“We didn’t realize we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun”
Sitter and Owners share the story of your most memorable TrustedHousesitters experience …
we need photos too
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I don’t have photos but a memory to share.
I was sitting a few hrs south of Nejmegen & mix my avid interest in history/urban planning with running. (One day i’d love to run or walk the Nejmegen march as we didn’t get the chance when my family was stationed on a CDN forces base in Europe many yrs ago)
I ventured out for a long run and ended up on a dirt road along a canal by some farms & noticed a small plaque. It was a memorial to an RAF crew who’d crashed & made sure I ventured back another day with flowers. I ran out of time to head to Nejmegen but made sure to visit the CWGC (commonwealth graves commission) Bergen-Op Zoom site and paid my respects.
Anyways, I sat for a great couple, their chooks & kitty kept me entertained!
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That is a great story there.
In the beginning I was only house sitting fall/ winter and working summer but now ritired and doing House sitting full time and loving it. The years I have been house sitting have been a big adventure for me. I even paid 300 Euroes for my first sit but got that back and then some after the first HO reccomending me to some of theire friends. I have since then sat 2 times for the first HO.
I even had a butler at one of my first sits,coming in 3 times a week. Doing my bed ,doing my laundry,ironing my shirts and cleaning the place. I even had a car and the onnly thing I had to do was to take the dogs for a walk. They have asked me again but I was not available at that time. I have a few other return ones and also while in a small village I got to visit other HO there that I had sat for. They had also asked me to come back but I was not available. I have looked after many breeds of dogs and cats and have to say I love them all. They are all different.
I have had small dogs, big dogs, shy ones and very lively ones but always managed to win them over. Once looking after 3 white German Sheppard dogs I got told when I arrived the it would take a while for one of them to get used to me. Just ignore him the said. True enough he stayed away from me but when we walked outside he came cloose when passing me but did not stop.
The HO left next day and a few hours later when I was sitting outside on a wall the dog was there and after that we sere best friends. And then the seccond time I did a sit for them but now in Denmark it only took acouple of hours and the owners said in my review that this was unuseal.
I thhink I can say I am good with dogs 
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Gosh it’s not Thursday but who cares it’s wacky wednesday and there is NO WAY I can select one but thank you for triggering the unleashing of this that lies within. I am more than creating memories, I am creating a life that I absolutely love.
So one of my first sits in the UK was in Wales on a small homestead that in years past the owners farmed and raised sheep and chickens. Now on in their years they only farm for themselves and have gorgeous twin cats, Milkie and Silkie.
The home is over 400 years old and a hodge podge of stone and brick located somewhere in the middle of nowhere Welshpool with few neighbors. The only source of heat is the massive wood burning fireplace and small space heaters in the bedrooms. I have stayed here completely isolated for 4-6 weeks at a time over the years now. The doors have no locks and at night in the total darkness, it is just you, the wind, the stars and the owls. It changes you.
One day an extraordinary woman came. She took me hiking and I saw newborn lambs, learned how to pick wild garlic, identify trees and she filled my head and heart with stories of local history.
Later visited by a couple who took me to their historical home, which was a lodge and pub hundreds of years ago for village workers. I gasped when I saw the size of their hearth. Intrigued by their names I made inquiry. They are direct descendants of Guy Fawkes and Florence Nightingale.
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What a wonderful story @Amparo you should write a book … thank you for sharing.
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It’s coming @Angela_L. I meant what I said, doing this has transformed my life that I struggle with the words to express not only how I feel but the surreal and wonderful experiences I have had. I wanted to say so much more but the character limit strangled me 
Which do you like best Happiness In a Litter Box or Bedpans to Litter boxes? 
I will post another tail tomorrow.
P.S. THANK YOU!
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Thank YOU 
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My first sit across the pond was a thrilling, spontaneous experience. I had already a good few months in the US and was fully booked for the rest of the year. A lover of travel for many years, one evening I got an email offer to fly to London for $167 one way. I had already been to the UK many times but 10 years had passed since. I did not hesitate to secure the flight. No sits booked, yet.
Once serendipity was set in motion, I received an invitation to visit a friend in Switzerland, then an invite to an event in Berlin… 
was it possible? How?
Within a week I had two sits booked. The first was in Corfe Castle, a village in Dorset.
(Insert indescribable joy)
The “home” was actually two thatched roof cottages.
Surely magical beings live here. Harry you there?
Alas no owls in sight.
My companion
Corfe Castle dates back to the Celtics 6000BC, later occupied by Romans, Saxons and now the National Trust.
There are acres of public lands for hiking and one can visit the Jurrasic Coast
Barring my visit to my friend in Switzerland and my event in Berlin, I stayed in the UK 6 months with all kinds of magical beings.
Please don’t wake me.
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Wow that is really something. Unfortunatly I don´t do longer rural here in UK since I don´t drive on the “wrong” side of the road. Been offered a car and seen car offered but no thank you,not taking the chance
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Thank you! It has been and continues to be too much fun. I don’t drive in the UK either @Bravo1239! I just use my feet, or stay put where there is no public transport. These particular people took me exploring for a few days after their return to places I would not have been able to explore on my own. I have found that with many HOs in rural areas. They take great pride in their country and enjoy sharing their history.
I have to say I really miss being mobile. I used to drive a lot back home aswell. Looking forward to Spain and if I don’t get to use the HO car I will either rent a car or a scooter.
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