Home is your castle?

We have caller id on both the business phone and our phone but I still tend to answer all calls anyway.

I always open the door too or I would have missed the lady who had a photo (in a book) of a sampler she had that was made by a child who was a pupil in our house in the late 19C.

Was making tablet ( fudge ) when a new friend phoned, too polite to cut short conversation, had to ditch saucepan of burning sugar etc and fumigate house!!!

I always answer the door - its usually to take parcels and deliveries anyway and I can normally see the van outside. As I have two phone lines (one work) I have to answer the phone as well - the home line rarely rings and if it's a cold caller I just hang up but with the house up for sale it could be the estate agent so I daren't ignore it. The other one has caller ID on it and once I find it's a nuisance call I block it!

As far as telephone calls go, I was brought up on the principle that one should not make calls before nine in the morning or after nine at night except in an emergency. Of course, this changed a bit when absentdaughter and I were living on opposite sides of the world. I got the time difference wrong only once and was abject in my apologies for waking her up.

I always check that whoever I have called is not in the middle of something and am always happy to call back later or the next day or whatever.

I do not want to be bothered about life insurance when I am in the middle of supper. I refuse politely and hang up before there is any further discussion.

I always answer the doorbell but am not willing to stand on the doorstep discussing the Bible or committing myself to charitable donations, refusing both politely.

Absentdaughter and grandchildren do not ring the doorbell – apart from the one-year-old who thinks it's a big giggle to do so – and all regard this as a second home. It's not always convenient for them to charge in and take over but I do rejoice that they think of this house as "theirs" and I love them anyway. I spent too many years when I never saw them to complain now that they are here too often.

I quite often ignore the door unless I'm expecting someone we get Jehovas often and do ask if someone is busy if the call is for a chat.