To be fuming with my neighbours

[Wherestheinstructions]

This afternoon I’ve overheard my neighbours slagging me off, and I’m f&£*ing fuming about it.
a bit of context… we live rurally but in a barn conversion so they are attached to me.

they are older with no children (well adult children), I am younger with primary aged children. We are inconvenienced daily by noise from their house, the drone of their dryer that’s on all the time, dogs barking, loud music (this can be into the early hours), banging from the cleaners, building work in the house or garden.
It disturbs us (especially when I’m on nights and trying to sleep) but we get on with it because that’s what happens when you don’t live in a detached house, and we don’t want to be complaining.
My children are not out in the garden all day every day, but with it being school holidays they are out there playing more often, I bought them a small bouncy castle as they had got outstanding end of year reports.
On nice dry days they’ll go on it and I do try to keep the noise down. But children playing inevitably make noise.

Anyway, I know they were talking about us as after comments such as “it’s ridiculous “ and “constantly up and down” one of them said “who puts a bouncy castle in their garden?” Some of what they said was inaudible but it has me insenced. I feel like just letting the kids run wild.

Not really sure why I’ve posted other than to vent, sorry it’s long and boring!!

Give me some good comebacks!!!

Ignore ignore ignore

carry on as you were.

not worth the stress of arguing with them

It sounds like they are complaining about you privately, in the same way you are complaining about them? You were not meant to hear it, as much as im sure you would never want them to hear what you have said. There is no issue until they come to you and complain, but as you say, living next door to someone always means you will hear their noise. Just brush it off and carry on with your life.

Smile and wave, smile and wave. That’ll annoy them more lol

It does a bit like they’re saying pretty much the same as you are thinking about them! Noise does travel in a terrace. Ignore, carry on as you are.

I wouldn’t be thrilled about the bouncy castle noise either. That’s not normal
and expected noise from
neighbours. Speak to them and try find a compromise.

Is it one of those that has a constant pump going to keep it inflated?
If so, I can understand them being a bit miffed - they are very noisy and cause vibration. On top of the kids making noise.

Can you move it as far away from the neighbours as possible?
And definitely restrict it to perhaps a couple of half hour sessions.

Bouncy castle sounds a bit ott. How big is your garden?

To be clear we have a good size garden, it’s not a big bouncy castle like one that you’d hire, it’s also not up all the time but tends to be in short bursts of use.

The replies that say don’t react is what I was planning as it’s just not worth falling out over, but I feel very differently about them now.

So it requires an engine/pump?

@Wherestheinstructions let me run a thought past you, everyone thinks that their neighbours are a bit noisy but don't really think that they might feel just the same about them. You've listed a few things that annoy you, they probably think they're perfectly reasonable but are horrified by the noise of your bouncy castle.
If you're really honest with yourself, are you most annoyed because they're complaining about your DC or because now you know how they really feel?

So, let me get this straight…they are complaining to one another in private, in their own home. Unless things have changed dramatically in the UK overnight, they absolutely have that right to do so. Just as people complain about people they work with, people they saw in Tesco’s, etc when they are at home with their loved ones.

Yet you have a problem with it. And the way you handle it is to complain about them, not just in the privacy of YOUR home, but on a public forum open to the whole world. The irony is obviously completely lost on you.

Face it, not everyone thinks your kids are darlings.

Give the kids airhorns. Invite your loudest friends get them drunk and encourage them to bounce too

This.

We are inconvenienced daily by noise from their house, the drone of their dryer that’s on all the time, dogs barking, loud music (this can be into the early hours), banging from the cleaners, building work in the house or garden.

OP, have you ever said any of this aloud to a friend, coworker or relative? Can you imagine yourself doing so if perhaps someone was visiting and noted the noise?

They were just trying to have a private moan about the neighbor noise annoyances that you agree are part of life. That's normal - people often feel better if they vent a bit. As long as their behavior towards you and your children is neutral or friendly then just carry on being the same.

Our next door neighbours have one of the bouncy castles with a pump too. It’s noisy, but it’s not on all the time - and isn’t it nice to think the kids are happy and enjoying themselves. I’d certainly never consider asking them not to use it!

In your situation OP I’d honestly just ignore. They’re a bit noisy, you’re a bit noisy. But that’s just part and parcel of having neighbours. Smile and wave if need be but definitely no more contact than absolutely necessary.

This!!

Everyone talks about everyone else. That’s life. Sometimes charitable, other times in a peeved way.

A bouncy castle next door would make most people peeved.

Dont stress about it, or think differently about them just because they’re human.

So your complaining about their noise and they are complaining about yours I'd call that equal move on and ignore.

If it has a pump to keep inflated then it will be seriously annoying

Good point

to address other points…

I have had a couple of visitors in my home ask what the droning noise was, but I would never complain about my neighbours in my garden. I haven’t even complained about their noise to my other half as it’s just the downside of being attached. I voiced it on here for context that the neighbours are not perfectly quiet themselves.
i understand the fact that kids in gardens are noisy and I am so aware of it I will make sure the kids know to keep the noise down.
I am also not so precious that I’m annoyed that they’re complaining about my DC, if it was a private conversation then do it inside in privacy.

Jesus Christ

J would simply carry on as though you never heard it. After all you were probably not meant to.

This is pretty much how I feel about it. I suppose I’m just annoyed that I’ve overheard them complaining. So I’ll just try to forget about it and move house on 😆

Have you not asked them about turning down the music? That would drive me nuts, post suffering for a year with a druggie aggressive upstairs neighbour who put music on so loud it was distorted 7pm-7am every night for a year because we once asked him to turn it down (yes, I see the irony there!) This is the trouble with being attached or even not attached that would still big shite out of me. Going to be extremely careful where I move to next!

I haven’t and as much as sometimes I think to myself oh ffs, I know it’s part of living in an attached property so I just get on with it.