what is the oddest thing someone has done when you have visited their house?

Some years ago DH and I were visiting our best friends in Almaty, Kazakhstan (this was before Borat, when few people had heard of it).One evening their Kazakh nextdoor neighbours invited us round for a meal. Great! I researched the etiquette - take shoes off when entering the house, take a gift - no problem. The language barrier was there, but we managed to communicate using sign language and lots of smiles. Then (unexpectedly) the four of us visitors were invited to have a sauna before dinner ... single sex! FBF and I, having been at school together, had no problem in stripping off together and sauna-ing together. MBF and DH similarly. Then we enjoyed a gorgeous multi-course meal with our generous hosts and their extended family, accompanied by many, many (hic) toasts with vodka. After the meal it was time to sing for our supper - the rule in Kazakhstan is that everyone entertains everyone else after dinner. An electronic keyboard was produced (luckily DH could play) and we tried many and various songs to see what our host recognised. At last we discovered the universal language of The Beatles, and serenaded our hosts with the Fab Four's greates hits. A wonderful, memorable, if unexpected evening!

This didn’t happen to me but to my DH before i met him
Christmas day round at DH aunts house. Let’s call her aunt 1. Aunt 2 also there with her boyfriend and his sister and her husband.
Aunt 1 has a rather lovely large house and is a fabulous hostess. Aunt 1 serves champagne/Prosecco. As the day goes on it the sister of aunt 2’s partner is getting more and more drunk. Turns out she’s been topping up her champagne with vodka from her handbag all afternoon.

After dinner they play a game of charades. The now very very drunk sister of aunt 2 boyfriend happens to pick out something related to winnie the pooh. In her miming of the word pooh she has a little accident
Not sure what happened after that needless to say they have never been invited back for christmas dinner.

Place marking

This one was very recent. Went to my friends birthday bash at her home. Her mother came downstairs. Friend grabbed her mother from behind and began swinging her around the room as if she was a tag doll (pretty big size difference between mother and daughter) mother clearly was uncomfortable but friend kept screaming "she loves it when I do this" most guests left after this 🤦‍♀️😂

An acquaintance of our family (who luckily we rarely have to see but occasionally is forced on us) will go through kitchen cupboards, fridge and help themselves to any food you may have. And should you be eating, your plate. No asking or explanation.

I never want this thread to die! Here's my offering. Please be warned it's a bit long!

When I first met my DH we were pretty skint. He once borrowed His DFs car to take me and my 3yo DD to our nearest city for a day out. BFs DSis lived on outskirts of the city so we rang and said we had a rare loan of the car, and could we call in for a quick visit to say hello, before we went shopping. BF didn’t see his DSis her DP or their kids very often (3yo DD and 4mo DS). Sis replies of course we can call in and out of the blue suggests we leave my DD at theirs to play with her DD and we get ourselves off for a nice afternoon in the city. Gave my DD the choice of what to do and she wants to stay and play with her new friend, they had previously met a couple of times at Pil’s

So, we arrive at DSis house to be greeted by her DP with croaky voice and hangdog expresssion. He explains that both he and DSis have terrible tonsillitis and would we mind taking both of their children to the city with us? I knew there were issues with her being a cf from family stories, but, I felt so sorry for them both dealing with illness and children so of course I agreed, (my BF had already said yes anyway!) However I insisted I was not going to the city with 2 x 3yo and a buggy, so we fitted the two extra car seats and took her kids back to ours. DSis thought this was an ideal solution. I’d later learn that she hated her DB getting anything from their parents that she didn’t get so she felt she was justified getting her kids into the car 🤬

DNep screamed all day with colic, DNc was the MOST ENTITLED CHILD I had ever met and made my DD desperately unhappy with her demands! (She’s actually a lovely young woman now) As it approached the time we had agreed to return children home DSis called and asked us to keep them overnight, I explained her baby DS hadn’t stopped crying for 7 hours so no I couldn’t keep them overnight. She offered us £20 like that would’ve made a difference! As we were loading kids back into car bf’s aunt arrives and says she has agreed to take the kids overnight. With pointed looks at me for refusing. Anyway turns out that DSis and her DP were perfectly healthy and had taken themselves off for an evening out in the city, had terrible hangovers the next day and Aunt had to keep the kids for another night! I should add that bf’s parents had been asked to have kids and mum refused as she had fallen for these tricks before! She didn’t think to warn the aunt though!!

When I was at school my friend invited me to his house for tea, we had some sandwiches together with his parents and then his mum asked if we’d like some banana and tinned custard ... ‘yes please’ we said and off she trotted to prepare it ... she came back with bananas and custard for my friend and I and strawberries and cream for her and her husband - I must have looked funny because she said ‘YOU said you wanted bananas and custard’ ... odd people !

I was quite close friends with a neighbour, although we'd only known them 6 months or so. She'd come round, or invite me round, most days. My 2 daughters were asked to be bridesmaids at their wedding. A month or two before the wedding she suddenly got quite distant. She was pregnant, and nothing had happened between us, so I just thought maybe she was tired, struggling with the pregnancy, whatever.
When the wedding invitations came round, we were only invited to the church wedding, and not the meal or the evening reception. However, we were asked to bring our daughters (the bridesmaids) to both for the photos, but neither us nor they were invited to be part of the proceedings once the actual service was over. I spent years wondering what on earth I'd done wrong, or to upset them.
However, it seems they have form - 3 other neighbours have also gone through the 'inseparable, best friends' with them, lasting between 4 months and a year, only to be dropped with no reason or explanation. Very bizarre

Been there

How am I only just finding this thread. It’s kept me amused for days.

My one to add is this.
When I was about 8 I had a friend who I used to see in the summer. She was at boarding school but stayed in the next village with her grandmother during the summer, which was how I knew her. She spent some of the summer with her grandmother and some with her parents. Her parents were rather odd and ran a restaurant on the sea front of a rather naice sea side town.
I had gone to visit her with her parents for a couple of days on the first day they suggested we go out on their yacht. This was a proper sailing yacht, not a fancy luxury job. We sailed out into sea, out of view of all land and had lunch. Then the mum, dad, my friend and her sister all went off to their cabins for a nap, leaving me, an eight year old, effectively alone on a boat in the middle of the sea. I didn’t know that grown ups (except my elderly aunt) had naps so I didn’t know what had happened. They all just vanished for an hour. I just sat alone on a boat.

When I was 16 (15 years ago ) I had a friend whose parents were well off and lived in a beautiful house. My friend had invited me around for the day and while I was there, asked if I wanted to stay for tea as her parents were having friends around who were staying for the night, I said yes.

She and I start getting changed and all of a sudden she runs into the kitchen topless and does a boob shimmy in front of her dad who looks totally pan faced. No expression, acts totally normal. Weird. She continues.... again, no expression, no reaction... weirder.

I walk back into her bedroom to find her mum ironing the duvet cover while it's on the bed with the duvet in. Mum asks me to flush the loo because friend (16 year old friend!) always forgets to flush after having a poo

We sit down for tea which is a takeaway Chinese and friends dad pours ketchup over his entire meal like it was chocolate sauce over an ice cream. I know this isn't unusual but given the other events it added to an already bizarre evening. We finish tea and friend asks me for a tenner for my meal!!

Friends mum has just lost a stone in weight and the dad kept saying how it meant she could bend into loads of new sex positions now she wasnt fat.

Didn't stay over again.

This thread can’t be finished

House party I attended at dear friends university city in her student house. Her DP had come up to attend the party and it was in full swing. Eventually in the small hours the party wrapped up and DF and her DP announced they were tired. Everyone took this as a sign to start getting ready for bed with the premise that DF and her DP would share her bedroom and everyone else would grab a floor space in the living room. Naturally a queue for the (one) bathroom started emerging and it became blatantly obvious that friend and partner were in there having sex. The queue for the bathroom quickly dispursed and everyone waited downstairs until the couple came down, announced that the bathroom was free, and shut themselves in the bedroom everyone found it bizarre they had their own bedroom to spend "time" together yet chose to occupy the one bedroom...DF and her DP are known for being the selfish smug married type though so this behaviour didn't suprise many people

@Polyethyl - selfish moron - sounds like some folks I have met. Was going to an animal sanctuary in Norfolk back in 2009, “friend” said she wanted to come. We live 30 miles south of London, so the journey was 155-160 miles. I drove her there and when we arrived she skipped off to the Entry Kiosk (Usain Bolt wouldn’t have caught her) and I thought she wanted the loo. But no, she had bought HER ticket. After I had unloaded the car of donations for their shop, I said that we had better get entry tickets and she looked very uncomfortable when I said I would get the tickets. Incredulous, I asked if she had bought just HER ticket and she had the grace to look uncomfortable.. so many people are just users.

Some years ago I met a lady who was the wife of a work colleague. Sadly he became ill and died, which was how I got to meet his wife through visits to see him in hospital, at home and later in the hospice. After the funeral which was attended by most colleagues I stayed in contact with her and she was always asking me to “come over and have your dinner”. Being widowed myself (no family to help) with a DD at boarding school and trying to keep on top of a job, housework, garden and fortnightly visits to DD at school, I was genuinely too tired for any social life but she continued to ask and when I had a day off work due she insisted I go to her house and she would cook dinner. She wanted me to go in the early afternoon so I didn’t have much for lunch because I thought she might eat early in the evening and I am not a big eater, by that I mean, sandwich or soup at lunch and evening meal about 8pm. She also said she wanted my help with something. When I arrived at 2.30 she wanted a lift to the bakers (not driving because could not get back in the car they had shared) so we went there and she bought 2 buns to have with a cup of tea. It was about 3.30 by then. We sat and chatted and obviously I knew something of how she was feeling and we talked about this and that. The evening came and by 8.30 I was hungry, and she was making no move to do any cooking so I said that it was very nice of her to invite me but I could I help her with getting it ready. She looked at me and said “Oh I went out today with a neighbour and had a huge lunch so I’m not having a dinner.” I was surprised to say the least but by that time all I wanted was to get home and cook something. I said that I would have to go and do that when she said that she wanted me to go upstairs and take the bedroom curtains down to alter for her! She knew I could sew and wondered if I could shorten them and make a pelmet from the spare material! I barely had time to sew my own buttons on and she knew I had to do everything myself. She just didn’t get it, up until then we had chatted on the phone for 10 minutes here and there and she was always wanting me to go and have a meal with her. I said I would look at the curtains another time but didn’t think I could take on the task, pointing out I was working full time etc. and had a pile of things of my own to do. When I started to put my coat on she wanted me stay for another cup of tea and seemed oblivious to my hunger. A week later she was asking when I had another day’s holiday due and could I go over and have my dinner with her. I made excuses after that, not difficult, as looking back I don’t know how I coped. I had been a widow for just over 2 years and everything that needed doing was down to me. She had twin boys in their twenties and a brother whereas I had nobody, yet because I could sew she expected things done (she had dresses she wanted altering too). I am not that quick at sewing, I am not a professional I learnt from my mother and at school and had made things in the past for me, DD and my home, but by then I was either working, cleaning, gardening, washing/ironing or driving to school every other weekend, sometimes I fell asleep watching the news at ten. Reading some of the stories on here about close relatives being mean over food I am glad I didn’t have any. I felt a bit awkward after that, every time she asked I wondered what she would ask me to do. Even now if anyone invites me to their home for a meal I double check that they actually mean it. Now I work part-time I have more time for my own jobs but I would not want to take on something for someone else that would use all my ‘spare’ time. I will never forget that afternoon, I remember driving home wondering if I had any eggs indoors so I could make a quick snack.

My mum. I only realised how batshit her "rules" were after leaving home and talking to sane people.

Shoes off at the door (fair enough but you actually have laminate floor throughout so is it really worth having a panic over?)

Do NOT make yourself comfortable on the settee - you must sit in an upright posture at all times or you will Cause Dents.

The armchair must be left unoccupied at all times as it is the sole residence of the chief cat, who died 5 years ago.

Don't drink water from the bathroom, only from the kitchen. Yes I know I own a flat so all the water comes from the same place; I want to make it as difficult as possible for your DS to stay hydrated, given that he can barely reach the taps in the bathroom, let alone the kitchen.

Bitch would do anything to hurt and belittle a man/boy. There's a fair few stories on this thread that have indicated a serious issue.

There's also loads which have been fun. But it's reminded me of why I so very rarely accept overnight invitations!

Back when DH and I were teens, MIL was obsessed with preventing us sharing a bed or having sex in their house.

Bear in mind that we were 19 year olds at university, off for a month at Christmas and visiting to see each other and meet for the first time.

She provided an airbed next to his actual bed. She bustled around in the morning to get us up. Although we spent a huge amount of time with them (I was meeting them for the first time), she also tried to shoehorn us into trips to the supermarket etc etc all aimed at us not having time alone in the house.

Even now she's bought twin singles for that guest room, when we're the only guests she would ever have to stay. Sad thing is we won't stay, because we're only 30 minutes away, and can't bear sleeping in singles (and we're well past the horny teen stage!).

Oddly she's very different about his younger brother - seems very enthusiastic that he 'get out there'.

I visited a friend with benefits one day in February I believe it was when I was around nineteen or so. This time was different to the rest. He barely spoke to me, messed around on his laptop the entire time I was there and the whole atmosphere was very uncomfortable. I had enough after a few hours so I told him I was going to head back home and that I hope he enjoys the rest of his day etc, then I got my things and stood at his front door for probably a minute expecting him to hug me as he always did but this time he didn't and just blurted out "Bye!" to me whilst staring at the TV screen.

I was very hurt deep down by the way he treated me that day because I really valued him as a friend and I thought he was such a lovely person. I guess his true colours came out after all sadly. It took me a long while to get over it.

Their friends (one of whom had given me a lift down from the midlands to near London) started having sex IN THE BED I was in :( three of us were sharing a double bed, and then one of them started stroking my stomach... I was like WTF and I got out and went and slept on a wicker chair in the spare room with a blanket. The next morning the host came in and she had heard everything and she barely spoke through breakfast. I then got a lift back home. She never spoke to them again, she went mental, and said she had to wash everything and bleach it (it was her bed that she had given us).

Am probably going to out myself on this one, but don't care..
So this was my house. We invited ExSIL and BIL ( ex as we are NC, not due to this story), and DH's friend and his new GF for dinner. DNeph and DD3 are there too (kids are 10 and 8).
So prepares a nice, but not fancy dinner, and time is set for 7pm. Doorbell rings and its ExSIL and BIL ( who are usually late, and DH's friend is always on time). We ask DD3 and DNeph if they would rather eat in the playroom upstairs with TV, games etc. Thankfully they agreed.
So we has a few drinks with BIL etc, wine is starting to go to head, and still no sign of DH's friend ( also a friend of ExBIL). Turns down dinner, and about half an hour later, decide to phone friend to see if on way.
Eventually he answers, and they are awaiting a taxi. Meanwhile kids are starving so I give them their starters.
At 8.30, friend turns up with new gf, obviously ( so I thought) drunk. She looked as if she had put her makeup on in the dark with bright blue eyeshadow , halfway down her face and orange lippy
So we served up food, and she actually seemed pleasant despite the appearance and being out her tits.
So main course is served, we chat away, and looked over, and new gf has fallen asleep in her dinner and is snoring! By this time ( I've had wine), am stifling giggles. Looked at SIL, her face of shocked horror set me off. The guys are outside having a fag. I goes out and let rip with laughter, and DHs friend comes in to wake her up.
Decides to be a good hostess offering wipes to clean gravy and cauliflower cheese off her mush and lots of "don't worry, these things happen" and show her the washroom where she can clean up,reapply the makeup.
She's away AGES. Now we don't know her so sent DH's friend to check on her. Eventually she comes out, apologises, blames illness and we are so Britishly polite. Eats dinner and becomes much more lively. Garish makeup reapplied.
Then starts a conversation ( remember she's never met us before), about how she can't wait to get home to shag the brains out of DH's friend...
We are far from prudes or snobs, but she went into graphic...and I mean GRAPHIC detail about what was to take place later.
Thankfully kids were upstairs. Stunned silence.DH's friend did look embarrassed to be fair.
I made my excuses and went to check on kids to see if they wanted pudding, thankfully missing the conversation asking about the kids ( we had taken a turn on checking on them), and her bursting into tears over her kids being removed by Social Services.
Anyway shortly after that, they left. DH went to the ( downstairs) loo and I heard a WTF?
Apparently she had been snorting coke in our loo and there were traces on our cistern. DH is a nurse so knew exactly what it was and had secretly been trying to tell me she had taken something when she came back in from loo.
Turned out, we found out later, there was a warrant out for her arrest for drug dealing, plus some very dodgy blokes were after her for some drug debt, and had been following her. Luckily they hadn't caught up with her that night. DH, exSIL and I have responsible jobs and we didn't need a drugs raid. Fuming as our kids were in danger, never mind us.
After they left, we just sat and opened more wine and wondered if it really happened.
Oh we are NC with DH's exfriend too, as there were more gf tales ( nothing as bad as that though)

i have a friend who travels 300 miles and stays with her DPs, in her childhood bedroom, for most christmas and holidays. While there she has to ask permission to have a shower/bath and her dad allows her one bath a week, the rest have to be showers so she isnt using too much of their hot water. Also after the bath she has to leave the water in and her DF decants it into buckets to use to flush the toilet. Odd thing is she earns 6 figures, theyre high earners and have 3 houses

Went to a friends house and her Dad was artificially inseminating a french bulldog with a syringe on the dining room table

Oh and I found out years later that her parents had charged my parents £300 to take me on that holiday! Baring in mind they were going anyway, it was a caravan park for a week in the 90’s and there was no meals out or ice creams, all very basic pasta/tuna/cereal type meals...my parents probably paid for most of the cost of the holiday!!

Noooo can’t believe it’s finished!! Quite possibly my favourite thread ever!!

I’ll add a couple to keep it going!

Same girl in each of these, my bf for a time at school. She seemed quite normal, feisty and fun. We spent lots of time together but whenever we were going anywhere and needed a lift it was always my parents who did it, hers never ever took a turn. My parents used to moan but would do it and I wasn’t that fussed about this as long as we got where we were going. So it turned out that her parents were basically horrible! I went on holiday with them in a caravan and they expected us to vacate the caravan after breakfast and not return till tea time, not too bad as we were 15 and met a load of other teens so happy to go off. One morning it was pissing it down though and bf said we’d just hang out in the caravan and play games, the mum said no you bloody well won’t, a short argument ensued (we were all sat round the tiny dining table) and then the mum leaned over and slapped bf round the face, hard. Bf ran out crying and I just sat there stunned. The mum just told me to eat my toast which I did before running after my friend. She brushed it off but I gathered it wasn’t the first time....

The other one was at their house and was the brother. She’d been winding him up and said to me, when I say run, run to my room. I didn’t know what was going on but she said something to him and then screamed RUN at me. I legged it to her room with her behind me and him roaring with rage after us. We dashed into her room slammed the door and then she showed me to sit with our backs against it and our feet braced against her bed. A split second later the door shook with the brother throwing himself against it with all his weight. I was half laughing and moved a bit but she looked at me with genuine fear and said if he gets in he will kill us!!

Found out later she wasn’t that normal after all and was not a very nice person....understandable really I suppose.

We had some friends over for NYE, they brought their 20 odd year old son who went to the toilet and got all my tampax out, unwrapped them and left them in a row across the floor. No one mentioned anything.