Poor mum

[Gemini]

Nothing has happened to my mum, I hasten to add, not directly anyway but she is shaken
Yesterday 2 men broke into a neighbouring house, while the occupants were away on holiday. Not very efficient burglars, as the people in the other semi heard them and phoned the police. Police arrived, burglars scarpered over the back fence,into mums next door neighbours garden, then into mums, where they hid in the shed. The good news is they were caught. The other bit of good news was that mum was unware of any of this, until the police knocked on her front door!

Apparently there were several police cars and even police dogs!!

Mum knew OH and I were in London, back late, but phoned me this morning, very shaken. Unfortunately I was literally heading out of the door to collect GS, as DD had to stay in for workmen. I despatched OH off to see to mum. She just needed a friendly face, and also the shed door was standing open, and as there is a lot of standing water in her back garden at the moment she couldn't do anything about it. OH took her wellies and sorted it out. Mum loves OH, and as a retired funeral director she knows how to be calming and reassuring. Mum and dad moved to that house when I was 3 years old. She loves it and has always felt safe there.
At 87, she is naturally shaken. Hopefully the fact that they didn't attempt to break into mums but merely sheltered in her shed will help her get over it.

Am amusing aside - OH said she had to llaugh imagining their faces on jumping into mums garden and finding themselves deep in mud and water!!

[Nanto2girls]

Only natural for your Mum to be shaken, it must have been quite unnerving when she answered her door to the police.
So pleased they were caught, if I had my way they would have their hands chopped off.Sorry if that offends anyone, but it is how I feel.

[Grauntie Mag]

Crikey, I wouldn't want that experience myself, or the knowledge that people had been lurking in my shed. Your poor mum Gemini. I hope she is made of stern stuff.

[Oma]

Your poor Mum I bet she was shaken up, glad they didn't get any further than the shed xx

[Daisy]

I'm glad you Mum is ok, Gem. She must have had a bit of a shock to open her front door to a fleet of police cars and dog handlers! Well done to OH for making sure she was ok and calming her.

If she would like a funny tale of how incompetent burglars can be, tell her this one: Burglars tried to break into a large house in our village, but were caught in the security lights and as burglars do, scarpered down to the bottom of the garden and over the wall into the house behind. They were even more startled when sirens, klaxons and all sorts of searchlights were followed by police helicopters overhead. The garden they had 'escaped' into is the home of someone who has police protection 24/7!! Moral of the story - don't jump over fences of elderly ladies with muddy gardens, or famous people's country pads!

[Qwerty]

What a shock for mum it will have unnerved her a little but glad no harm came to her Gem

[Plantaholic]

That must have shaken your mum Gemini, not nice to know someone has been sheltering in your garden.

[ZIZI]

Poor Mum. Thank goodness she was not aware, she would have been so frightened.

I know only too well what it is like as I have recently described. Plus we have been burgled twice in fifteen years. One time we were on holiday and among other things they took my work mobile. In those days we used to get a breakdown of what calls we had made and there were lots of calls made after the burglary. When I got the bill I photocopied it and sent it to the police. They said the numbers called were 1) a single mother who didn't remember someone calling her. I do not believe that as there were several calls one after another some lasting only a few seconds 2) 3 x unregistered pay as you go mobiles so nobody could be traced. What on earth gives these people the idea that they are right to break into houses and steal? In one of the burglaries the beggars broke into our shed and used our shovel to smash the front door in. When the man came to measure up the new windows we said we wanted a new front door even though our front door is only six years old after the burglary, the man said he wondered why they did tht as our double glazing can be unclipped and lifted out from the outside and they could have got in through the bottom hall window from the outside without damaging the door. Thank goodness we re now having immoveable DG.

[Qwerty]

Zizi we were burgled many years ago when we were on holiday and they got in by pulling the dustbin to the kitchen window to climb on ,unscrewing th expel air fan lifted it out and just put their hand in to open the window cheeky G**S we now are super secure I hope alarmed , security lighting and intercom at the bottom of the drive no one gets in gates are locked, having said that we have had the shed broken into twice from the back garden it was on a separate alarm but they just ripped it out and threw it in the field no one heard anything the alarm was still bleeping in the field 3 dys later!!!

[Clover]

Oh gosh when I saw the heading of this thread I wondered what on earth had happened. I'm so glad your Mum wasn't physically hurt but anyone would be shocked and upset.The cheek of these people is unbelievable. I do hope Mum feels better soon especially now she has spoken to you.

[Gemini]

It's a horrible feeling being burgled.
In my previous home we were burgled twice, 14 years apart, and I had my car broken into once and OH had his broken into twice. We lived in town then, so having to park on the road it was more likely.Mum has lived in that house for 58 years and has been luckily enough to have never experienced burglary in her life, except through my experience. This is why this has hit her hard. You do almost become immune to this sort of thing once it has happened, sad to say!

[Qwerty]

I hope she realises that an experience like this is rare after 58 yrs and hope she can be reassured it must be an added worry for you too Gem xx

[ZIZI]

Q our first burglary here was when we were in holiday in Mauritius. We had a colleague of husband's cat sitting. He used to stay in a Premier or Travel Lodge for his shifts and then drive back to the West Country. We were in the garden of the hotel with gin and tonics and I was trying, unsuccessfully, to get into a hammock so there was a lot of giggling. Husband took a phone call from a police officer saying they wanted to come around and when he questioned why the lady officer said "Oh SH*T I should have called the other number" as in the house sitter number. It spoiled the holiday completely although the colleague did clear up and arranged to secure the property. I just really wanted to get home to see what had been taken.

I share Q's thoughts that Mum is assured that once in 58 years is quite good. Sorry you have got the sticky end of it Gem.

[Gemini]

We have been impressed by the number of police visits made to my mum since this incident. She has had 3 separate visits. On one of these it sounds as though she told the 2 young policewomen her life history, and almost kept them captive
This is very good, especially considering mum wasnt actually burgled, and didnt know anything had happened until it was over.

[Daisy]

Gem - that's good to hear. We hear so much of police being unavailable or not responding, so when they show extra concern for an elderly lady on her own it's good news.