Odd things your neighbours do?

Odd things your neighbours do?

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Discussion

nonsequitur

20,083 posts

115 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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MockingJay said:
I've noticed one of my neighbours (well he lives at the back of me) doing something a little strange over the last couple of weeks.

I live adjacent to a golf course, over the road are bushes and trees which cover a hole in the fence of the golf course, obviously a few people use it to gain access to walk dogs and play golf for free on an evening, however this guy who lives a two minute walk from the golf course drives his car up to the hole in the fence around 10PM most nights, then disappears into the darkness and I presume onto the golf course to a good 30 minutes or so, then returns and drives off.

Most odd. I might have to follow him one day and find out what he's up to.
A midnight green-keeper I'm sure.

S11Steve

6,374 posts

183 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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nonsequitur said:
MockingJay said:
I've noticed one of my neighbours (well he lives at the back of me) doing something a little strange over the last couple of weeks.

I live adjacent to a golf course, over the road are bushes and trees which cover a hole in the fence of the golf course, obviously a few people use it to gain access to walk dogs and play golf for free on an evening, however this guy who lives a two minute walk from the golf course drives his car up to the hole in the fence around 10PM most nights, then disappears into the darkness and I presume onto the golf course to a good 30 minutes or so, then returns and drives off.

Most odd. I might have to follow him one day and find out what he's up to.
A midnight green-keeper I'm sure.
Dogging.

MockingJay

1,311 posts

128 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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S11Steve said:
Dogging.
This is my line of thought. Will keep you posted.

Blown2CV

28,695 posts

202 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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S11Steve said:
nonsequitur said:
MockingJay said:
I've noticed one of my neighbours (well he lives at the back of me) doing something a little strange over the last couple of weeks.

I live adjacent to a golf course, over the road are bushes and trees which cover a hole in the fence of the golf course, obviously a few people use it to gain access to walk dogs and play golf for free on an evening, however this guy who lives a two minute walk from the golf course drives his car up to the hole in the fence around 10PM most nights, then disappears into the darkness and I presume onto the golf course to a good 30 minutes or so, then returns and drives off.

Most odd. I might have to follow him one day and find out what he's up to.
A midnight green-keeper I'm sure.
Dogging.
whoosh parrot required!

nonsequitur

20,083 posts

115 months

Monday 16th January 2017
quotequote all
MockingJay said:
S11Steve said:
Dogging.
This is my line of thought. Will keep you posted.
18 holes? He's gonna be busy...

Meridius

1,608 posts

151 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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About a year ago someone on my street decided to put up garden fences, some nice wooden panels you'd think? No, they used building site blue steel hoarding and filled a remaining gap with whatever scrap panels they could find. Looked fking awful. Thankfully for me it was a good 8 or 9 doors up but if I was their neighbour who shares that partition I would be absolutely fking livid!


MockingJay

1,311 posts

128 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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nonsequitur said:
18 holes? He's gonna be busy...
Maybe that's why he's over there so long biglaugh

S11Steve

6,374 posts

183 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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Blown2CV said:
whoosh parrot required!
Gratefully received.

getmecoat

Hugh Jarse

3,486 posts

204 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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Nardiola said:
I live in a cul-de-sac and there's an odd guy, who must be around 50-60 who swears at his house, trees and anything in front of him. He used to be more vocal a number of years ago, but he's mellowed a bit, possibly Tourettes?

His windows are all covered up with newspaper, and he used to paint his doors, window frames, guttering and such in such a way that he painted the glass and walls too. His mother (when she was around) said he always had a few screws loose, but fair play to him he's paid off his mortgage. He works in track side safety for Network Rail, warning other workers of incoming trains, probably by swearing loudly 'fking train '
laugh

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 16th January 2017
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All that jazz said:
Tim-D said:
I live in a 60's cul de sac in a small village ..... houses nicely spaced and road wide as your average motorway..... pair of coffin dodgers opposite are basically the neighbourhood busybodies - run the neighbourhood watch scheme, curtain twitch like crazy, total godbotherers - and consequently endlessly collect for some good cause or another......

99% of the time all fine - but my other half has a tat on her lower back.... this drives them both bonkers..... the Mrs was washing her car - tat fleetingly visible as a consequence... cue that evening a card through the door "please ask Mrs D to cover up her tattoo"........ - - would have taken a pair of sodding binoculars form their lounge to spot it ???) piss well and truly boiling, we decide to ignore......

Just before christmas I'm in the back of the garage doing some resto work..... overhear massively revving engine and crunching gears.... the old biddy had fired up their car - normally a bad sign..... 30 seconds later huge crunch - unfortunately I'd left my car by the side of the road..... she'd bashed the mirror casing off and stove in the front door...

I was unseen but relied on the fact she'd wait but oh no..... got out... checked her damage and kicked my mirror casing under the car and drove off...... piss boil 2..... spent a few hours fixing the car....

Next day spying my scowl she sidles over for a chat "I think I may have touched your car".....hmm.....I had calmed down a bit and was about to say no bother I've fixed it when.... "oh well its 13 years old so has probably had worse"....... and walks off.......

For neighbourly harmony I've swallowed it..... but come recycling day ... green bags out and four of the six outside their house are clearly marked with my house number (put them on as mine kept mysteriously disappearing) ... now I'm not a gardener - cut the grass and that's about it and had wondered where all the bags had gone ..... so once emptied marched over and repossessed them.... only to find another fffing note though the door today ordering their immediate return!!!

..... mental...end of tether reached.......
yikes

WTF! fk the "neighbourly harmony"! I'd have lost the plot after the note about my OHs tat and been straight over there. I can't believe people think this kind of thing is acceptable to do, telling you how to live your life etc.
Fairly certain someone will pipe up with "if they did that to me they wouldn't be coffin dodging any more!".
Disgusting neighbours, needs a bking. Tell 'em to fk off. shoot

rainagain

321 posts

155 months

Thursday 19th January 2017
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At my last house we had a shared locked bin store, the woman next to us lost her key so instead of asking someone to borrow their key and getting another one cut she got her son to break in to it. After the factors repaired the frame she started just dumping her rubbish outside the store, relying on the other neighbours picking it up for her. Eventually the door was just left unlocked and so banged every time it was windy.

One day her son and his friends managed to drag home a set of old wrecked goal posts complete with the remnants of a net. These sat in the communal garden for about six months unused until I could take no more and offered to take them to the dump for her, she agreed they were an eyesore (but the thought of asking her son to get rid of them obviously hadn't crossed her mind) naturally I had to arrange the required van.

Our house was mid terrace with her bathroom being next to our bedroom, she used to go out every Friday night and announce her return home by slamming the toilet seat down around midnight. Annoyingly the way our bedroom was laid out with the window and door we couldn’t put our headboard anywhere else but against this wall.

We did get a good laugh one Friday when she was out, her kids decided to have a go on a pogo stick inside her house, we could hear them bouncing up and down their hall.

Blakewater

4,303 posts

156 months

Thursday 19th January 2017
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Robertj21a said:
ambuletz said:
i don't get people who cover up ALL their windows with newspaper. 99% of people have curtains or those white transluscent curtains. first thing i want to do in the morning is open up all windows and have a good look out.
Growing weed.
Some people who live behind us decided to spend one summer building what was officially supposed to be a garage with games room over the top of it according to the planing permission notice.

A few months after it was complete there was a drugs raid which made it onto the local news. It was actually a cannabis farm with breeze block walls behind the garage doors and the whole thing rigged up with lights and trays of cannabis plants.

skinnyman

1,632 posts

92 months

Friday 20th January 2017
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Back when I lived with the parents (talking 10-12yrs back) there was an odd couple at the bottom of the road, my parents lived at the top of a small cul-de-sac. This couple had an average condition mk3 Escort, and whenever they left the house in it they had the same routine:

Open garage door, mop little painted concrete strip at front of garage
Reverse car onto drive, re-mop said painted strip
Go back in the house
10-15mins later, leave
Return and park on the drive
Open garage door, mop painted strip
Drive car into garage, re-mop painted strip
Close garage, go back inside

Also, despite having an empty 2 car drive, whenever people visited him (assuming family) he'd make them park around the corner, apparently he didn't want them to 'wear out' his tarmac driveway.

The bloke of the house also used to stand at the end of his drive glaring at me whenever I washed my car, I used to have a nice Corrado back in those days, so I was out there for 2-3hrs every other Sunday, and he'd stand glaring at me for 5-10mins, then go back inside, and repeat 30 mins later, he'd do this several times until I was finished.

First house me and the missus bought the people 2 doors left their bedroom window fully open at 90deg 24hrs a day 365. I'd come home at 3am from a split night shift, it would be -3C, and the window would be wide open.

ChemicalChaos

10,360 posts

159 months

Friday 20th January 2017
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rainagain said:
We did get a good laugh one Friday when she was out, her kids decided to have a go on a pogo stick inside her house, we could hear them bouncing up and down their hall.
In my first year student halls, a slightly chunky girl 2 floors above me had a space hopper that she liked to ride in her flat when drunk

HD Adam

5,143 posts

183 months

Friday 20th January 2017
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ChemicalChaos said:
In my first year student halls, a slightly chunky girl 2 floors above me had a space hopper that she liked to ride in her flat when drunk
scratchchin

yellowjack

17,065 posts

165 months

Friday 20th January 2017
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HD Adam said:
ChemicalChaos said:
In my first year student halls, a slightly chunky girl 2 floors above me had a space hopper that she liked to ride in her flat when drunk
scratchchin
Probably the much rarer vintage three-horned space hopper, hence her enthusiasm and the need for privacy within the flat... yikes

Willy Nilly

12,511 posts

166 months

Thursday 26th January 2017
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Someone just down the road bought a 13 reg B-Max new a few years ago. They are a retired couple and the house looks spotlessly clean. During the summer he will put covers on his east facing wheels in the morning, then in the afternoon the covers will be placed over the west facing wheels. The car is currently sat on their drive with plastic bags over the door mirrors.

There is another old boy in the opposite direction that has has a brand new Toyota every single year I have been here, which is 15 years. He's had Corolla's, Auris's and currently drives a Yaris, all with his personalised plate on. Not odd I suppose, it's his money and keeps the used car market ticking over.

BritVsRedneck

74 posts

114 months

Thursday 26th January 2017
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ChemicalChaos said:
All that jazz said:
yikes

WTF! fk the "neighbourly harmony"! I'd have lost the plot after the note about my OHs tat and been straight over there. I can't believe people think this kind of thing is acceptable to do, telling you how to live your life etc.
You think that's bad, you should hear some of the Resident's Association stories about American neighborhoods. Cutting your grass on certain days only, painting your house a certain colour only, not being allowed to have cars over a certain age on the driveway..... One story involved someone who had their driveway blocked in with concrete blocks over missing a bill deadline. The clincher was a US Army soldier who returned from a tour in Iraq to find the RA had repossessed and sold his house over an unpaid $300 RA subscription.....
I've had both these experiences. In the UK we had the usual busy body pensioners next door who thought it totally acceptable to interfere and lecture both me, my wife and my kids. The back garden dividing fence was only 3 foot tall so offered zero privacy and gave her every opportunity to tell us off every time we tried to enjoy our own back garden. Mentalist.

We moved to the US 5 years ago, and bought a nice house in a HOA (Home Owners Association) operated neighbourhood, it's about 25 years old, surrounded matured trees, lakes and parks and walking paths, which we pay around $1200 per year for (even more if your house backs onto the lakes). There's the usual raft of rules you have to know about, can't leave your garage door open for longer than it takes to enter/exit with your car, keep your grass the correct length, permission to paint any exterior part of the house, NO SHEDS ALLOWED!, no working on cars on the drive etc etc.
However there's no HOA police driving around looking for violators, the neighbourhood is old enough now that its really just the neighbours on each street that you have to appease, and so far my wife and I haven't done anything to p$ss off the neighbours. We've painted our front door from white to grey, removed a couple of bushes, and built a giant swingset in the back garden for the kids (which I did make a Solid works model and drawings for and submitted to the HOA, and they told me was OK because its a temporary structure).

However we have some friends, Brits, a few streets away who back onto the lake, it seems the more up-market the houses are the more anal the neighbours and the HOA are to your changes. They asked the HOA if they could remove the mulch (chopped up wood) covering the borders and instead put down white pebbles. They denied them, and suggested black pebbles were more befitting.
Problem was they had already bought the white pebbles, in bags, and they were in a pile on the drive.
A day later they got an official letter telling them to remove the white pebbles from their drive immediately, otherwise, you know, penalty of death.

In our neighbourhood, like I said it more relaxed, but we do have the odd strange ones. There's a respectable elder couple who keep their front lawn impeccably neat, as though it somehow symbolizes everything they are about. They mow it twice daily in the summer, in alternating directions. When we mow our grass, I'll finish, pack the mower away and go inside, I can then count to 10 and like clockwork he will be out there over the road mowing a microscopic amount from his lawn. As though I've somehow shown him up or something?

There's the super religious, ex military retired chap, who is actually an absolutely fu**ing cool guy. He always looks so neat, he treats his wife like a lady, opens the door for her and takes her out for lunch in one of his impeccably clean cars, both HEMI powered with loud exhausts. The strange thing about him is; he had a drain and a sloping floor installed in his garage so he can clean his cars inside the garage! He has a part time job at a hardware store and sets off for work at 5:30am. My alarm clock is the sound of a HEMI with a loud exhaust rumbling past my bedroom at 5:30 in the morning.
When he gets home, he puts on a boiler suit, straps his 2 stroke powered backpack leaf-blower on and blows anything off his grass and the next door neighbour's grass for several hours, the ear-piercing sound of a 2 stoke on full chat for hours drives me crazy!

The upside to all this is, its the most secure place to bring your kids up. Fedex parcels are left on your doorstep all day and they are still there when you get home.


Vaud

50,285 posts

154 months

Thursday 26th January 2017
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BritVsRedneck said:
Stuff
The US is an wonderful spectrum of contradictions as a Brit... like being able to go to a store on a motorbike wearing no helmet, buy a shotgun, but not be able to buy fireworks...

CB2152

1,555 posts

132 months

Friday 27th January 2017
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I was the odd neighbour today.

Went out to wash the car thinking it'd be warmer than the previous day (no ice this morning). Was ok for a bit (not wearing a jacket as they all have scratchy metal bits on them) but it soon transpired that it was actually really fking chilly. The little thermometer in the garden reckoned it was 1.5 Celsius. Still, I'd done part of the car so I couldn't just stop.

Washing the car in borderline freezing conditions = odd thing your neighbour does.