Is this normal over here?

Hi Guys,

I just had to ask a question... Since I've been here  I've rarely question the way things are done mainly because I came over with the attitude of, "When in Rome.....".

But I've invited a few people around for dinner and drinks tonight and suggested for obvious reasons they should take a cab around (they only live in Portsmouth and I in Gosport).  Their response oh we'll just spend the night.. Well hmmmm.... I didn't exactly invite them but at that point I could find no way around them not spending the night.    Not that I mind or anything, it just left me feeling a little perplexed.  When I was back home and I would have stuff like this my friends would take the train up the Bronx and usually a cab home, I just assumed that tonight they would take the ferry  around and then a cab home.. This is really the first time since I've been over here that I have had friends around for dinner (mainly because I finally have made some friends) so I guess what I'm asking is can I expect this everytime I do something like this? Has this happened to you?   

Thanks,

Maureen

That's a bit, um, weird.  Okay, maybe if you lived an hour and a half or two hours away, and you'd offered.  But within cab distance.  No, that seems unusual to me. 

Perhaps they meant they would get a room at a hotel or similar?

To my mind, it's a positive signal that you've been adopted.  I would suggest that you stock up on eggs, bacon, rashers and what-not to fix a hardy breakfast for your guests.  

I'm with Garry on this one.   

They obviously like, feel comfortable enough to suggest staying overnight and are planning on having a good night!

Have a great time!!!!!

Thanks Guys!!!

Well I have 4 people spending the night.. Maybe their idea is that because Dave is out to sea they would keep me company... Don't know... But I have eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes for tomorrow morning.. Forgot the mushrooms but oh well...  One of them offered to cook the breakfast.

Tonight I'm making  for appetizers, spinach dip with the bread and an anti-pasto quiche and for our main course we're having chicken stuffed with mozzerella and mushrooms wrapped with parma ham baked in the oven.  Pasta and Cream sauce and for veg eggplant, zuchinni, onions garlic, and pepers roasted in the oven.     Of course we have beer and wine and other stuff..

So we'll see how it goes.. if anything they'll be stuffed!

I'll let you know tomorrow how it went...

Thanks again,

Maureen

Dinner sounds scrummy, can I come too? I'll bring a sleeping bag.

Have fun!

Have fun, Maureen.  And take them up on that cooking breakfast offer.   

Thanks, Guys... Of course you may come I think I have room in the living room somewhere..

I must admit it will be really very strange having people here at night it feels like I've been here alone so long now.. But I think we'll have fun!!

We do it all the time with our friends, so perfectly normal here. Or at least for us and our group - which may not be saying much! But usually the offer is made or they ASK if they can stay. We usually assume we can stay, but we do ask first!

Rosie

It seems perfectly normal with our friends - which it wasn't with my US friends - but generally, they'll ask, or we'll offer!

I have been to parties where 20 people or so just pass out on the floor, and everyone cooks and helps clean up the party mess the next morning.  It's actually a lot of fun!

Hey, Maureen, how did it go???

FWIW, our friends usually just assume that they can spend the night (and they're always right!) and we actually do the same - we arrive and they say "are you staying tonight?" In fact it's become so common now with one couple that we hang out with that they even take off the next day to do their errands and whatnot and leave us to lock up!

Maureen, how old are you and your friends? Not meaning to be rude, but this seems to me to be less of a US/UK thing and more of an age thing. I could see a group of teenagers or twenty-somethings staying over at someone's house (the country they're in doesn't matter.) Not people in their mid-40's with school-age children, middle management jobs, etc.  Too inconvenient for people with that much responsibility.

Jamie and I are 38 and 36, respectively, we all work full-time, and the friends in question are the same age with two kids! You're never too old to stay up too late and drink too much wine to drive home at the weekend, IMHO! LOL.

this seems to me to be less of a US/UK thing and more of an age thing. I could see a group of teenagers or twenty-somethings staying over at someone's house (the country they're in doesn't matter.) Not people in their mid-40's with school-age children, middle management jobs, etc.  Too inconvenient for people with that much responsibility.

Then it is weird, in my American opinion.