How do you deal with 'curtain twitchers'

pinkpig08

My grandma used to live on a crescent hill, she lived right at the top on the curve. I used to call it her spiders web and say that she was the spider. If anyone walked along the bottom of the road she somehow 'knew' and was up at the kitchen window in a flash to see who it was!

kr15snw

We recently moved into your stereotypical 'old persons street'.

On the day we were moving in a car pulled up besides the van and shouted 'oi you, boy, come here' to my husband. Him thinking it was a neighbour saying hello he walked over. I was listening from the hallway with tears.

She asked what we were doing with the previous owners stuff (house was left fully furnished after going into a home, so we were putting it all in the moving van to take to charity shop). Husband explained we were moving in. Woman asked 'oh so the old coot finally died then?' husband explained no she'd just gone into a home and was healthy (mentally fine just couldn't do stairs anymore). She then went on to say 'so I assume your ripping out all her crap, making a quick buck and !!!!!!ing off with the profit?' (this woman was in her 80's easily!!). Husband explained he'd moved in with his new wife (at which point I walked out) and we we're planning to make it into our family home.

She took one look at me and said 'hmmm you like them young do you? Not many like that around here for you then!' And sped off!

I wet myself!!

We've now realised she's the house on the corner (so has a view up the whole street both ways) and has a balcony on top of her garage from her bedroom. She sits their DAILY with binoculors watching us all! Lol

Luckily she can only see into front gardens but I do make a habit of waving at her every morning when I go to work

donnap83

kr15snw wrote: »

We recently moved into your stereotypical 'old persons street'.

On the day we were moving in a car pulled up besides the van and shouted 'oi you, boy, come here' to my husband. Him thinking it was a neighbour saying hello he walked over. I was listening from the hallway with tears.

She asked what we were doing with the previous owners stuff (house was left fully furnished after going into a home, so we were putting it all in the moving van to take to charity shop). Husband explained we were moving in. Woman asked 'oh so the old coot finally died then?' husband explained no she'd just gone into a home and was healthy (mentally fine just couldn't do stairs anymore). She then went on to say 'so I assume your ripping out all her crap, making a quick buck and !!!!!!ing off with the profit?' (this woman was in her 80's easily!!). Husband explained he'd moved in with his new wife (at which point I walked out) and we we're planning to make it into our family home.

She took one look at me and said 'hmmm you like them young do you? Not many like that around here for you then!' And sped off!

I wet myself!!

We've now realised she's the house on the corner (so has a view up the whole street both ways) and has a balcony on top of her garage from her bedroom. She sits their DAILY with binoculors watching us all! Lol

Luckily she can only see into front gardens but I do make a habit of waving at her every morning when I go to work

Hells teeth!!!

Plans_all_plans

KxMx wrote: »

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

Oh yeah, I love to quiz them back! There's no harm in it either way if you ask me! Fact is, they don't get up to much though!

The thing is I'm socially aware enough to know when someone isn't comfortable with my interest in their life/my nosiness and if I get a cold response once, I'll not speak "intrusively" to them again and just pass the time of day instead.

It's all about being able to read the signals from other people! Some people love to tell you their life story and other people get mightily offended that you looked sideways at them. You can't please everyone!

Jinx

My brother visited me and my nosey neighbour was over within seconds of him leaving demanding to know who the cutie was! LOL When I told her it was my brother she informed me i didnt have a brother....
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

sassyblue

KxMx wrote: »

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

I chat to them l don't 'quiz' them. Does it matter that much if they are nosey? The nosey parkers are the ones without much in their lives so l feel sorry for them.

If they asked me something too intrusive l'd not answer but raise my eyebrows and give them a 'look' - never happened yet.

ally18

I think you are very lucky to have a neighbour who is interested in you, I wish I had one like that.

I only have one next door neighbour and despite many attempts at trying to say hello and make conversation with her, she just rebuffs me at every turn so its got to the stage where I don't even say hi anymore. Her husband is different and will say hello at least.

It seems to be the same with the rest of our road unfortunately, they are all young people with families and are not interested in being neighbours which I think is a shame. I wish I lived in a cul de sac or where there were some elderly people.

BugglyB

It continues, a friend popped by yesterday to take a look at my new house, he is well over six foot and arrived on his motorbike.

About ten minutes after he left the male neighbour knocks on the back door to tell me that Friday is blue bin day, and 'e ought to bring his bike round the back instead of leaving it at the front where someone could steal it, and ‘is he your boyfriend then?’ I was caught offguard and just said ‘errrr no’ so he said ‘big lad isn’t he!’ I said ‘yeah spose so!’ 'does he live local' 'erm yeah just round the corner' 'he could walk round really instead of coming on the bike couldn't he' 'errr yeah spose so' at which point I said I had washing up to do and thanks for the advice about the blue bin (which I already knew!)

Wish I had my wits about me more I will prepare some answers for the next onslaught of questioning!

BugglyB

irenee wrote: »

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:

That is really incredible! I think I would be tempted to sit on the front wall with a bottle of strong cider!

vroombroom

haha this thread had made me chuckle. We have a fella over the road from us who completely creeps me out. Every time I go outside to the car/put the baby in etc he is there doing something to his car, watching me, never saying owt though. He runs in whe he sees OH! creepy creepy.

His bedroom faces ours as well so I constantly have the blinds closed