Are yours like mine!

KateBob

The couple of times I've heard a noise and woken they otherhalf, he's gone downstairs and I've remained upstairs (to protect the kids, or because I'm scared).

In all reality the fact that my hubby goes downstairs still butt naked from bed would probably be enough to terrify any intruders!

browneyedbazzi

Poppie68 wrote: »

Im never polite to them i'm afraid....my mum was a witness, she died when i was young but it caused alot of trouble in our family...she turned into a looney..thats not why i have a dislike for them though...i believe people should be able to hold any belief they choose.
Just don't try and ram it down my throat by knocking at my door, especially at 8.30 in the morning and i won't threaten to 'turn you into a lolly pop, by sticking you on the end of my walking stick'....yep i'm going to hell:eek:

I'm usually not either and I really dislike people trying to 'convert' others as to me belief is a very personal thing.

The first time they came round I tried to be but now I tend to interrupt them and say 'I'm a secularist, you're not going to convince me to believe in your imaginary friend don't waste your time or mine by trying, please leave'. I'm sure they're all horribly offended but that's as nice as I can bring myself to be.

They probably think I'm going to hell, but as I don't believe it exists I don't care :j

Stephb1986_2

I have a tin of hairspray next to my bed (I don't even use the stuff) but stings when you get it in the eyes! HA!

Might get a walking stick turning people into lollypops sounds fun

Glad you're all alright

Noctu

In all seriousness what sort of household items could be kept by the bed which could be used to defend yourself in this sort of situation?

(I'm under the impression you can't keep knives, crowbars etc, only things that you might reasonably be expected to keep in that room... happy to be corrected!)

hickles69

Oh golly glad you're ok! I'm living at the in laws and I guard all 3 men against spiders so dread any intruders. My oh gave me his shoe when I heard a noise once and a second time suggested sending the dog down (that would be my mum's yorkie who lives 150 miles away)!

Sethisis

We have ornamental swords, which are obviously blunt, but hopefully look scary! Also the stick to the loft hatch. (The garden shears just happened to be in the bedroom of our last place because we had no storage.)

I've always wondered about whether it does need to be something that you'd reasonably be expected to keep by the bed. It might be a bit awkward to explain if you'd battered a burglar with a sledgehammer or something!

I wouldn't be able to use something small, like hairspray because I know I'd be too scared to get close to them.

PenguinOfDeath

Noctu wrote: »

In all seriousness what sort of household items could be kept by the bed which could be used to defend yourself in this sort of situation?

(I'm under the impression you can't keep knives, crowbars etc, only things that you might reasonably be expected to keep in that room... happy to be corrected!)

A baseball bat... and a baseball!

Quote from some comedian whose name and face I can't place

Nenen

Noctu wrote: »

In all seriousness what sort of household items could be kept by the bed which could be used to defend yourself in this sort of situation?

(I'm under the impression you can't keep knives, crowbars etc, only things that you might reasonably be expected to keep in that room... happy to be corrected!)

There is some useful advice about this here:
http://www.technewsdaily.com/15659-defend-yourself-home-invasion.html

One very important thing it states is, "What you don't want to use in case of a home invasion is a baseball bat, a knife or any other weapon that will bring you close to the intruder. The weapon could be grabbed by the intruder and used against you."

Bearing in mind that the average, law abiding householder is unlikely to be skilled and/or experienced in using weapons or fighting, but the sort of toe-rags who break into houses are much more likely to be, I think you put yourself at greater risk by having any sort of close combat weapon to hand. As a woman, I would be very wary of using a weapon on a male intruder, as I'm fairly certain a man could easily snatch it from me and use it against me. Much better to do as the article above states and make your phone your defence by calling the police immediately, swiftly followed by calling a neighbour if possible. You can then shout out that the police are on their way, which should frighten most intruders off, especially if a neighbour then rings your front doorbell!

Slinky

When I lived alone I kept a wooden rolling pin next to the bed.

One night I woke up hearing a noise. I have a light switch in the bedroom for a floodlight in the back garden which I flicked on and looked out of the window. Couldn't see anything. Turns out somebody had been having a go at the back fence of my next door neighbour, out of my sightline, but it would appear my turning the light on was enough to scare them off.

We have an alarm on the house which we always use and there's a panic button in an upstairs bedroom.

pukkamum

My mum once woke my stepdad saying she could hear noises downstairs, he went down still half asleep, he came back up saying it was fine just an open window.
We got up in the morning to find we'd been burgled, he'd walked past a huge mess of rifled through drawers, hadn't noticed the missing t.v or anything!