We wanted to stop our over-friendly neighbour peering into our garden so put up a 6ft fence – then she got a trampoline
A WOMAN has been left stunned after her "overly friendly" neighbour resorted to getting a trampoline so that she could see into their garden.
She took to Mumsnet's Am I Being Unreasonable? forum to share a post titled "Neighbour bought a trampoline to look over our fence".
In the post, she explained that the issues with the neighbour began when they first moved in - at which point a low hedge was the only divider between their gardens.
"She would come out and talk to us every single time we were out in the garden," she wrote.
"And boy, can she talk.
"She also used to lift her child over the hedge without asking to play with our child (who is years older and not interested)."
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They eventually decided to put up a 6ft high fence on their side of the hedge, and told the neighbour that they were thinking about getting a dog "and needed a fence to keep it in".
"When we put up the fence she initially made few jokey comments about how it was harder to talk to us now, but she solved this problem by placing a step on her side and continued to pop up whenever we were out in garden," she continued.
The couple then planted bamboo alongside the fence, which is now around 8ft high.
"Last month, we saw from our bedroom window that a large trampoline had appeared in her garden," she wrote.
"We assumed it was for her child and thought nothing of it.
"However, they don’t use it, she does.
"When I was out in the garden a few weeks ago, up she popped over the top of the bamboo, laughing hysterically, and shouting ‘see what I’ve had to resort to! hahaha!’"
When the woman asked if the trampoline was for her neighbour's son, she was told that he wasn't interested, so she'd be using it for "exercise" instead.
"So far all her exercises have coincided with us being out in the garden," she explained.
"We’re now back at square one and whenever we’re out she appears over the bamboo, laughing and shouting."
She added that her "non confrontational" husband says that the bamboo will keep growing and eventually she won't be able to see over it.
But the woman added that that is likely to take years, "as she must be hitting the 20ft mark at full jump height".
"Would I be unreasonable to tell her directly to give us some privacy?" she concluded.
"Is there a gentle way to do it that won’t hurt her feelings that we’re missing?"
People in the comments section were quick to weigh in on the bizarre situation, with one writing: "This is amazing in the total madness of it.
"Her head popping up over the bamboo!"
"I absolutely love the mental image of this," another added.
"With persistent people like this you need to be blunt," a third commented.
"It’s the only way to get it across."