The people in the flat opposite - a thirtysomething couple with a small child, the dad's a bit of a shaven headed wideboy, the mum's a bit of a tattooed hippy - keep their curtains open most days. As is their right, obviously. I tend to keep mine shut in the daytime, because our window faces east and the glare from the sun makes it difficult to see the computer screen. But when I have them open, I can see right into the people opposite's flat, whether I like it or not.

They're on the 2nd floor and we're on the 3rd, so we have a full downwards view of their life, whereas they probably only see my head and shoulders. They're completely within my sightline, so my eye is naturally and involuntarily drawn to any movement down there.

I find it kind of passively intrusive, if that phrase makes sense. I don't like them thinking that I'm staring at them, just because I'm trying to get a bit of daylight and enjoy the Brighton skyline. But they probably don't think that. They probably understand. Surely?

A few months ago, though, the mum was walking around with her tits out. That was a bit uncomfortable, because if they looked up and saw me, they'd probably assume I was perving. Which I bloody wasn't. Why should I leave my computer and inconvenience myself just because she's forgotten to get dressed?

That was bad enough. Two nights ago, it got a whole lot worse. I was sat here at my computer, and happened to glance downwards to see them going at it, doggystyle. This time I did have to get up and walk away. If they'd made eye contact with me at that point... it doesn't bear thinking about.

To make it even creepier, they were doing it right next to their kid, who is small enough to be in a cot/playpen thing, but big enough to be walking upright on two feet.

(Here's where you lot all call me some sort of weird prude, "It's healthy and natural to have sex in front of your kids. Why, only last night I was slamming my missus like a steamhammer right in front of our daughter while she did some colouring-in with her crayons.")

I went to tell Mrs Rhino "You won't believe what's going on down there." As I left the room, Mrs Rhino (who has fewer qualms about the uncomfortableness of this sort of thing) went to have a look, and confirmed that I wasn't imagining it. By this point the dad was apparently wanking himself off over the mum's back.

The thing that got me was they must have known that we, and indeed everyone else in the block opposite, would be able to see. It's almost as if they were blatantly inviting voyeurism, and getting some sort of exhibitionist kick out of it. (Rather than having just forgotten to draw the curtains.)

I dunno where to go with this, really. Like, have you witnessed anything like this? (Or, god forbid, perpetrated it?)

i bet they'd have had a different reaction if they looked up and saw your missus looking at them than you though.

But it's a philosophical thing. Maybe they are just rejecting the impositions of apartment living. I mean why should they have to draw the curtains? For instance I like to go out on the balcony outside my bedroom window with a cup of coffee with my dressing gown flapping wildly in the wind and let the breeze caress me.

The people in the irish 02 headquarters opposite are clever people, and they have learned not to look out of that side of the building so I have effectively created an ocean of privacy and now everyone's happy.

time I did have to get up and walk away

Is that a typo?

What's wrong with you, SR? That's brilliant! All I've got is the people over the road with their bedroom in the converted loft. Their window is a couple of feet lower down than our equivalent, so we can see them but they can't really see us. However, in two years the only action I've seen is the woman who used to live there wandering about topless once, and a grim but compelling episode the other week when the male half of the couple who live there now returned home drunk, and unsteadily undressed in full, in front of the window, with the lights on.

Increasingly I'm feeling that checking the overnight video footage when I get up just isn't worth it.

Mrs and Mr Rhino, on Wednesday evening.

Sounds like they're dogging without leaving their flat.
The kid bit is definitely not on.

loose cannon wrote:

QUOTE:
Sounds like they're dogging without leaving their flat.
The kid bit is definitely not on.

Maybe the child is just really spoilt and he asked them to do it?

QUOTE:
The kid bit is definitely not on.

Even if there were no kid in their flat, there could be any number watching from opposite.

They've recently built a whole load of blocks of "luxury apartments" on the waterfronts in Salford Quays, the kind where the front room appears hardly large enough for a sofa and a telly, despite price tags of something obscene like £300k.

One of our offices is right adjacent to this development, and because our computers might be displaying sensitive information, we have smoked windows that you can't see through from the outside. But you can see out. The apartments have not been built with the same thought about privacy, and so the people in there, perhaps unaware that the building just over the quay houses over 1,000 workers who can see right into their luxury home , get up to all sorts. People wandering around nude, having sex in the front room, what appear to be drugs deals taking place - all life is laid bare to the delighted (if less productive than before) workers.

QUOTE:
despite price tags of something obscene like £300k.

Rogin, that is so last year. They're giving them away for cornflake packet tops now.

QUOTE:
(Here's where you lot all call me some sort of weird prude, "It's healthy and natural to have sex in front of your kids. Why, only last night I was slamming my missus like a steamhammer right in front of our daughter while she did some colouring-in with her crayons.")

Hahaha.

The office I used to work in in Montreal was right across from the hotel. In the mornings, we used to get a lot of full frontals of naked guys clambering out of bed and having a good yawn and stretch while looking up towards the mounatin. Unpleasant.

In Toronto, the most famous voyeur/exhibitionism event occurred at a baseball game about 20 years ago. Skydome has a hotel built into it, and some rooms look onto the field. During one game, a couple started going at it in one of those rooms in full view of the assembled 40,000 fans. Room contracts at the hotel now specify a code of conduct with respect to bein' naked in front of a window, etc.

Press coverage in those days was especially purient, so I don't know if there were more cheers than gasps of disapproval. Seeing as this is Toronto, I'm inclined to think it was the latter, but you never know.

The other week I walked out onto our balcony in the morning with my dressing gown on, only for an old man in the street below to give me a sarcastic round of applause. That was dispiriting, to say the least.

The_Liquidator wrote:

QUOTE:
The other week I walked out onto our balcony in the morning with my dressing gown on, only for an old man in the street below to give me a sarcastic round of applause. That was dispiriting, to say the least.

Should have pissed on him.

It's what balconies are for.

hah! was it just an unseasonally cold day then? Just as well I have no old men living around my area. Old women are probably worse though.

you just keep on trucking Liq. My attitude is that I was scratching myself on my balcony long before that office block was there, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let them stop me. My only regret is that I don't live further up the street where I could torture the good citizens of the Economic Social research institute.