SITTING on a sun lounger in my garden, sipping a cold drink, I am as relaxed as can be.
It’s been a tough day with the grandkids and I’m craving some much-needed “me” time after doing the laundry.
two
Suddenly, smoke rises over the fence, turning my white sheets a dusty black.
“Kevin, come here!” I shout to my husband of 63 years of 22 years as I frantically bring in the laundry.
People who barbecue without thinking about what their neighbors might be doing are number one on my “most hated” list when it comes to summer faux pas.
What harm can it do to knock on your neighbors’ doors and say: “I’m going to have a barbecue, if you want to bring in your dirty laundry”?
I’m aware of how far smoke travels, so I would never barbecue. Instead, I put the food in the oven before we eat on the terrace.
I’m not alone in this mindset, with one Mumsnet user recently revealing that she had posted in her local Facebook group before putting the washing in, asking people not to barbecue.
“I was totally excited,” she wrote. “I just asked that they be considerate and check their surroundings/give fair warning first.”
She was laughed at, but I think she seems rational. It’s a policy I can adopt in my neighborhood WhatsApp group.
I regularly post chat messages about rubbish collection times and chastise people if they’ve done something nasty, like letting their hedge grow too long.
Some say I’m nosy – I say I’m attentive. Summer is one of the worst times of year for bad behavior and I encounter this daily as I walk around Cardiff, where I live.
When I learned neighbors of English football great Phil Foden, who lives in Cheshire, reportedly called the police after a children’s party lasted until midnight, I can’t say I was surprised.
The mere hint of heat and the first whiff of sunscreen seem to drive even the most sensible people crazy.
But it’s not just barbecues and late-night parties that bother me. I have a real bogeyman with summer garden accessories too.
People go to stores in droves, spending thousands on outdoor items they may only use three days a year.
I cringe when I see barbecue grills, umbrellas, inflatables, neon signs and hot tubs cluttering the gardens.
Summer is one of the worst times of year for bad behavior and I encounter this daily as I walk around Cardiff
The first time you find out that someone close to you has purchased a constantly humming hot tub is when you hear arguing while it is being installed.
Then the noises and screams begin, often accompanied by Bluetooth speakers playing migraine-inducing music. It’s antisocial and just horrible.
Who wants to see the pale, limp form of a man climb out of a bathtub to get another beer?
‘I’m tired of it’
I have walked past houses in the area before, heard these antics and politely stuck my head over the fence to ask them to “keep it down” – but was told to “shut up”.
One person said: “We are living our best life.” Really? Is getting drunk in warm water with God knows how many bacteria hidden in it your “best life”?
Another hellish summer problem is balls being kicked over the fence. This happens all the time and I’m sick of it.
Now, if I see a ball in my garden, I just leave it. It may upset children, but it’s a good lesson in playing carefully.
When I was a kid, we didn’t have a seemingly endless supply of balls, and if we accidentally threw one over our neighbor’s fence, we had to politely knock and ask for it. It wasn’t certain that it would be returned, so we were careful.
And that’s not all. Random kids dump their bikes in my yard like they own them.
Others brandish hoses as weapons and I was caught in the crossfire more than once.
Their parents just laugh and say, “Kids, huh?” but if I turned the tables and sprayed them, all hell would break loose. And don’t get me started on trampolines.
People need to learn that there will be repercussions if they don’t behave
The repetitive jumping, jumping, jumping and shouting ruins the peace.
I don’t believe children should be allowed out before 9:30am or after 7pm, and I will punish anyone who plays outside late by asking them, “Shouldn’t you be at home with your parents?”
I would never be in the garden after 9.30pm and I consider it the height of rudeness to talk to friends outside until the early hours of the morning.
People have their windows open and no one needs to hear gossip about so and so while they try to sleep.
If people make too much noise after midnight, I’ll call the police. I head the local Neighborhood Watch and I know what’s going on.
When the noise is too loud or the children misbehave, I will stop taking packages for those involved. People know I’m serious.
I believe I am speaking for the silent majority, and people need to learn that there will be repercussions if they don’t behave.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
