What rituals or habits do you have which may seem odd to others?

Dearie me I have more to worry me than colour of clothes pegs etc but my one thing is I always put shoes on to bring in New Year

Starting the day with coffee & the crossword sounds like a normal habit but some of these " habits" sound like rather weird OCD rituals!!

Would someone please describe a 'properly' stacked dishwasher.

I have a Henry hoover. I talk to him as we wander from room to room. He inevitably gets stuck in doorways and I encourage him to ‘come on’. Bit like a dog really ?

Loving this thread !The certain mugs for certain drinks is a definite.I even have 2 little V &A mugs that are the same except for a slightly different pattern.One is my breakfast coffee mug,the other my afternoon one and DH has rolled his eyes many a time when if I get offered the wrong one.And I certainly wouldn't drink tea from them.That requires bone china.A larger one when I wake up ,gradually moving onto certain smaller ones later in the day.And a specific one for herbal tea.Otherwise I think I'm not generally fussy !

I have enjoyed this thread. I am not very good at routine and don’t do any of the things mentioned above except for squats when brushing teeth on the advice of an orthopaedic surgeon. But I cannot stand on the lines in the footpath in case the bears get me I am not one of those sillies who tread on the lines of the street. I suspect none of my children do either, thanks A.A. Milne.

My brain blips too often to have a routine! I have lots of ideas of how I can have a routine just none of the ability.
I hate tea out of anything but a thin cup/mug. Bone china is a must!

Aldom

Would someone please describe a 'properly' stacked dishwasher.

I have one with one of those new-fangled cutlery drawers at the top, irritating at first but I've got used to it now.

Plates in size order etc
Oh dear, I need to get out more don't I!

Ps it does make it easier to empty

I can't sleep unless i stand in the hallway and watch the fire alarm on the ceiling flash its little red light before i go in the bedroom. Every single night. I can't seem to cure myself of it.

Another one - when I've finished my bath/shower I throw the squeezed out flannel onto the sink but before doing so I give it a stern talking to, "If you dare land on my slippers I'll beat the s!£$ out of you."

When I've driven to my destination I say out loud, "Thank you little car, you know you're wonderful, don't you?" All perfectly normal, surely?

I can't stand for dish water to be left overnight in the sink and the sink have to be dry after wiping it down. The dishcloth has to be rung out completely then laid out over the faucet. No dirty dishes left out in the sink overnight. Not even a utensil.

Much the same as others have stated, a liking for particular knives and spoons. Bone china cup for tea, a fairly smallish cup for coffee and it has to be the right strength. My particular hate when buying coffee out would be an enormous cup that could double up for soup coffee is not about the quantity it's about the quality as any Italian will tell you

Other than that, I like to throw the duvet back, once up, to air the bed, apparently millions of those microscopic beings that the eye can't see, but inhabit our beds, die from cold when that's done. I never forget many years ago in Switzerland, I saw duvets, before they became common place over here, hanging out of windows or over balconies clearly a nation of advanced airers! Although the bed has to be made again after a while, I hate un made beds.

In the kitchen I don't like debris left around, although I'm lucky as I do all the cooking my husband does all the clearing up so it's usually ship shape by the time I start again.

He who shares my house pointed one of mine out earlier.. I laid the dinner tray ready with our cutlery as usual - knives to the right, forks to the left. Nothing wrong with that?
I use my fork in my right hand, knife in my left. Always have done!

what an excellent thread, I know I'm not mad now. Have loads of those other people have. watch this space.