WE DID IT… our first house sit has been completed, and we survived. Even better so did the animals and house. Both of us went in feeling a little bit anxious, not knowing what to expect and whether we would succeed or fail. Knowing, if we failed, it may put our future world travel plans in doubt, so a lot was at stake. Driving towards our first house sit, I had mixed emotions ranging from trepidation to sheer excitement. Consciously starting a new chapter of our lives which, we had being thinking about and planning for several years.

Turning into the driveway of our first house sit, my heart was beating a little quicker. I could tell Carolyn was on edge, but all our concerns melted away when we met Sarah, Alistair and the pets. We introduced ourselves and it felt very comfortable, which was a great relief. We got to know the animals very quickly as they were eager to greet us and get to know us too.

Let’s meet the Stars

Jazz

Was the first and was such a sweetie, a very affectionate and loving dog. She loved to be with us. Spending a lot of time on the couch next to me getting a pat. When I wasn’t patting her, she would look at me with this “please pat me eyes” … Jazz was like my shadow which was adorable and would follow me where ever I went outside. Running up to the bin, was a favourite past time for Jazz, and she would continually look back to see I was still coming. Once at the top, she would then, have a sniff around as I put the rubbish in the bin.

Graham

The grey cat, was a “cheeky boy” and loved being the centre of attention. Graham would let you know when he wanted to be scratched. He would make himself comfortable by prickling as cats do. But the problem was, we only had light shirts on. Hence it ended up being a painful experience for whom ever got the pleasure of his company. Resulting in us learning very quickly that we needed a protective go between. Lucky for us we had bought an old towel which worked perfectly. Being a very smart cat Graham learnt very quickly. As soon as we picked up the towel, he would come running. You had to be quick, and put on the towel, before he jumped on and started prickling. It was hilarious to watch.

Brian

A ginger “aristocrat” had a lovely nature and would spend time wondering the property. However, he would then want, his time of affection with us, as well. Brian was a little gentler with his prickling. Brian settled very quickly, and would love getting up on your shoulder for a snuggle. I often found him out wandering with the chooks. Especially when I was up there feeding and watering them, he blended in like one of them. It was interesting when both Brian and Graham wanted to snuggle at the same time. They would both come, and one would have to head over to Carolyn or come over to me. Jazz and Scruff would come in wanting a pat as well it was very entertaining….

Scruff

Such a “beautiful old soul” he is. Though he was unable to do much, he had such a loving nature. Scruff reminded me of that grandpa you would see in the movies. Sitting in a rocking chair gazing out into the open fields. Having a good yarn to spin with everyone that was around. He had his special place on the veranda. Every now and then Scruff would struggle to his feet and come in to see what was happening, and who was around. Greeted with “hey Scruff, how you going” ……. and a pat from us. Afterwards he slowly made his way back to his favourite spot on the veranda.

House Sit

It was such a wonderful experience. Albeit crazy sometimes when it was meal time, or they all wanted our attention at the same time. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it immensely and would sit for them again. Alistair and Sarah were such a lovely couple and provided us with detailed instructions of how the house ran. This made our time there very easy and enjoyable. They had a lovely home in a peaceful environment. Therefore, making it comfortable when it came time for us to do our work.

So, what started out to be an anxious and nervous experience into our first house and pet sitting assignment. Turned into a wonderful and most memorable time. Had we never decided to “change our lives so drastically” … and venture out of our comfort zone, we would never have had this amazing and pleasurable experience. We now know, that we can confidently follow our dream of traveling the world house and pet sitting. Looking forward to every new and exciting experience that is in store for us. Stay tuned and please like us on Facebook and follow our journey.

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Take care

Andrew and Carolyn

Travel is Sweet (Dream It, Experience It, Treasure It)

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