Re: Knife and fork usage
 

It's not that big a deal guys! Much worse things going on! Maybe I have just been here longer and got used too the way things are, but I can't remember it ever bothering me enough to cause an issue:confused:

When in Rome and all that....

Now if you wanna talk about blinds being closed 24/7:blink:...ok i'm leaving!:lol:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Yeah, what is with that?

Although in all honesty, I don't completely open mine. But they're opened enough to see out and let the light in. :)

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I have cunningly hit upon a signal to the server of my own since the knife and fork signal doesn't seem to work here. I crumple a tissue and put it on my plate when I'm finished. Works like a charm!

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Yes but what we need is the signal for 'Please don't snatch the plate from under ny nose."

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I have a solution for that too!! Why rest both your elbows in your plate and they can't lift it!!!

Done deal!!

I am on a roll with all the good advice I'm giving out today!!



Just have to work on staying away....

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I don't want to get food on my boobs :lol:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I find throwing the plates on the ground much less confusing.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Are these posts related ?
I notice its a tissue and not a napkin.
Finished what exactly?

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

...wiping my mouth of course!!!

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Razor wire.........

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

:lol:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

So who closes blinds - Brits or Yanks?

My visiting (Brit) family seem paranoid about open blinds; even though my house sits high on a hill, has gorgeous panoramic views and no hope of anyone ever looking inside, they seem to hate me leaving the blinds open at night. We have floor-to-ceiling windows and at night the view is stunning ... So I'm guessing it's the Brits who close blinds ... but not sure what you are getting at :)

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I think that's more out of habit, and old habits die hard!

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I have to confess: I HATE having curtains open at night for all and sundry to get a good nosy at my windows. I am definitely guilty of old habits. :o

I also insist on locked doors at night. My OH thinks I'm bonkers.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

(most) Brits do tend to close blinds curtains at night, when the lights are on inside the house (at night) that is when people can see in, so mine get closed, usually only in the room I am sitting in though.

I was actually talking about the daytime, didn't want to resurrect this 'old' discussion, but it seems to me that it's the Americans that have a 'habit' of keeping blinds/curtains closed during the day....sometimes it is to save fading on furniture/carpets etc, but more often is just out of habit:confused:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

You know what? I don't care how you hold your bloody fork or knife as long as you keep 'em the hell off MY plate!!

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

:blink::confused:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Some nutter might walk through our unlocked front door and machete us in the middle of the night! :eek:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Now i'm totally confused. Isn't it completely normal to close the curtains at night and the lock the doors before going to bed?
That's not weird old habits is it? It's just the normal, sensible thing to do.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I do. you can't see the wonderful view anyway if the lights are on.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Depends where you live I guess.

We only close our curtains on our big sliding door to stop people seeing in if they are considering breaking in.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I know :unsure:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

My faces weren't for you, they were for your husband. Why would you not lock your door? :blink: Although in saying that, my sister lived in Texas in the 80's, in a small town, and never locked her door and left her keys in the ignition of her car....:ohmy:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

My OH grew up in Minnesota, where everyone knows everyone else and it's perfectly sensible to leave doors and cars unlocked.

Me? I grew up in grotty Harrow, where if you even had your car window cracked an inch you'd lose your stereo. I lock our cars even in our garage now, with the garage door closed and front door locked! Just can't stop doing it, even though it drives Mr Gingerert crazy when he tries to load up the car before work. :lol:

I'd rather keep my belongings... and limbs... Just not taking any chances.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Simply to keep the heat out in the summer and reduce AC cost, and to keep heat in during the winter to save oil....windows are generally pretty crap around here, except for new builds.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Good reasons, I just always associate closed curtains during the day with the 'tradition' in the UK being that closed curtains during daylight usually meant the inhabitants were in 'mourning':huh:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Learn something new everyday. I've never heard of such a tradition.

We keep our blinds closed because of the reasons Bob mentioned. In addition to those reasons, since we typically aren't home during the day I don't want anyone peeking in a window and taking a liking to something we own..and we like our privacy. I don't want anyone seeing what I'm doing in my own house (cuz I sometimes don't like clothes ya know).

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

This is what gets me. People keep the blinds closed during the day to keep the heat out. But it's also popular over here to have extra windows in the house where there's not actually a room, they're just for show. That's just daft.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

It's an old tradition, goes back a long way, not sure if people still do it these days.

Thing is, (here anyway in newer houses) most of them have flyscreens on the bottom half of the windows, so I could pull my blinds up completely to the top of those and noone could see in anyway, even if they get close up (unless lights are on)

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I think it's a tradition that went out of date decades ago in the UK.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

It may be out of 'fashion' now, the last funeral I went too in the UK was about 18 yrs ago, the family still closed the curtains though, I think it is more for visitors (or used to be) to let them know they should show respect and not disturb until the curtains were opened again:confused:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

The last time I recall seeing curtains closed for mourning was when I was a child. So yes that would be about 18 yrs ago. ;):lol:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

That would make you still a 'wee sprog' :lol::thumbup:

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

It depends on how you are defining "nomal" Its whatever works for you and the family. We never have our curtains closed - not even at night and we keep the windows wide open. Now in saying that we do have black-out curtains in the kids rooms that we do hang in the summer to help them get to sleep at nite.

We do lock our cars and house although with a golden lab with a deep evil bark I dont think anyone would ever be able to break in without it being known.

Or on the other hand, so people dont see what you and the wife are up to.....;)

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I tend to do the same thing here as I did at home, that is I keep the blinds closed when no-one is home and at night, but if I'm home and it's daylight then I open them to let in the light. The only time I close them during the day at home is if the sun is in my eyes, or is casting a glare on the TV and what not. My American wife doesn't seem to have an issue with it so it must be a universal practice. Generally I don't like to have blinds open at night, it makes the room look untidy to me, I can't explain it but if the lights need to be on, for me that is when the blinds are shut. I'll open them (and turn off the lights) if there's a good thunderstorm under way though :)

The one big exception is that I keep the blinds to my music room closed all the time, so the undesirables can't look in to see what I have. For gigs/practices, I load and unload the car in the garage too so no-one really knows I have any expensive gear at home. I use headphones when I play to appease SWMBO anyway, so no noise is generated either!

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

You don't have to because of where you live. However, I live on the first floor and everyone passing my looks into my windows. I don't give a darn about the daytime but in the evening, I don't want to be on exhibition while I sit comfortably at the computer or watching tv while in my jammies. So my blinds are down after sundown and raised again in the morning. The only time that changes is during the summer months when the blinds are lowered 3/4's of the way to keep the sun out and the place a bit cooler.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

This is an extremely good idea.


The rest of this conversation got annoying quickly.. doomed if ya do and doomed if ya don't. We're (Americans) obviously just *wrong* no matter.

FTR, our routine is to open the blinds when we open the house in the morning. That is, when we get up. We close them at sundown when we turn on the interior lights.
We also leave the blinds open all day, even if out. When the sun swings around and starts beating on the western exposure, we usually close those blinds to keep the house cooler.

Don't knock on my door if the blinds are shut. We're not taking callers if the house is not open.

sheesh.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

I don't have many, but this is one of them :)

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

Philistine. You were obviously raised by sausages.

Re: Knife and fork usage
 

lol... we weren't brought up properly, I suppose...

Mrs Bill likes blinds open, windows open, back doors open...

When she's out of town on business, (like today) I can have the house the way I like it - shut up tight as a drum, not a single photon in or out :D