Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be irritated immensely by this person calling their house by its name instead of just saying "my house"

114 replies

Turquoisetamborine · 03/03/2014 19:54

It's my stepmother to be who is revealing herself to be more and more of a narcissist.

She will say "I'm having work done at Gables Boulevard" (not real name of house) or "should we meet at Gables Boulevard before we go out?"

Why not just say I'm having some work done at my house or should we meet at mine before we go out?

I probably am being unreasonable as this is one thing in many that she is doing to irritate and take my dad away from us.

I feel almost like she's talking about her house, which is an average bungalow not a mansion, in the third person.

OP posts:
ohhifruit · 03/03/2014 20:10

Turn it back round on her "I'm going for a 1 to 1 with Armitage Shanks" should ram the point home.

elliejjtiny · 03/03/2014 20:10

One of her houses was called The Gables but we used to call it "The custard house" because it was painted yellow

Original poster
Turquoisetamborine · 03/03/2014 20:10

She rents houses out but only has one house she lives in. I could understand her saying "oh Front Street needs the painters in" as the tenants change but it just grinds on me.

She named the house and has put a sign up but that is not its historical name. It used to just be called number 32 Green Street ( not really but equally as glamourous) which doesn't have the same ring to it.

I'm going to call my house Pussy's Parlour or something and insist she refers to it as such.

OP posts:
growingolddicustingly · 03/03/2014 20:11

I have a weird group of friends and we all do this. One lives in xxxxxTowers, another in xxxxxHall and another in xxxxPalace. I live at growingold Acres. All homes mentioned are run of the mill flats and terraced houses btw. We do it ironically Grin

stiffstink · 03/03/2014 20:12

I once got invited to have a sherry atiBalmoral, not by Her Maj though.

gilliangoof · 03/03/2014 20:13

LOL

LydiaLunches · 03/03/2014 20:16

My dad does this, I just find it hilarious .

everlong · 03/03/2014 20:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ContentedSidewinder · 03/03/2014 20:18

I had to stifle laughter when my friend moved onto a new build estate and she described neighbours by the house design, so "Shelia, who lives in the Rainham in the corner" or "Geoff who lives in the Windsor opposite"

It's all stopped now and they are just Shelia and Geoff but I still smile.

YANBU it is weird. I wouldn't use my address to describe my house I'd just say "at mine".

Original poster
Turquoisetamborine · 03/03/2014 20:18

Lol ohiifruit

Opalquartz!She is playing the three of us brothers and sisters against each other and trying her best to take our dad away from us which he can't see. She has just booked their holidays for 10 of the 13 weeks school holidays this year despite neither of them working or having any need to holiday in the school holidays other than for the fun of leaving me and my siblings without the help of our dad for childcare which he's always been happy to

OP posts:
thefirstmrsrochester · 03/03/2014 20:22

'Pussy's Parlour' is great, go for it. have a nameplate made for your door, and monogrammed stationery. And change the answering service to include the house name.

LeapingOverTheWall · 03/03/2014 20:30

we refer to my parents house as eg "Greentrees" as that's it's postal address (used to be housename, village until the council decide that the road needed a name, and therefore the houses had to be number, street name, village). So I can say "going home to Greentrees" meaning going to stay with my parents, rather than "going home" to my (unamed) house.

I think there is a difference between my parents situation (where for a very long time the name was how you identified the property) and a situation I came across a few years back where the owner of No 3 The Cul de Sac was insistent that her address wasn't 3 The Cul de Sac, it was Dunroamin, The Cul de Sac, and insisted I change the listing I had. So I had 1, 2, Dunroamin, 4,5,6 The Cul de Sac on my spreadsheet, which looked ridiculous.

TSSDNCOP · 03/03/2014 20:32

This might out me, but many years ago I had a boyfriend who's flat mate had a very pretentious girlfriend.

She referred to her flat as Chez Nous. As in shall we go back to Chez Nous after the meal.

Even now I call my house Chez Nous to a certain friend I used to snigger about it to.

Teeb · 03/03/2014 20:32

Yeah she only way it would be acceptable is if she has multiple homes.

ReputableBiscuit · 03/03/2014 20:45

My DC got an invitation to a 4th birthday party at 'Thirlstane Grange' that managed to mention 'Thirlstane Grange' an unnecessary number of times i.e. 'please arrive at Thirlstane Grange for 2pm. The children will play in the park then return to Thirlstane Grange for food. Children may be collected from Thirlstane Grange at 4pm. There is ample parking for visiting cars at Thirlstane Grange'. Upon closer inspection, Thirlstane Grange turned out to also be number 42 Ordinary Street.

ExitPursuedTheRoyalPrude · 03/03/2014 20:55

Ooh Everlong. Where are you moving to?

We live in an Old Post Office and refer to it as such.

Pretentious. Moi?

winterhat · 03/03/2014 21:10

YABU. Lots of things have a name and people use them. That's what names are for.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 03/03/2014 21:11

My parents' house has a name, in that it's a tiny village and when they moved in, the houses didn't have numbers. We do not however refer to it a Dunroamin (no, not the name). We refer to it as, um ... mum and dad's house. Or occasionally 'home'?

I find this sort of thing quite funny, though, because DH has some mates I find very pretentious, and they named their student house like this. And insisted on letters being addressed to it with the name. You might imagine this was intended as a bit of harmless fun, but woe betide you if you accidentally called it 'number 57b Thingummy Road' rather than its name. Hmm

tolittletoolate · 03/03/2014 21:15

I knew someone that did that but he referred to his house by the name of the road so eg he would say Let's go back to Greenfields when it was Greenfield Ave!

maras2 · 03/03/2014 21:18

Sounds like they're in an episode of ' The Archers ' :) My lot would probably take the piss by saying ' Oo is that where you have peearno lessons then ' in a comedy Monty Python accent But then they are rather rude .

PublicEnemyNumeroUno · 03/03/2014 21:22

Annoying at first but after a while id probably just laugh.

That said we refer to my grandads old house (which we grew up in) by its address, rather than say 'remember that time at grandads old house' we say 'remember that time at 26 Queen Street' (not real address)

Its only since reading this thread that ive noticed our family all do this and we might sound odd Blush

HaroldLloyd · 03/03/2014 21:23

I would find it hilarious. Hyacinth bucket all over. Do some of your own back, why not name your house?

HanSolo · 03/03/2014 21:34

This is normal in some circles, and not Hyacinth Bouquet type either!

u and non-u etc.

u say 'house' or its name, non-u say 'home'

Birdsgottafly · 03/03/2014 22:00

It depends, does your Dad live with her?

If so and she said "at mine", it might make him feel awkward, if she said "ours", then that would probably get to you.

You aren't welcoming her into the family, so she may be doing her best to keep some terms neutral, especially as seats which are hers alone.

She can only do what your Dad allows, the blame is his.

winterhat · 03/03/2014 22:14

Exactly HanSolo

Swipe left for the next trending thread