smokingboot | Angry

A neighbour has just come round to tell us that a prowler was spotted in our back garden a couple of nights back.

It's a biggish garden, with a little grove of trees at the back. On both sides the fences have been left to fall. Our garden is not so easy to get into, except via other gardens,who have let their fences collapse where they meet ours. And my bro has let ours slip on one side. Frankly, the gardens are meandering territory; anyone who can get into one can probably access all of them. I like to wander my garden at night. Apparently so does someone else.

So I am supposed to be careful to lock up, and I am supposed to be watchful, and I am the one expected to think twice about going out very late to enjoy midnight by the pond. Only that's not how it's going to be. I'm going to lock up as ever, but still intend to bimble under the moon, I'll just carry the baseball bat with me. I won't be made to feel like a victim. Don't know if we need a dog or a goose, but I know what that prowler needs...the good sense to stay the f*ck away!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

geese! go for geese :)

Hello you! Lovely to hear from you, hope you two are both well! Two problems with geese: first we could never invite Mrs Shockley around on account of geese being something of a distress to her, second, we have foxes, big time. Apart from that I think it's a grand idea!

It's so sweet of you to think of me. :-)

You forgot a third reason though - they're probably more evil than the prowler.

i have something awful to admit

my suggestion was less practical than it could be, i just love the idea of guard geese :)

and if it became annoying its more socially acceptable to eat it i suppose, than the dog, :)

Me too!

Don't be ashamed to admit impracticality; my last sensible idea was back in the 90s!

Guard Geese! Knowing you they would breed and form a small fox defeating army.

Much love!

xxx

:-D hello lovely one! Exactly!

I've got visions of sitting in the front room surrounded by a menagerie with a large indignant goose on my head, while

larians moves into the fox's den!

If you have the posts and it is just the panels that are knackered they are fairly cheap to replace if you get the least elaborate ones, about 15 quid each. I've replaced neighbours panels before (possibly offending them horribly) although the way it works on this terrace there aren't gaps between gardens so I could claim I thought they were our boundary, of course they don't generally complain. I certainly feel more secure with a decent boundary marked out.

Nevertheless I agree it shouldn't be your responsibility to secure your environment and wish you continued happy nights enjoying the outdoors. I sincerely hope whoever is pissing about finds something else to do with their evenings.

Thanks for your thoughts, certainly the fences are the big issue. Getting into our garden from the front is not so easy, but other gardens have easy access and fences/boundaries tend to be neglected; get into one and the rest are not a tough job. I am talking to my brother about which are his responsibility. If we can fix that, it will be easier for me to go badger other neighbours...or even put up something ourselves as you suggest. Hope all is well:-) x

If you can afford to I would repair the fences. And maybe invest in a security light from Maplins. I think these days you can even get solar powered ones.

You are also within your rights to ask your immediate neighbours to repair their fences.

This is not just your problem, it's a community problem, so talk to your neighbours about how it is affecting you, and see if you can agree to tackle it together. These people thrive on the relative isolation of our society. A prowler could be anything form a relatively harmless knicker nabber to someone out to do real crime like breaking in and stealing your stuff, or worse. Or it could be a one off someone legging it after so doing elsewhere.

I once did a course about designing out crime. It all comes down to good fences, spiky planting (hawthorne is lovely and spikey) reasonably clear sightlines, lighting (nice Solar powered lights in the garden, making pools of light that are deeply unattractive to prowlers, like mamapusscats garden). Obviously you want lighting you can switch off if you want to commune with the dark, but it's partly about making it difficult for a criminal to get in, and partly about increasing his perception of the liklihood of getting caught if he does.

And a large sign where he was last seen saying something like "Beware, pissed off woman with baseball bat uses this garden regularly and does not like to share, you have been warned!" You can get solar powered fairy lights to illuminate it with.

If I was a prowler that would frighten me!

Oh, and talking to your local Safer Neighbourhoods Team is also a good idea. They may have practical tips, but also will be able to act on and pass on intelligence that increases the likelihood of the person getting caught.

Actually, just using your garden is probably a GOOD THING.

Hello Missus! Thanks for these suggestions, they are very cool!

Lighting we have already, goes on at movement, but it's close to the house, and doesn't extend the whole length of the garden. We do have one big firethorn, but I am all for planting hawthorn, I adore the stuff! The fences are a major issue. I am trying to work out which side my bro is responsible for; thing is on one side, the neighbours are very aware, on the other, rather more lackadaisical.

The side the fenceposts are on is the side you are normally responsible for, so if you have any fence at all is should be easy enough to work out. They tend to be consistent all down the street, so even if you don't it should be possible to work out from the responsible neighbours.

Dig a bag shaped game trap lined with spikes. That'll teach the prowler the blessing of a good thick skirt.

Ah! Mary Kingsley! I've got her works here, studied them for my M.A. Ain't she amazing? Anyone who ends up swapping garments with cannibals is very cool:-)

What ever animal deterent you select, get only one of them, preferably male, so it can't multiply. Remember your gift... ;o)

:-D I know! Trouble is I get guilty about them being alone, and then they pull some kind of gender deception on me. Next thing you know...

Angry

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Guard Geese

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