Yummy mummy nasty neighbour

I think the neighbour has already ratcheted it up by allowing her children to throw apples. A discussion between adults is one thing but allowing her children to behave in such a manner has taken it to the next level.

Doesn"t cat poo poison the soil ?

I'd make her feel so bad by making an apple pie with the apples and presenting her with it telling her she obviousley has a surplus of fruit,but seriously I would involve Police as these children are going to be a problem as they get older with such an inconsiderate & nasty mother.

At the risk of sounding totally wimpy, I have always maintained a policy that it is very very important to keep on reasonably good terms with one's neighbours - I saw what not doing that did to my Mum - she became seriously depressed by it and was never quite the same again afterwards. It is dreadfully stressful to be at loggerheads with one's neighbours.

Is the cat poo such a serious problem that it is worth putting yourself through all this stress and all the stress that is undoubtedly to come? Is poo not manure?

Why not just try and ignore it all for a bit and let the dust settle? Ratcheting thinsg up by involving police etc will result in long term grief for you as well as for her. Is it worth putting yourself through all this for the sake of a bit of poo? This sort of thing escalates and living with peace of mind may be a higher priority - bad feeling can drag on for years.

Is it the cat deterrent or the spikes she objects to? Was she trouble before?

I can't see how the sonic noise can hurt children. Might be a bit irritating if they can hear it but my understanding of these contraptions is that they only make a noise if they sense something within range so as long as the kids/cats aren't in your veg patch the thing shouldn't be making any sound.

How tall is the fence? If it's six feet the children shouldn't be able to touch the top anyway so the spike won't affect them.

I think your neighbour is just being a bitch.

You haven't done anything wrong but she has by allowing/encouraging her children to throw apples at you. Keep a diary and complain to the police.

Part of a review from a purchaser of one of these from Amazon. "And my niece and nephew can hear the noise it makes and find it quite painful to the ears - so if you have kids around and you're in the garden - TURN IT OFF"

I think if there is any chance the device could be harmful to young children, then the neighbour's reaction is very understandable. Mothers do worry, quite rightly, about their children.

You should investigate thoroughly. The hearing of a child is more important than your veg. Sorry.

You should obtain some research, and discuss it with her.

I think the sort of sonic deterrent that CarolynR is probably talking about is not the one which is only audible to young people. We have a "cat deterrent" device that is audible to everyone and is purely to deter cats/foxes.

Maybe the neighbour thinks that the device is the type that councils use to deter teenagers and she is worried about her children. If I'm right, I wondered if, so that this dispute doesn't escalate, it might be better to try and speak to her and explain that the deterrent is purely to deter cats. There is nothing worse that having bad feelings with neighbours.

If the apples were ready, I'd be keeping them!

And throw the apples back......they're her property.

Never mind spraying the cat. Turn your hose on to high pressure and spray the bloody kids. OOPS! My hand slipped

She can't prove you weren't watering your veggies.

Since it's dry (if it's dry!) try sprinkling chilli powder among your veg - not over your veg, unless you want ready made curry.

OOps! My post was to CarolynR - sorry !

Nelliemoser's right, Charleygirl. Contact your local Community policeman/woman. Ours, here in the village, are so good at sorting out issues with children and other anti-social behaviour types of things. This can entail contacting the school that the children go to, as well. I know that's not an option at the moment, but would still be taken up after the schools return at the end of the summer. Is your neighbour imagining that her children are going to be bouncing so high on their trampoline that they're going to sail over the fence and impale themselves on the spikes in your cabbage patch ?

Have a bottle of water handy to spray on the cat and he will soon get the message that he is not wanted in your garden. My cat has been terrorised by 2 bully boys and after one boldly came into my house a few days ago, I emptied a litre of water on to him and I have not seen or heard of him since.

Not too sure what to do about the children.

Oh that's a difficult one it sounds as if she is out to be awkward. Are her children likely to be able to be able to get into your garden without obviously climbing a fence etc?Community support officers if it continues but try to get a record of what is going on.
You probably need to be very careful of filming her kids being a nuisance these days though or she will accuse you of worse.

How can spikes in your garden be a risk to her children? Are they coming into your garden without permission?

As to the apple throwing......complain to the police. She can't say you've brought it on yourself. She has a responsibility to control her children. I'm sure they wouldn't be throwing apples if they didn't think they had her permission. It's assault and even if her children are under the age of criminal responsibility she can still be spoken to and even cautioned if necessary.

Not terribly helpful from your point of view, but the sonic deterrent, which had been installed in the porch of the local community centre to discourage teens from hanging about there drinking, had to be removed when it was found to badly affect babies and toddlers entering the building. Apparently the younger you are, the more a sonic deterrent (which is inaudible to adults) painfully affects your hearing.