"Popping in" on someone without notice.

I can't stand it if someone decides to pop in. My friends know this but now and again I'll see a vague acquaintance pulling up.

I take evasive action by hurling myself on to the floor or if I'm lucky enough to be upstairs I just stay quietly in the bathroom.

My dogs go mad of course, apart from my very well behaved chihuahua who understands the assignment. She sits close by my side, wide eyed, flat eared, just waiting until those pesky people give up.

We were used to popping into each others houses when I was young - family, neighbours, friend's families. Most of the time I am quite happy for people to pop in. I'm more likely to get annoyed with people who constantly phone/text to arrange a 'pop in' as I don't carry my phone around and it leads to complications when I miss their calls and texts. Very occasionally if we don't want to see people (maybe we just want a quiet evening) we just don't answer the door. No one we know is nosy enough to peer in windows looking for us.

Where I live it’s quite common. Doesn’t bother me - we’re retired so rare that we don’t have time to chat for a short time. Might ring first, but not always.

I don’t like it when people just “pop in”but my friends know that and they will always text or phone first..

When I was a child the back door was always open as aunts lived nearby and would often pop round.
Other visitors tended to knock on the front door.

Yes covid has changed a lot for some people who dont want to go back to how it was. The boundaries have moved.

We did this yesterday but would usually would phone first.

Have always loved the surprise pop in of a friend or family member.
Since covid I have gone right off the idea. Car kept in the garage so that nobody knows if we’re in or out.
The odd uninvited caller in the early days of lock down was kept chatting at the door and invited to pop back in the summer for a socially distanced chat in the garden.
Friends and family now phone first and we’re all respecting hands, face and space, open windows and testing where appropriate.