We thought we'd found the perfect solution this year, as my MIL came to my sister's for the first time on Christmas eve, and she and my BIL happily told each other all the dull anecdotes we've all heard a million times. Unfortunately this left MIL slightly discombobulated on Christmas day - presumably she hadn't had time to reboot - and she drove me insane, endlessly commenting on our parenting instead. P tried to talk to her about it later and he said it was completely maddening, as she kept agreeing with him and then telling him a story about how something completely different happened to her, in order to demonstrate her understanding
Luna wrote: ↑Sun Jan 02, 2022 11:38 am
Oh god, old people. My mother’s favourite is banging on about how they didn’t used to have such and such when she was young - be it illness, obesity, food allergies, mental health problems etc yes, that’s because you were born in the war. It’s not comparing like for like, you fascist.
If it makes you feel any better, my older children are no better. Yesterday I imposed a ban on them saying, "people these days..." I keep telling them that people have always been offensive/thin skinned/desperate to fit in/desperate to be unique/twats in general, we just keep finding new ways to go about it.
My mum used to say things like “did I tell you what happened to Pat?” And I didn’t know because there are no clues in that sentence and like 90% of people she knew were called Pat, so she’d old launch into the anecdote and when I said that yes actually she had told me, it made no difference and she’d doggedly carry on until the end anyway .
Morganna wrote: ↑Sun Jan 02, 2022 12:24 am
I feel bad even thinking like this, as she's 87 and won't be here forever, but I'm not saying it out loud, so that's good ;)
My mothers super talent is denying ever conversing about things and misunderstanding my point but then absolutely refusing to admit she’s misunderstood and continuing along with her line of thinking. “No, I don’t mean Doris from around the corner, I mean Doris who was our next door neighbour. Mum, you’re thinking about Doris from around the corner, that’s NOT the Doris I’m on about. Remember the one who lived next door. Mum, you keep talking about the WRONG Doris. Look, come here, *goes to front window* remember the Doris who lived there?” “Oh, why didn’t you just say the Doris next door, you should have made it clearer”
IWLTS: Your Mexican ‘mates’ were hotel workers. In all honesty you were just customers and I doubt they’ve given you a second thought. They’re not your “Mexican family” and I’m sure you're just posting about missing them regularly just so you can keep posting that you spent Christmas in Mexico.
Squirrel wrote: ↑Sun Jan 02, 2022 2:06 pm
My mum used to say things like “did I tell you what happened to Pat?” And I didn’t know because there are no clues in that sentence and like 90% of people she knew were called Pat, so she’d old launch into the anecdote and when I said that yes actually she had told me, it made no difference and she’d doggedly carry on until the end anyway .
Oh god, J's mum does this, except it isn't limited to randomers in her friendship group, there is this whole extended family, most of which J has never met and who I'm supposed to have committed to memory at the point of marrying in. You find yourself slowly nodding along to 'and of course I told you about Cousin Nigel's trip to Calcutta to visit Cousin Reginald's daughters and her husband? Well, it seems that when he got there one of the girls was wearing Auntie Maureen's red mackintosh, you remember the one Margie wore to Cousin Bilal's wedding when they had that terrible storm? Cousin Sylvie had left it behind when she visited in 2003. Well it just goes to show, doesn't it?'
When I go out my mum always asks where my son was. He is away this weekend and I went out with my friend. She asked me this morning where my friend's son was. They are both 25
My MIL (who is 97 and lovely, but has done this since I met her in her 50s) has a favourite line of conversation:
Do you remember Joan?
No.
Oh, she married Frank, who used to live down the road. Remember him?
No, I don't think so.
He had a black dog. Shep, I think his name was.
No, I don't remember him.
He worked with Joe - remember Joe? He went to Australia, I think. Or was it New Zealand? One of those places anyway.
No, I don't think I knew him either.
Oh, well he had three lovely girls - lovely blonde hair. The little one could sit on hers. Anyway, when they went, they sold their house to the Jacksons - the ones who had the buses. You know, the holiday buses? for trips and so on.
Er . . .
Well. Frank had a pacemaker. They said he wouldn't last very long, but he hung on for at least ten years after that. It's amazing what they can do.
Yes, I . . . .
So what was I saying? Oh yes. Joan. She died.
('S/he died' is always the punchline, however long it takes to get there via disjointed tales of neighbours I've never met)
this thread! My granny told us a very long story about her friend who'd been banned from driving "just down the road" and what a disgrace it was, what a good man he'd been, how much he'd done for everyone over the years, and what a great shame it was, and then admitted that he'd had his licence revoked because he was blind!
Thank you for ending this year's IwlTS on such a funny note, all.
"You first have to find out who you are. Then you have to be it like mad."
Lily wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 2:28 pm
I hope that she is, but you won't know unless you try, and people can surprise you! I feel for you though.
In other news: I shoved a load of spongy stuff behind the fan last night, having done a large amount of screwing and unscrewing (hoorah!) and the result is that the neighbour can hear it still but it's so low it's just like the old fan and it didn't wake him up. Result!
Sorry to bump a really old thread but I need to talk about this and don't want to explain it again. My neighbour has decided my fan woke him up this morning. Nothing has changed in the year since this was sorted. I'm certain now that he's hearing things as back in the summer he asked me if it had been on all night as a vibration woke him up (it hadn't). I got an email from him this morning. I just wrote back saying yes it had been on but nothing had changed with it. He wrote back that it had definitely been louder but "let's see if it wakes me up tomorrow". Of course it is going to: he's now convinced that it will so will be keeping an ear open for it.
I haven't replied. I'm now nervous about turning it on in the morning but FFS I'm going to. I know he will wake up and we'll go through the whole rigmarole again. I am under so much pressure at the moment I can't bear it and I feel sick when I see an email from him. He's not being malicious or doing anything wrong but I'm certain he is hearing things now. I cannot do anything about it.
"You first have to find out who you are. Then you have to be it like mad."
Cerise wrote: ↑Sat Nov 12, 2022 10:29 am
I would avoid using it tomorrow to see if he complains.
I would do this, just to test whether there is any basis in reality for his claim. If you don’t use it and he still thinks he can hear it then you can have a lot more information to work with.
I’d say tough on that, Lily. You’re bound to hear the odd noise from an attached neighbour from time to time. It’s not as if you’re deliberately playing Motörhead at full volume every night, is it? It’s a noise your house makes, and you’ve tried to deal with it. If it still annoyed him - tough. Life is noisy.
Thank you all. I've kind of made a rod for my own back as when I moved in I did encourage him to tell me if I disturbed him but I meant loud music not normal everyday things I can't do anything about!
I should've done what Cerise recommended but I didn't see the posts until just now and I've already showered and come to work. I did use it and he hasn't emailed me but I suspect my rather cold tone and lack of response to his last email may have made him back off a bit.
You are right, Margo: it's a noise the house makes, and if he sleeps so poorly if there is any noise he really ought to go somewhere detached. I'm very considerate but I'm not going to be made to feel ill over a bloody extractor fan, not again.
Thank you all x
"You first have to find out who you are. Then you have to be it like mad."
yes, that’s because you were born in the war. It’s not comparing like for like, you fascist.
I keep telling them that people have always been offensive/thin skinned/desperate to fit in/desperate to be unique/twats in general, we just keep finding new ways to go about it.
it made no difference and she’d doggedly carry on until the end anyway 
this thread! My granny told us a very long story about her friend who'd been banned from driving "just down the road" and what a disgrace it was, what a good man he'd been, how much he'd done for everyone over the years, and what a great shame it was, and then admitted that he'd had his licence revoked because he was blind!
