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Spontaneity

Miss Sis

One Too Many
Messages
1,888
Location
Hampshire, England Via the Antipodes.
I hear you, girls! I don't really like people turning up when I haven't had a chance to tidy and hoover. The Boy is very untidy - hey, I am a bit too - so I need at least 10 minutes to throw stuff in cupboards and clean the loo.

It does depend on how well you know people though. A really good friend stayed recently - I knew she was coming - but it was a Friday, I'd had a really busy work week and the cleaning didn't all get done before she got here. She said "I feel so much better knowing you aren't quite the clean freak I thought!" (nicely) Apparently when I went to see her she said she was having a fit to get it in an acceptable state for me! I felt bad - I'm only hard on myself, not on others! lol
 

Mrs Cleaver

One of the Regulars
Messages
161
Location
N.S.W Australia
I have to say i don't like unexpected guests.I have 4 kids,one is a toddler,one is a teenager & 2 have special needs so alot of the time my house looks like a tornado has been through it.Even if i spend the majority of the day doing housework it's never spotless & i feel mortified if people turn up & there is a mess everywhere.Thankfully i don't usually have to worry too much about people just turning up as we live well out of town right down the back of a very rough dirt road.Although, living in the country the neighbours have a habit of dropping in at any hour eg:8.30 at night or 6.00 in the morning.The older lady from a neighbouring property caught me coming out in my underwear very early in the morning then had the hide to ask me what i was doing walking about half naked[huh]
 

CherryWry

One of the Regulars
Messages
139
Location
New Hampshire
I'm relatively ok with people stopping by unannounced. We tend to have some clutter on the kitchen counter and dining room table, and we have two cats who give each other arbitrary beatings several times a day, so there's usually a fair amount of cat hair floating around, but typically the house isn't too bad. I'm certainly not in the running for any Good Housekeeping awards, but I'm not in danger of having my home condemned as a menace to public health, either.

When we do get unannounced guests, typically either my husband or I will entertain them in the kitchen for a few minutes while the other does whirlwind clutter-removal-sofa-cushion-fluffing-bathroom-wiping-stuffing-things-in-closets.

All our overnight guests have been incredibly courteous. I can't think of anyone I wouldn't welcome back.
 

bunnyb.gal

Practically Family
Messages
788
Location
sunny London
Lola Getz said:
I'll be the spoilsport--I am uncomfortable with drop-in guests, even if they are not overnight! I like plenty of warning to get everything tidy and not feel so pressured. I wouldn't be able to enjoy their company if I didn't have enough time to prepare. However, I am pretty high strung so maybe that's just me.

I'll be another spoilsport...I need to have maximum tidiness and preparedness and notice or I feel very uncomfortable having people in my home. We have 3 dogs as well, and one of them was abused so is people-phobic. I want this home to be his sanctuary as much as possible. (And mine - I work with people all day and I need my decompression time. Lots of it lol )

My other half has a buddy who I think was thinking of our place as a place to rest between his serial blind dates, and would want to stay at a few hours notice. Once, twice, and then I just had to put my foot down. What really irked me is that he earns a salary that is such that he could likely afford to spend the night at Claridges if he had the notion. I think it was incredibly rude of him to ask to stay on a running basis.
 

Puzzicato

One Too Many
Messages
1,843
Location
Ex-pat Ozzie in Greater London, UK
bunnyb.gal said:
I'll be another spoilsport...I need to have maximum tidiness and preparedness and notice or I feel very uncomfortable having people in my home. We have 3 dogs as well, and one of them was abused so is people-phobic. I want this home to be his sanctuary as much as possible. (And mine - I work with people all day and I need my decompression time. Lots of it lol )

When we got our cat we had one friend just drop over with her toddler because the child "wanted to hold the kitty". Um, no. She's not a toy, she's not used to children and she needed to adjust to being in a new place. If we wanted your ill-mannered offspring to maul our cat, we'd invite you over.
 

Miss Scarlet

One of the Regulars
Messages
161
Location
Tring, Hertfordshire
Puzzicato said:
If we wanted your ill-mannered offspring to maul our cat, we'd invite you over.
:eusa_clap

My house tends to not be entirely messy so I'm fine having guests spontaneously turn up (by spontaneous I mean they have sent me a text/called me to ask if they can pop over later). I always think a little bit of clutter generally makes people feel a little more comfortable. If I go to a spotless house it makes me a little edgey as I don't want to ruin anything or make a mess, similarly I don't want to go to an absolute tip of a house. I like to have a house that looks as though it's lived in, but is also clean and tidy, which is what I aspire to do.

The thing I panic more about is how much of a mess I am. If I'm having a lazy day in old clothes, no make up and flyaway hair I do not want anyone popping over randomly. I often don't answer the door at all on these days because I'm too ashamed of the way I look to see the postman, let alone receive guests.
 

HepKitty

One Too Many
Messages
1,156
Location
Idaho
bunnyb.gal said:
My other half has a buddy who I think was thinking of our place as a place to rest between his serial blind dates, and would want to stay at a few hours notice. Once, twice, and then I just had to put my foot down. What really irked me is that he earns a salary that is such that he could likely afford to spend the night at Claridges if he had the notion. I think it was incredibly rude of him to ask to stay on a running basis.

that is rude. as queen of your castle you have every right to tell that schmuck that it's YOUR castle, not a hotel. not only that I don't think I'd care much to hear about all of his dates
 

HepKitty

One Too Many
Messages
1,156
Location
Idaho
Miss Scarlet said:
:eusa_clap
(by spontaneous I mean they have sent me a text/called me to ask if they can pop over later)

yes that's reasonable. either that or if they don't, and you're really not ready for company, you're well within your right to pretend you're not home...
 

Puzzicato

One Too Many
Messages
1,843
Location
Ex-pat Ozzie in Greater London, UK
HepKitty said:
yes that's reasonable. either that or if they don't, and you're really not ready for company, you're well within your right to pretend you're not home...

I just remembered a night when I opened the door (having spent the whole day in my pyjamas) to find some friends on the doorstep with a bottle of wine. These are not spontaneous people, so I looked at them a bit blankly and it turned out that my husband had run into them a couple of days before and invited them over for dinner. And completely forgot and didn't tell me. Fortunately they only live 5 minutes away, so I had to apologise, invite them properly for the following weekend and suggest that future arrangements be made through me. I really am terribly inhospitable :eek:
 

HepKitty

One Too Many
Messages
1,156
Location
Idaho
Puzzicato said:
I just remembered a night when I opened the door (having spent the whole day in my pyjamas) to find some friends on the doorstep with a bottle of wine. These are not spontaneous people, so I looked at them a bit blankly and it turned out that my husband had run into them a couple of days before and invited them over for dinner. And completely forgot and didn't tell me. Fortunately they only live 5 minutes away, so I had to apologise, invite them properly for the following weekend and suggest that future arrangements be made through me. I really am terribly inhospitable :eek:

lol in PJs I won't answer the door for sure! but overall I don't mind I don't have company very often so I really don't have anything to worry about
 

Honey Bee

One of the Regulars
Messages
204
Location
Northern California
Shoot, I even tell my grown kids they'd best call before coming over!
I tell The Mister not to fix the potholes in the drive...keeps out visitors, especially in the winter!
But last night we did have an unexpected visitor and his boys...and was I ever glad I did, look what he bought!
A 1962 Chevy Nova!

DSC06087.JPG


I forgave them immedietly!!
 

Mrs Cleaver

One of the Regulars
Messages
161
Location
N.S.W Australia
WOW!!.Now that's the kind of unexpected guest i would welcomelol .What a beauty,gorgeous colour too.If i lived near you i would be asking if i could come over & stroke it:D
 

Honey Bee

One of the Regulars
Messages
204
Location
Northern California
Mrs Cleaver said:
WOW!!.Now that's the kind of unexpected guest i would welcomelol .What a beauty,gorgeous colour too.If i lived near you i would be asking if i could come over & stroke it:D

I'm friends with his wife as well, going to ask her to take me for a spin soon!!
 

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