Maybe a Dutch barge ?
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@Silversitters your sit location sounds fantastic! We did a sit in the next village along from that signpost in the summer - not riverside, but just a stones throw from the Thames Path. We loved our early morning walks along the river when it was so calm and still. We even saw a mink early one morning. An invasive species, but I’d never seen one before, so it was fascinating to see it.
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@Debbie - exactly what I was thinking.
As I recall, we got a warning when we ‘were taught’ how to drive the boat was to not run the front too strongly into the bank, lest we punch a hole in the clay lining of the canal and would be charged for ‘loss of water.’
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@Debbie It was a fantastic sit! What a coincidence to have been on sits so close to each other ? (You probably recognise the bridge in one of our photos) .We’ve been invited back next year so I will look out for mink next time we are walking those routes again . I have never seen a mink before and would probably have mistaken it for an otter.
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We’ve moved further along the Thames to Thames Ditton- now back on terra firma to meet this lovely little fellow
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I’m back in North Yorkshire, this time just a very civilised cat - this is Hodge sampling one of the beds that he doesn’t often get to try out (but is allowed to)
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This is one of five current charges, Bailli. Clearly stressed at living with us for 12 days…
Pedro. Looks sad but honestly he’s a happy, sweet pup.
For the downtime, there is always this added bonus 
(Just in case you were worried about us @Twitcher 
)
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@Cuttlefish - such lovely photos.
I will be able to rest easy now that I know you are back living in the manner to which you have become accustomed. I am not in the least jealous as I look out on my window (thick fog and rain)! 
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Well, I have settled down in the wonderful city of Århus, Denmark with an extremely chill cat: Mollie. My first sit and if this holds true, I think I am going to be extremely happy with THS. When I travel, I settle down in a airbnb or something similar for a month at a time so I can actually “live” in an area. So, spending a few hours a day keeping company with pets just. enriches the experience. I look forward to my next sit in England with an elderly dog, Walking out with a dog is a great way of starting random and engaging conversations.
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We have met many lovely people when out dog walking and ended up sitting for some of them too! When you are in the UK you could put your details in the meetup thread on here to see if there are any other sitters or HOs available to meet for a coffee. We love to meetup if we are around.
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Happy Caturday!
Currently on a sit with these two Cornish Rex cats, Raleigh (orange and white) and Bella (gray and white). They are both fun and silly and Raleigh loves to cuddle.
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Three week sit with a cat quartet in Rio Vista, California (on the delta of the Sacramento River midway between the East Bay and Sacramento). Took a while for all of them to decide I was okay - first black cat Goof Goof, then Marmalade, then tuxedo Little One, and finally Baby Girl. Now all 4 surround me on the couch and all but Marmalade spend at least part of the night on the bed with me.
Goof Goof
Marmalade
Baby Girl
Little One and Marmalade
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I just finished a sit with LuLu a newly diagnosed diabetic cat. I simply adored her. Such a personality!!
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Sounds like my HO’s. Very considerate and generous. I have access to lots of wines and beers. Costco card if I want to go shopping there, season ticket to the football, 20 page complex guide to house, cats, things to do, where to eat and shop. Dinner with several of their friends and contact details of lots of people and relatives. I also think I’m their 1st THS sitter as I met their previous sitter who is a friend
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I fortunately had first-time hosts like that in the U.K. Their friends invited me on outings, which helped me fulfill my long-held daydream of living in a British village. 
I later took their dog to the village pub for dinner and got a warm welcome, with the pub minder saying I must be the American dog sitting for them.
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I am on a 3-week Florida sit and went through Hurricane Milton. Where I am staying, there was loss of power / internet services for a few days, but thank goodness—no flooding. I am grateful for the HO’s son who came by to put up hurricane shutters and he also hooked up the HO’s generator for temporary power.
The pup, Lenny, and I survived.
I love the beautiful water view and today, the waters are calm.
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I’m so glad that you and Lenny came through it unscathed! It’s great that the HO made sure you had shutters and a generator in place. Is the water view from the property that you’re staying at?
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Yes, definitely fortunate to have the generator, shutters, and now to have the power back on.
Yes, the photo is a water view from the home where I am staying. I was able to see the water view from the living room, but the shutters are still up. 
But it is still visible from the upper / lower parts of the home.
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