Windchimes

When we moved here from a busy street in studentland we were looking forward to quiet neighbours and peaceful nights.  Our neighbours are a lovely friendly and quiet family who garden and encourage wildlife - we couldn't ask for better - except they have a windchime which they think is lovely. During the day we hardly hear it, even when we're in the garden, but at night, especially if there's a breeze, it keeps my OH awake.  He acknowledges he's a light sleeper, but surely he shouldn't have to wear earplugs in order to get a night's sleep.  

Do you like windchimes?  Do you have windchimes?  Do your neighbours have windchimes?

Do you have a view?

Hi Dove, I have a few little chimes both in outside and in. The neighbours just have a blank huge lawn but fortunatley their noisey, yappy nippy terrier is kept indoors (not good for the dog) but good for me

I love my sleep so if it was keeping me awake it would really annoy me. Although I have the ablity to sleep through anything

I have a small tinkly windchime that I only hang in my tree from late spring untill mid-autumn and if its very windy I'll bring it in at night to be conciderate to my good neighbours. A chap at work hasn't spoken to his neighbours for years after falling out over the noise from his neighbours waterfall fountain....

I think part of our problem is that the neighbour's house has an extension which shields their bedroom windows from the sound - also the gardens are terraced, so their garden is about 4 ft higher and therere 4 ft nearer to our windows.  Our neighbours are keen on sailing, and they've said that the tinkling of the chimes reminds them of the sounds of the rigging on a windy night. 

Lily  that's really considerate of you.

Our neighbours used to have windchimes, and I found them extremely annoying - I couldn't hear the birds for their noise.

Fortunately, they got tired of them quite quickly and removed them.

I have to say I hate wind chimes that are like doorbells gone wrong.My neighbour ,bless,has these annoying clanging tubes blowing about and disturbing the peace.He does not sit in  the garden and does not have his windows open to listen to the noise of it! I will have to admit to dislodging it one night (with a long pole) where it now lays forlorn  on the floor,he has not even noticed.

 Maybe when they go away on holiday ....  I think the clothes prop will reach 

jackie frost wrote (see)

Hi Dove, I have a few little chimes both in outside and in. The neighbours just have a blank huge lawn but fortunatley their noisey, yappy nippy terrier is kept indoors  ....

 Don't suppose the terrier could have been driven to distraction by your chimes?  Just a thought   Shall I make you a cuppa? 

Chimes would drive me nuts.

But the real problem is actually inside your own head. Some people live adjacent to motorways, or just beneath aircraft flight paths. And the noise doesn't affect them. Although many would not be able to stand that.

There's a moralist kiddies story about a man who is irritated just by a tiny twittering bird (can't recall all the details).

Some people can live beneath a fight path, and find peace, while others are irritated by the tiniest thing.

It's all in the mind.

I dont think so....

The reaction to chimes IS in the mind.

Other people can hear them as well. But, for some reason, they don't get irritated.

And the more a person worries about a problem like this, the worse the problem becomes. It can gnaw away at them.

I find certain frequencies cut through to my hearing, the big cluncky wooden ones I don't notice, the tiny tinckley ones are ok too it's the medium metal ones which seem to penetrate my hearing, I don't have any in the garden not much point really we're far to sheltered at the back! I think you could be onto a winner with the prob when they go on holidays, it will be interesting to see if they even notice!

Friar Francesco Colonna wrote (see)

The reaction to chimes IS in the mind.

Other people can hear them as well. But, for some reason, they don't get irritated.

And the more a person worries about a problem like this, the worse the problem becomes. It can gnaw away at them.

Yes, some people are more sensitive to aural stimulation than others, just as others are more sensitive to other sensory stimulants, but this is because of the way their brains are wired.  I work with people with autism, and to put it very simply some of them have high levels of sensitivity to various stimuli such as sound, touch or taste, and others whose sensory receptors are dulled and they can tolerate much firmer touch, louder sound, coarser textures etc .  Although we still have a lot to learn about the nature of autism, what we do know is that we all have these tendencies to some degree.

To say that 'it's all in the mind' is not true ; however it is 'in the brain' and if that is the way your brain is 'wired' and you are susceptible to certain sounds then there is nothing you can do to change this and if people have to put up with stimuli that are, in effect painful, is like torture.

some people like pop music others classical,opera or folk singing,to me I like the sound of nature not man made nonsense in my garden,With its all in the mind what are we?And I too work  voluntary with learning difficulties E.T.C at the riding for disabled and its lovely to see them interacting with animals and people plus achieving something special to them.In the mind is to know how to unlock that thing that triggers a response that's  communicating.I am going off on another track ,so IL shut up.

I have a windchime but its only up during the gentle breeze of summer...like the other lady I take it down from autumn through to winter as winds are much stronger and I know it would keep not only my neighbours but also my own daughter awake !! Makes perfect sense for it to be seasonal

I have a chime in my air corner. I use it for my outside activities but I tie it up if its windy. Flowering Rose...dont 'shut up' lol, I like your posts on threads lol

The natural sound of the wind if far nicer ,especially in the evening. Why ever would you prefer the clattering and clanging of bit of metal?

What ever is wrong with you people that have wind chimes?

Don't be so selfish and disrespectful to those around you. If you like the sound of fake, keep them in your house and blow on them, put a fan on them, what ever, but don't force other people to listen to your obnoxious idiot 'instruments'.

I had a wind chime in my garden that sounded lovely during the day in a gentle breeze. But at night it really got on my nerves and one night when it was really windy I got so fed up with them I got out of bed and went out side to remove them, now they just hang in the greenhouse.