On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 19:59:13 +0100, The Q wrote
(in message ):

Saddly I doubt the waterfall will register on a councils noise meter, as
they are the ones you would have to complain to. though doing this would
make you liable to report noisy neighbours when you come to sell your house!
If it's not too obvious where it came from and providing no wild life are
involved, a litle washing up liquid would quieten things down and make for
an interesting faom feature!!!

An amusing idea but I think they would take a bit of an exception to it

--
Patrick

On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 19:56:54 +0100, bnd777 wrote
(in message ):

Thoroughly agree that a newsgroup for Neighbour Issues would be useful
Problem is theres considerate neighbours who would not dream of upsetting
anyone and certainly would not create noise or grow Leylandi etc and then
theres the new breed of folk who consider its their God given right to do
what the hell they please without any consideration for anyone else and
basically theres almost nothing in law you can do about it

There may indeed have been a change in attitudes such that people are less
considerate about how their actions effect others.

I'm often amazed at the way some people who live in flats will play music
very loudly to the annoyance of their neighbours. I'm always seeing stories
in the papers about this.


--
Patrick

On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 21:18:20 +0100, Michael Saunby wrote
(in message ):

Surely the subject heading say's all you need to know. If it was the water
feature that he found irritating the subject would have read "Neighbour's
irritating water feature".

Of course if the neighbour wasn't irritating then I expect the matter could
be discussed, and likely resolved, next time they're all down the pub
together.

It's true that the neighbour is irritating and there have been previous
issues. Fortunately these have been resolved but they were much more
significant than the waterfall. In one case they wanted to put the flu for
their central heating out of the side of their garage straight into my
garden, about 5 feet above the ground. I only knew about it when they asked
for access to do it the day before. The wall of the garage is a party wall
with my garden. Amusingly when I suggested that they could put the flu out
the other side of the garage, into their garden, they replied, without a hint
of irony, that they didn't want a flu sticking into their garden. There have
been two other issues but it would be too long to write about them

However time has passed since then and in fact one of the two smiled at me
yesterday so I am beginning to feel that if I do find myself irritated by the
waterfall I might be able to offer to buy them a time-switch for it.

--
Patrick

PJ wrote:

I think if I am to approach them buying them a time-switch might be
the best idea.

Unless they think you are offering charity

Steve R

---
One piece, one button suit, timeless fashion. All made by the same
manufacturer, no designer label, everybody has one.

PJ wrote:
On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 21:18:20 +0100, Michael Saunby wrote
(in message ):

snip
Amusingly when I
suggested that they could put the flu out the other side of the
garage, into their garden, they replied, without a hint of irony,
that they didn't want a flu sticking into their garden.

Bloody cheek! Don't you realise it's you duty to have their flue in your
garden :~)

So what was the outcome of that one?

Steve R

---
One piece, one button suit, timeless fashion. All made by the same
manufacturer, no designer label, everybody has one.

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 1:00:00 +0100, Essjay001 wrote
(in message ):

PJ wrote:
On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 21:18:20 +0100, Michael Saunby wrote
(in message ):

snip
Amusingly when I
suggested that they could put the flu out the other side of the
garage, into their garden, they replied, without a hint of irony,
that they didn't want a flu sticking into their garden.

Bloody cheek! Don't you realise it's you duty to have their flue in your
garden :~)

So what was the outcome of that one?

I just said no and that was that. They put the flue (which I have been
spelling as "flu" as in influenza in my earlier posting) through the roof of
the garage. I got quite good advice from a friend who is in the
legal/property business and he said they had no right to have to flue
sticking through the party wall.

Their reasoning actually for my having their flue sticking into my garden was
that I "didn't tend to sit in my garden", which is true as I'm not into
sun-bathing like they are. I do however like to walk around my garden etc.
but for them that doesn't count

Another issue with them was that where the party wall reaches the street for
some time, indeed all the time I've owned this house, there has been no
pillar. At the front of their house they have mock Edwardian pillars for the
ends of the wall which runs along the front, which are not my taste, whereas
in front of my house I have 1950's pillars for my 1950's house.

One day I came home from work to find him building another mock Edwardian
pillar at the end of the party wall, in other wards on the corner of my
property. This was absurdly out of keeping and with my 1950's pillars and
house, but was in keeping with their line of Edwardian house. My house sort
of celebrates the 50's a bit with a general feel of the 50's which I rather
like, so a mock Edwardian pillar at one corner is absurd.

As I am growing a hedge along the front, there isn't really a need for this
pillar in fact as the hedge will cover the end of the party wall.

They went completely nuts when I complained, on seeing him halfway through
constructing the pillar. After a "full and frank discussion" we agreed that
they could build the pillar on their side of the party wall so that the end
of the pillar stops half way along the wall. This looks fine because it is
offset to their side and obviously looks part of their house. When my hedge
has grown up it will conceal the end of the wall on my side which shows a bit
and look quite good I think.

While I'm at it...

Another issue which arose with them was that they would park their car right
across my driveway, 100% blocking it. They have three vehicles in total, a
van for his business and two sports cars one for each of them.

Their reasoning for why they could 100% block my driveway was that I don't
own a car and so I don't need my driveway. I pointed out that I do, however,
have a bicycle and I need to get in and out of my house with the bicycle and
this involves riding out of the driveway, with their car in the way I have to
get off the bicycle and walk up the pavement with it until I find a space,
like someone else's driveway and use that.

They have now stopped blocking my driveway but there was much in the way of
argument over it. They sort of "conceded" that I should be allowed enough
space to get a bicycle out of my driveway which they perceived as being 1
foot wide and so they would "kindly" allocate this space. When I explained
that actually I want my whole driveway clear they considered this to be
unreasonable as, after all, where were they going to park their sports cars
and van?

So now they do leave the whole driveway clear but treat me as if they are
doing me a huge favour in allowing me access to and from my own house

The female half of the couple has explained to me that if I grew up and got a
car then problems like this wouldn't arise...

--
Patrick

What I have considered is suggesting to them that they turn it off at
night.
I don't mind it so much during the day because my area is not particularly
quiet so it sort of blends in with the general background noise more.

The problem is that I anticipate they will tell me "where to go" if I
request
this as that does tend to be their style rather...

So if they refuse to turn if off at night is there anything that can be
done
about it?

It may actually not be possible to turn it off for very good reason.
Depending on how their pond is built & plumbed it may well be that the
waterfall is actually the outflow from the pond's filter - this is quite a
common thing to do. If this is the case then the pump has to remain on 24
hours a day or the filter will die & turn nasty.

Another option would be to re-plumb the filter to return quietly directly
into the pond at night but this would require excavation, pipework &
general expense - you'd also be reliant on someone remembering to actually
switch the thing over every night.

If this is not the case & it is just a decorative waterfall then perhaps a
polite chat & an offer to pay for a timer plug might solve the problem!

Worst case, look on the bright side - at least its not Wind Chimes!

rgds

I

For those non aquarists (& anyone else who is interested!) pond (and fish
tank) filters work something like this....

Although there is some Mechanical filtration taking place in the filter this
is not actually what's important - what's important is the biological
filtration.

Waste products in the pond give off Ammonia - this is toxic to fish. By
pumping the water through the filter a set of Bacteria build up in the
filter that eat the ammonia & turn it into Nitrite (also toxic to fish!). A
second set of bacteria also grow in the filter that eat the Nitrite & turn
it into Nitrate which is not toxic to fish (except in huge quantities).
Plants in the pond absorb the Nitrate as a fertilizer. The bacteria that do
all the good work need a constant supply of oxygen rich water, therefore if
you turn the filter off they die back - this can happen in a matter of
hours.

Worse still is that if the filter is left off for a prolonged period of time
it will go bad ("Anaerobic"). When this happens it starts producing Sulphur
Dioxide (rotten egg smell) in some quantity - this is highly toxic and will
kill anything living in the pond if it gets in there.....

I.

My neighbour issue is extremely minor indeed really but I'm
wondering
what
the situation is in law or whatever.


It does appear to be a minor problem, one that you should perhaps
just
put out of your head, putting soap in the water as a replyer
suggested
is very unfriendly and may be seen as first blood. I do wonder how
much
noise your " toodling around " in the garage generates as I would
have
thought it can't be much less than a little waterfall.


Surely the subject heading say's all you need to know. If it was the
water
feature that he found irritating the subject would have read
"Neighbour's
irritating water feature".

Of course if the neighbour wasn't irritating then I expect the matter
could
be discussed, and likely resolved, next time they're all down the pub
together.

Michael Saunby



I didn't see it that way, point taken.

Bel

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 1:36:56 +0100, PJ wrote:

The female half of the couple has explained to me that if I grew up and got a
car then problems like this wouldn't arise...

Why not tell her that you are thinking of buying 3 cars?
--
martin

Essjay001 wrote in message
...
PJ wrote:

I think if I am to approach them buying them a time-switch might be
the best idea.

Unless they think you are offering charity

Steve R

Right now I would kill to have nothing more than trickling water going on
next door. What I actually do have is one group of builders constructing a
garage over the road from us - they have the radio up full blast, and I was
able to 'sing-a-long' with a full Catholic Mass last week (we're in
Ireland), overlayed with high volume cussing and blinding á la builders
everywhere. Made a nice accompaniment to my gardening efforts! At the same
time, a house is being built in the field next to my bedroom by another
neighbour, who keeps his council-owned JCB on the site, and starts it up
every morning - this morning at 6.45 - to drive it off to work, then comes
back around 6 pm to work on his own house - sometimes until 11.45 at night!

Complain? Not blinkin' likely - the same neighbour didn't say a word during
the time we had 4 cockerels last year, and has never once complained about
our 4 dogs and their occasional barking fits. (I can understand why they
haven't complained about poo from our 3 cats, too - cos their 'garden' is
full of cows, and any contribution the kitties make is somewhat
overwhelmed!) I hope this state of harmony continues when I install a water
feature sometime next year! Believe me, at 6.45 this morning, I was
considering a mini-Niagra, surrounded by wind-chimes, but I'll probably
settle for something small, and quiet!

I just keep telling myself 'this too shall pass'!

Jo


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.504 / Virus Database: 302 - Release Date: 24/07/03

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:25:12 +0100, "Darkginger"
wrote:


Essjay001 wrote in message
...
PJ wrote:

I think if I am to approach them buying them a time-switch might be
the best idea.

Unless they think you are offering charity

Steve R

Right now I would kill to have nothing more than trickling water going on
next door. What I actually do have is one group of builders constructing a
garage over the road from us - they have the radio up full blast, and I was
able to 'sing-a-long' with a full Catholic Mass last week

On a holiday in Greece we had the same in Greek. Greek church
services seem endless.

(we're in
Ireland),

We had builders who played a radio full blast,where I worked years
ago. The guy I shared an office with "accidentally" dropped their
radio in the bucket of dirty water that they had thoughtfully provided
in the middle of the corridor just outside our office door.
--
martin

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 3:39:17 +0100, Iain Miller wrote
(in message ):

Worst case, look on the bright side - at least its not Wind Chimes!

The neighbours on the other side have wind chimes but I sort of rather like
those. I think the truth is I like the neighbours with the wind chimes but I
don't like the ones with the waterfall...

--
Patrick

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 13:25:37 +0100, PJ wrote:

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 3:39:17 +0100, Iain Miller wrote
(in message ):

Worst case, look on the bright side - at least its not Wind Chimes!

The neighbours on the other side have wind chimes but I sort of rather like
those. I think the truth is I like the neighbours with the wind chimes but I
don't like the ones with the waterfall...

You are lucky you don't have neighbours, who spend all their waking
and my sleeping hours putting up shelves with an impact drill.
--
Martin

In article , Darkginger
writes

and I was
able to 'sing-a-long' with a full Catholic Mass last week

I can do that 3 times on a Sunday and several times during the week -
we're next door to a catholic church!
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 13:43:28 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , Darkginger
writes

and I was
able to 'sing-a-long' with a full Catholic Mass last week

I can do that 3 times on a Sunday and several times during the week -
we're next door to a catholic church!

with a holy water feature that uses a large font?
--
Martin