Who's on a house sit now? How's it going?

:slightly_smiling_face: I managed to find a wee job where there’s a resident kitty & doggo. Added bonus are the therapy doggies :heart::heart::heart::heart:.

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I am on a sit in Colorado with a beautiful 2-year old German Shorthaired Pointer. Her name is Elsa and she is so much fun, energetic, playful and I am having the time of my life going on adventures with her. The first time I saw the mountains, I thought they were so breathtaking.






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I’m currently in France sitting for River and he’s absolutely adorable and a joy.

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He’s super cuddly but also chill. Friendly with humans and dogs. No barking, and well trained. It’s going to be a pleasure hanging out with him for a couple weeks and being in a great area is a bonus.

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The village of Bathford is great for a day trip. You can walk along the canal - very pretty. We had a fantastic sit there before covid. Enjoy.

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I’m hoping no one is sitting in Valencia, Spain right now. 2 metres of rain in 24 hours. Yikes.

Oh my, thankfully we missed the rain in Valencia by 2 days!!! Barcelona was warm and partly sunny today :sunny:

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Oof. I was just there last week. Glad I’m well gone. Can’t imagine doing that in my van.

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Greetings from somewhere in the middle of nowhere Wales where the wifi is great, the apple trees are blooming The lilacs are in all their glory. Their sweet scent only enhanced by the ever present sound of bird song.
I am, for probably the 4th or 6th time, on a very rural rustic farmhouse. We have hot water, a wood burning stove/oven, (not an Aga but in my opinion, this would be my choice) and a wood burning fireplace for those still chilly evenings.



The property is about 2 acres that is surrounded by preserved nature areas with public footpaths to enjoy the meadow which is currently blooming with wild flowers, 32 different species of wild orchids grow here. I enjoyed clearing some of the wild berry overgrown brambles that were crowding the path.
My folks left yesterday for a 6 day, 40 mile hiking adventure along Offa’s trail(won’t accept D word) which has a fascinating history and runs over 170 miles along the border of Wales and England.
Since I have been here, they have taken me along on some of their training escapades to Llanymynech Rocks Nature Reserve, me at my pace as I cannot keep up with the 75 year old.
Currently there are 8 sheep and twin white cats in my charge. Never taken care of sheep but a little “show and do” time was had and all is well. A neighbor came by yesterday and gave them a thorough look over and I passed!
Being Spring, we have been preparing the garden beds and planting for next winter’s dinner :-).
Nearly everything I have eaten here comes from the garden. Some fresh like leeks, brussel sprouts, parsnips while others from the storage bins or freezer. Lettuce, potatoes, onions, peas, green beans, apples, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage…



No one asked me to do anything except tend to the needs of the animals. That being said, I have been well fed, delicious home cooked meals and enjoyed pleasurable company. There is an abundance of food of which I have been given liberty to have at will. This morning I weeded two beds and yesterday I prepared a starter tray of carrots. I harvested leeks, potatoes and parsnips for some good eats today and tomorrow.
After they return we will go on some more local excursions. I have been invited back in July and early next year.
I love the relationships I have created with people who were once strangers.

Bluebells

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Looks a wonderful rural sit in Wales, Amparo. Enjoy!

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Now I know what the blue flowers surrounding the house in Sussex are!
Black sheep?

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This is my kind of heaven @temba
There really are not adequate words for how I feel except immense gratitude.




The world in my hand.

Please note: egg was found on the ground, no nest seen and placed back in the wild.
No BS zone!

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Yes! They have a very short bloom time, about 3 weeks.
Black welsh sheep

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I’m thinking I would enjoy that sit too, @Amparo. You have immersed yourself and are enjoying nature’s beauty. That vegetable garden is amazing and you are caring for it plus enjoying the beautiful vegetables produced. Can’t beat homegrown vegetables and fruits. You’ll also be able to add sheep to your vast experience! You have formed a wonderful friendship with your owners and lovely to know you have already been invited back.

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My fondest wish is that some youngster will say this about me when I’m 75 :rofl:

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Well I will say that being with them these last few days my pace has picked up!
We have a hike planned on their return so it’s time. Never too late!

Bore da @Amparo. Yet again, thank you for sharing your approach to house sitting and the joys that can come from sharing and caring. I’m a little concerned about the black ‘zipper’ down the back of that white cat though. :rofl:

I’m on a sit where the homeowners have only lived in this home for five weeks. They gave me the freedom to do as much or as little in the garden as I’d like (landscaped, not vegetables). I said I’d go carefully as, given it’s spring, they don’t even know what might spring up from the flowerbeds. Unfortunately the weather hasn’t cooperated but the couple of days I did do some gardening, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and had a sense of accomplishment. We all enjoy sits in very different ways - part of the joys of sitting, I think.

Oh, and my regular walking partner turns 90 this summer, and I tire far sooner than she does (I’m in my late 60s). I’m the one who decides when ‘we’ have had enough. :wink: I have another friend in her early 90s and when we go anywhere, I drive - not because of her driving skills, but because her car is too low to the ground for me. The joys of healthy active friends in their 90s, who have such amazing life stories to share and whose company I truly enjoy.

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Now I’m a little concerned…have you not seen a cat tail before? :laughing:

Thank you @Snowbird. My approach from what I can tell is very different from what I can see based on the topics on this forum. I confess when I started pet and home sitting, my intentions were really unclear aside from I had already seen how wonderful it was for my daughter who traveled to many places including 3 months in Hawaii and a full year in Australia, pet sitting. For me it was at first a great way to travel and transition into retirement life. What I found and learned from experience and my own search for the “what now?” was really unexpected.
With time I realized that establishing relationships with people in my ideal settings gave me my best life., the life I dreamed of living. Many of my sits are now exclusive, repeat by requests and these people are indeed my friends. There is nothing that makes either of us feel that this is a transaction or an exchange that is measured. We are just people helping each other happily. I am learning every single day, adding to my skills, my life experiences and my happiness.
My walkers/runners inspire me and motivate me. I love the stories they tell. There is nothing like genuine life experiences.
A few years back I was told that I should not be able to walk but here I am still walking.

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I’m on a house sit in an area where there are many luxury homes on large estates. Today I drove by one property that had unusual guard dogs. My guess is that the homeowners are dog lovers. :dog: :dog:

I’m now curious to know whether the cables out of the back are for watering or electrical. Perhaps they’re even set to bark if someone comes close. :thinking:

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They are gorgeous! The cables look like they might be for lights, you should check them out when it’s dark!

This is just what housesitting should be like. Thanks for sharing.

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