Dear X----,

Let me first of all say how happy I am to have such wonderful neighbours and visitors as you and Y---. Let me also just thank you again for allowing the practising**. I appreciate further more your discreteness, quietness and kindness. On this basis of reciprocal respect, honesty and frankness, please do not hesitate to let me know if anything in my behaviour disturbs you in any way. Let me apologise in advance for having to tell you just one little thing which has become a staple of our community living here. It is the sit-down male urinating.

I by no means imply that you haven't been complying with it. It's just that I recently seemed to notice traces of urine stains on the top perimeter of the toilet bowl, with also apparent traces of paper wiping and slightly increased urine odour in the toilet. From these signs I am brought to think that stand up urinating followed by insufficient paper wiping has been going on recently. I by no means intend to judge you or blame you. It's just that all the other male residents here are long time sit down urinators.

So just in case it has been you, let me ask you of your proven courtesy and kindness to urinate sitting down from now on.

Of course the other option would be to thoroughly wash, disinfect and rinse the toilet bowl and the surrounding floor after each and every urination. But that would obviously be a lot more cumbersome and burdensome, whereas sit down male urinating, of which we are strong supporters here in this community, easily does away with 75 %*** of toilet cleaning labour. Our kind of toilet bowl with its flat bed, is obviously especially 'dangerous' in case of stand up urinating , because the urine obviously bounces off onto the top of the bowl and the surrounding floor, leaving behind bad hygiene and odour which paper wiping does not solve.

Thank you very much indeed for tolerating my frankness which is not meant in any way to detract from my general positive attitude and sympathy for Y--- and you.
I am confident you'll understand (just and only in case you had anything to do at all with the above mentioned problem-if not I totally apologise) and that our community, from now on, will be able to take sit down male urinating for granted. Thank you very much again for reading all this and collaborating.

All the best to Y--- and you,

Yours sincerely B----

* Written by a female flatmate of a woman whose male partner had come from overseas to visit.

** of the writer's musical instrument.

*** original 70%, changed to 75%