Bloody long post, and not happy news :(

In short, I'm having problems from what could loosely be called children. Not mine, the local lot with their asbo's.

I think it was them on Tuesday calling at me as I got out of car with girls after Abby's swimming lesson. They were jsut calling out can we come to yours for dinner, and I didnt even acknowledge that I'd heard them. Little brats being well brats I thought, and got on with life.

You're getting the full details btw so I have it for myself as a record, if you want the short story, stop reading now.

So then last night, would have been about 8pm, I heard a noise. I thought it was Holly jumping down off of the ladder to Amos'. But then Holly came downstairs and said it was the door, so I went and looked. There was my bike, that had been in my garden. Someone had taken it from my garden, and rammed it into my door. Naturally by then, there was no one in sight. About 10 minutes later, there was another thud at the door, and this time I jsut opened it and let the dog run. I also ran, usually unheard of I know. Its amazing what anger can help you do. Kids got to corner before me, and by time I'd rounded it, no sign. So I went and knocked on the door of the local troublemakers, eldest of whom cant be more than 10. Mother answered, I said I'd had some trouble from some kids, had hers been in the whole time? And this other woman there went off on one. BIG time, shouting and screaming and swearing at me, barely let me get a word in, and eventually mother pushed her away and shut door. Was only way to get her to shut up.

I was really really shaken by it all. Felt very scared, vulnerable and unsafe in my own home :(

Oh, and one other tiny but possibly relevant thing. As I ran down road after them, dog ahead of me, I passed another child, who kinda said whoa, as dog ran past. As I was knocking door, said child walked past me into side door. He had a carrier bag so had just been to shop. Now him I saw again today, so is likely to back his mates up with their lies, but wasnt one last night.

Annoyingly I didnt actually see any of them properly last night, it was dark, so theres fuck all I can do :-\

However today......I had jsut left tescos with the girls when my mobile rang. It was Amos who told me he'd heard the gate, looked out the window and saw kids running off down the road with my strimmer. He rang me at 16.46, so it happened a few minutes earlier.

I got home, unloaded shopping and went down to try and sort things. You'll all be stunned to hear I knocked on the same door as last night. Only this time Amos had seen and I knew it was one of them. No response to start with, so I knocked again, heard a voice tell a child to not answer door, so I knocked again. Voice shouted to go away. So I called out " return my property then". That got the door open!

I explained calmly, that the kids had been seen taking tennis rackets and my strimmer, and it was undoubtably jsut them thinking it childish pranks, but I wanted my stuff back.

I dont believe it was childish pranks btw, I think they are nasty little shits. But in the interests of getting it sorted calmly and easily....

She said she'd have a word with them, I said thank you, and walked off. Went to my lovely neighour who lives opposite and who I spoke to about it all last night. As we're talking 2 of the little shits appeared with 2 of MY tennis rackets, adn a ball. They threw them onto my garden from half way down the street, but I spose they had at least jsut about returned them. Very helpfully my neighour instantly recognised one of them, and we already knew the identity of the other.

They then sauntered off, and I called to them to return my strimmer too. They played innocent and said stuff like waht strimmer? we aint got no strimmer? I told them they had been seen with it, and to give it back.

The house in question is down the road from me, and round the corner, 3rd house along, and has an alley to its back garden. So kids go down alley, and about this time mad woman from last night appears. This time I recognise her, and lovely neighbour even knows a name. She was a lot calmer (ie sober), and asked what was going on. I told her, and when after a minute or two there were no children re appearing, we walked to the corner, where I saw the 3 little toads legging it, one of them holding MY STRIMMER!! They went down Grove Gardens, which at that point is a dead end. However, that wasnt gonna worry them. WHen after am inute they didnt re appear I followed, and they were going over a fence into a back garden. However someone who lives down there had heard a nosie, and had his window open telling them to get down.

Frustratingly, he didnt see them with my strimmer. So at the moment, its gone. The kids jsut swaggered off and said that I couldnt prove anything. Arrogant, cocky little bastards.

Annoyingly, we all know they are right. I didnt see which one actually was holding the strimmer, and there were 3 of them :-\ However I have spoken to the police and someone is coming out to take a statement tomorrow at 5pm

My biggest worry at the moment is that they will continue to harass me. They know damn well they can get away with most things. Speaking to the police has helped though, today I dont feel upset as such. Angry more than anything else

So there we have it. I shall update you on what else happens. I suspect it will be when, not if :(