How do you deal with 'curtain twitchers'

beedeedee

I would treasure them too - for security & taking in parcels etc but if they ask you something you feel is either too nosey or none of their business just say "Why do you want to know"? with a sweet smile..........you can deflect the question that way - and then of course, you can't actually answer, because you're rushing out.....

jalapenojojo

These posts have made me giggle.
We bought our first house 3 years ago - spent 3 months doing it up before moving in. Cue random people popping over who know my boyfs parents "we thought this magazine was for you" to my boyfs mum - it was an agricultural magazine. Obviously just wanted a nosy. Our neighbour attached to us rents his house (we've bought ours) and seems intent on copying what we do. We built a shed on the back of our garage, he built a lean to. We block paved front garden, he returfed his. They got the same car as me (same make, same model, same colour, 6 months newer). Boyf painted the fence, he painted the fence. And so on. One day we had a delivery come - patio slabs for back garden. Van parked at side of house, on way out boyf could see neighbour stopped van driver and was chatting. Next thing you know, head pops over fence, "so how easy is it to install a hot tub then?" - van driver had fed him a line. Hilarious!

Lirin

Mine have proved very useful.

When we started renovating- DH had lived in the house alone for a few years before I came along, but hadn't the funds- the neighbours were invaluable at times. We had no real plans of the house, and rather than rooting around, they gave us details of the wiring, plumbing etc, which has since proved correct....
They also were great in being able to date when bits had been added to the house, or when something specific had been done- though made me laugh when they pointed out they'd told the old owners several times that the handymen they were using were cowboys!
They also know the history of the area, and the people, and although DH and I are hands-on with repairs ourselves, occasionally when we have needed outside help they've recommended several....

I did live in a house several years ago where there was a very nosy chap, who came up to me one day to tell me my car tax needed renewed that Friday, and my car could do with a clear out!

zaksmum

I've got a neighbour like this. You absolutely cannot move without her knowing about it.

One time a car pulled up in our road and they driver asked me for directions - she was out like a shot, "who were you talking to in that black car?" and when my family visit she's like, "Oh, I saw xxx at yours yesterday, they arrived early, why was that?" or "they stayed half an hour longer than usual".

She keeps diaries (really!) on just about everyone in the road detailing their every movement and any vehicle registration number she deems relevant...she drives everyone mad.

gilly1964

A few moons ago I worked shifts, days and nights and my social life was that of a single girl, so lots of clubbing.

My house was nearest to the clubs so was not unusual to all end back at mine with random male and female friends leaving at odd times.

The old girl over the road only ever noticed the men leave and as at the time I was doing loads of work on the house, windows, landscaping - she got it into her head that I was running a house of ill repute - found this out from another neighbour.

One day I was out with the dog and the nosey gossip was also out with hers and asked me my job - told her I worked in <local company> in computing but had heard a rumour that someone in the street thought I was a lady of the night. Wow did she blush - we did become dog walkng companions after a while to the point where I trusted her and hubby to hold the spare key - family and othere friends too far away for emergencies.

Many months later I came home early to find her hubbie rifling through my underwear drawer. Needless to say key was retrieved and locks changed.

So my warning is ensure that you only give out what you want to and if a spare key needs to be held make sure it is with family or long standing friends.

sb2_2

BugglyB wrote: »

This to be honest is the main thing I am concerned about. They have already (completely unprompted) told me all sorts of things about my seller - that she stole husband off previous wife :eek: etc. Whilst I am happy to stand discussing the merits of different weedkillers or the new bus stop for as long as they like I am not a gossip and hate people to know my business or speculate on what I'm up to!

There is a local gossiper in my area who tells everyone everything. She will always ask questions about me and my family and I will exaggerate her rumours and soon people realized she doesnt know what shes talking about and ignore her gossip.

"I saw your dog a couple of days ago"

"really which one? Ive got 42 of them!"

So the next time she talks to someone and tells them, they wont believe her.

mollythewestie

This thread has rung so many bells with me as we have a similar nosey neighbour.

From the moment we moved in this house every movement we made was watched. She constantly asked what we were doing to the house. To the point that DH and FIL who were working on the house, were being asked 3 or 4 times a day what the: wood/pipes/paint etc. was for.

Everytime we go out, we are asked where we are going and all shopping is spied over as we bring things in the house.
She notes when our curtains are opened and 'assumes' what time we get up each morning. When we first moved here we only used the front bedroom and used the back rooms for storage - she would tell everyone who would listen how we were in bed all day 'cause the back rooms curtains were always closed :rotfl:.

She also made comments like "why are you replacing that bathroom, its new" (It was nearly 20 years old), "Those carpets don't need replacing" "You are ruining that house with all the work you are doing" etc. etc.

She also makes completely unfounded comments, ie. "you never take our dog out", what she fails to realise that DH takes the dog out walking before work at 6am. And that "your dog was in the lane barking yesterday" when the dog was staying at my parents house 7 miles away :rotfl:

TBH, I just feel sorry for her as she is really lonely. But things got better after last winter when I offered to get shopping etc for her when she couldn't get out - I am suddenly her favourite neighbour and can do no wrong .

Eventhough I moan about all her, I know that if anyone tried to burgle us or cause any trouble in our street, she would be the first one to see it and report it to the police. So for that I am very gratefull to her noseyness.

sassyblue

I'll wave at them, let's them know they've been seen twitching, and it's polite.

I used to have a next door neighbour that was nosey, but she was just lonely on her own poor soul, l didn't mind her being nosey because we were out of work so she could watch my house The worst thing was going down the garden to peg out washing or something she'd be out like a gazelle to natter and l didn't have all day.

When l used to ring for house insurance at the question 'Have you got a burglar alarm?' l always said 'no but l've got a nosey neighbour does that count?' :rotfl:

One neighbour l've got now is nosey but we're detached so it doesn't bother me. As long as their nosey harmless it's okay, it's when they're nosey troublemakers you need to worry.

We live in a cul de sac mostly retired people but they all love our little one and anothers children because it brings life to the close they say, they love to look out and wave when they're playing and pop in presents at Christmas for them (we do the same for them now). They look after each other too, shopping and taking each other to the doctors, our bit is helping with their computers when they've got a problem and dropping in some excess veg from the greenhouse, l knock when it's bad weather and ask if they need anything - they never do someone has always been for them. Oh, and l've lately weeded the kerbs for a few of them.

I like to think we're there for each other but also not in each others faces.

KxMx

Just a comment for those who are happy to answer neighbours questions as "no harm" in it, do you also quiz them and are they happy to answer or would you feel intrusive even asking?

Just because there is "no harm" in something doesn't mean they aren't being nosy parkers

irenee

I'm of the 'curtain twitching' age - but don't too busy with my own life !!!

One of the neighbours in our cul-de-sac is though - every fortnight when the glass recycling boxes go out she's there noting down what bottles are in the boxes

Then she drops notes in other neighbours' doors informing them that so&so drinks XXXXX like a fish :beer:

Final straw came when she wrote to the local surgery listing the 'drinking' records of us all - 'wasting NHS money' by being alcoholics

My doctor and I had a great laugh - neither of us were aware that soya sauce was highly alcoholic :rotfl::rotfl: