walked his dog up the street again... and I shared the seed heads with Phyll and her sister Sheila.

So yes, she was an absolute CF!

I would comment on one of her post ‘ hope you’re enjoying the stolen Holly from our bush’
If you share her profile we can all comment
CF indeed 😁

Charitable? Is she (a woman running an actual for-profit business) calling herself a charity? Was the £85 going to a cause that wasn’t just lining her own pocket or did she fail to mention it. Absolute CF.

Blackheath or Dulwich Village posssibly.

Is this Sheen common? She's a tea leaf.

Oh yes, @12FreeRangeEggs Please!

^^

Oooh nasty Narcissist with your shaming….

She wasn’t driving she was walking.

Would rather not say which part of London I live in.

DD was with me and whilst I have been on MN DD did a bit of online Agatha Christie-ing.

So the Holly thief runs a wreath making workshop from her kitchen table. No idea of dates but wondering whether she has one on this weekend??? Tempted to email an enquiry to see whether she has any spare places on one of her courses and just turn up. I haven’t made my own wreath yet after all…

Found the tea leaf! ⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️ The Holly thief.

If there was plenty of holly left I'm not sure I could muster up much of shit about a few sprigs of holly.

This makes me twice glad that the birds have usually stripped the holly tree bare by the end of November 😅

You could book a place on her wreath making course 😊i wouldn't be brave enough but it would be a truly lovely revenge.

I was thinking Lewisham

Don't let this go op. She intends selling stolen goods to innocent customers... Or stake out your bush with a super soaker.. Put food colouring in the water..

OP said: We live in a naice part of London which thinks it’s the countryside but is actually just a green suburb. This doesn't describe any part of Lewisham, not even Blackheath. Must be somewhere on the outskirts, surely.

No part of London naice or otherwise thinks it's the countryside.

What an utter brass neck she had. I would have wanted to push her into the holly bush and stab her with the secateurs. She could have at least had the good grace to scuttle off looking furtive and ashamed. To front it out and suggest you buy one her wreaths made with hour holly is staggering. I hope you track her down and bring shame on her

everywhere outside the m25 is Scotland isn’t it?

WTAF?

A sad, seasonal warning. We have several very large, fruiting holly trees. Every year without fail chancers knock, claiming to be looking for donations for local churches. Which of course they’re not, they’re flogging it at boot sales and “farmers’ “ markets. Don’t be fooled.