Here's where we've housesat to date. Click on any marker for more details and scroll down for a fuller description and links to the homeowners reference. Note that all locations are deliberately inaccurate for security reasons.
If you read what we've done and think about joining the housesitting website as well then please do it by using this link. If you do, you will get a 25% reduction in the joining fee and we will get 2 free months, so we both benefit: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/su/fTdzeTFI or apply the following code on checkout: RAF123858
We've won the Trusted Housesitters 'Super Sitter' award:
Here is a list of our housesitting assignments since 2012 and a link to our blog entries relating to them, starting latest first:
2025:
2024:
- 89. 17th December to 22nd January 2025 in Challuabamba, near Cuenca, Ecuador. 5 weeks looking after Suki, Asia and Darla dogs, for Cheryl, Mark, Ailee and Carlos, while they return to the USA for Christmas and New Year. They are all rescue dogs, brought with them from New York, when they moved here in June this year, so they all have some issues, but are quite relaxed with us, although don't leave the house and garden as they have never been used to leads and the many dogs in the area would terrorise them. They get plenty of exercise running round the garden and
chasing and barking at passing vehicles on the garden side of the fence. Darla, a dachshund has half a tablet a day to counter her allergy to fungus spores that grow in the grass, her short legs meaning her tummy touches the grass. She also has a spray to counter redness that appears occasionally. She has a different diet to the others due to an allergy to chicken, so she's a delicate little flower. Asia seems quite timid, possibly due to her past and occasionally gets cramp in her joints so needs some
tablets to ease that. Despite that, they are easy to look after and give a lot of love, insisting on sleeping on or in the bed with us at night. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit will be on their website shortly, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry;
- 88. 2nd to 5th October 2024 near Pershore Worcestershire, UK. 5 days looking after Max and Otto cats, two identical beautiful Egyptian Mau cats for Rachel and Chris. Both cats are very cuddly and affectionate, but also with lots of energy in the morning and at night when we wanted to go to bed and they wanted to go out. They are quite young and have voracious appetites, needing food down all day. The house is a huge, old 1640's timber framed house with extensive gardens, easy to get lost in! This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on their website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry
- 87. 22nd to 30th August 2024 in Easton-In-Gordano, Bristol, UK. 8 days looking after Millie and Tinsel cats for our friends Bev and Iain. This is the fifth time we have looked after them (see numbers 60, 65, 72 and 75 below). Originally there were four of them, then three after Shadow died two years ago followed by Mr. Pickles later in the year at the grand old age of around 20. Millie is still very shouty, as she always has been and wants lots of fuss and strokes, jumping up on our laps no matter what we're doing, laptop, book or newspaper has to move as she is more important than any of that! Tinsel is still a
bit timid, but getting better. She still dislikes Millie occasionally hissing at her but, now quite used to us, is even more shouty than Millie and always first on our bed in the mornings, launching herself into mid air to land on the bed with all four paws simultaneously, very funny. It's a lovely house in a great area and the cats are a lot of fun - heaven! There aren't any references for this sit as they are friends of ours and they would obviously write nice things about us! It's also the fifth time they've asked us so that speaks for itself! Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: first blog post
86. 13th to 20th January 2024 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK. Our second time of looking after Oscar cat for Brian's daughter Fiona and husband James while , this time for 7 days. they have a fabulous all inclusive cruise holiday in the Canaries with my three granddaughters. Leamington Spa is itself a great beautifully kept Victorian Spa town, but it is also very close to Warwick with it's iconic Medieval castle and numerous timber framed buildings of that era. Stratford-On-Avon is also close by with Shakespeare's birthplace, theatre and the many attractions surrounding the river Avon. Oscar is an old and very laid back cat who likes sleeping more than anything else but also likes company, usually following us around. He's not allowed on the bed with us at night as he has been known to disgrace himself in the past, so he sleeps downstairs. It's central England location and closeness to the town centre made it possible for us to meet up with some family and Brian's old business partner and his wife for a meal. There won't be a reference from my daughter on here as she'd obviously write nice things about us, but they have said how grateful they are that we looked after their boy. Click the following link to see the blog entry we made while here: first blog post; second blog post
85. 29th December 2023 to 3rd January in Bishampton, Worcestershire, UK. 5 days in rural Worcestershire looking after Cookie and Cracker dogs for the fourth time. As has been the case on every occasion, both dogs are a joy to look after, wanting plenty of strokes but also plenty of rest. They are happy to be left alone as they have their own dog flap to the garden, but when we return, even after a short trip to the shops, they act as though we've been away for three weeks! Being a rural location and winter means that every walk is a
muddy one and, with their short legs and long hair means they come back everytime very happy, but very muddy. Fortunately there is an outdoor sink with warm water for showering them down, something they put up with without a grumble. Regular maintenance jobs in the house include indoor plant watering and keeping the bird feeders in the garden topped up. This assignment, along with the first, second and third one, numbers 74, 81 & 82 below, were arranged through trustedhousesitters.com and a reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog post
2023:
84. 9th August to 3rd September 2023 in Letham Grange, Arbroath, Scotland. Our third time looking after Angus dog and Hector cat, this time for just over three weeks. Last time was in 2018, see number 45 below, when they also had Oscar, a Maine Coon cat who sadly has since died. Angus is a long haired rough collie dog and Hector a tabby cat, who last time was in the shadow of Oscar, but has now shone in his own light and what a character (when he's awake - which isn't very often!). Angus is in 'doggy day care' on Monday's,
Wednesday's and Friday's, so we only had to take him for evening walks and a walk before bed on those days. On other days he was with us the whole time so we took him out for longish walks every day, often across the extensive grounds of Letham Grange, a former 36 hole golf course, accessible straight out of the garden gate and sometimes further afield to walks recommended by Colin and Louise, as well as the evening walks. We used the house owners (Colin and Louise) car, that they had insured for us to use in order to transport Angus to his walks. Hector needed feeding twice a day and they were allowed free run of the house, Angus slept on the floor alongside our bed, often Hector slept on the bed with us, when not out and disappeared for most of the day into a huge wardrobe where it was impossible to find him, until he decided he was hungry and came out expecting to be fed. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference of our last sit is on their site (will post one when available). Click the following links to see blog entries of housesit: first blog post; second blog post; third blog post; fourth blog post
- 83. 26th June to 10th July 2023 in Hilton. Our fifth time of housesitting for Tim and Jill (last time July 2019, see below), this time for just over two weeks. As last time we were looking after Ruby dog, now 6 years old and still full of life who just wanted to play with older Stimpy cat, now 17, who really didn't want to play and preferred to seek out quieter areas of the house. They have, however, learnt to live with one another by ignoring each other! The house was a large very old, listed building, full of character. Watering the veg
patch and outdoor plants was a necessity each night due to the warm weather when we were there. Ruby needed feeding and exercising in their 5 acre field twice a day plus longer walks when we could, while Stimpy cat was still very friendly and talkative but, as with most cats, pretty much looked after herself except when she wanted feeding and fuss, which we were happy to give and usually on our bed at night once Ruby dog was shut up in the lounge and kitchen for the night. Tim and Jill have been friends of ours for many years, so there's no reference from them as they'll just say great things about us! Click the following link to see blog entry of housesit: first blog post; second blog post; third blog post
- 82. 11th to 18th April 2023 in Bishampton, Worcestershire, UK. 7 days in rural Worcestershire looking after Cookie and Cracker dogs for the third time. As usual, both dogs are a joy to look after, wanting plenty of strokes but also plenty of rest. They are happy to be left alone as they have their own dog flap to the garden, but when we return, even after a short trip to the shops, they act as though we've been away for three weeks! Regular maintenance jobs in the house include indoor plant watering and keeping the bird feeders in the garden topped up. This assignment, along with the first and second one, numbers 74 & 81 below, were arranged
through trustedhousesitters.com and a reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog post; second blog post
2022:
- 81. 22nd to 30th December 2022 in Bishampton, Worcestershire, UK. 8 days in a lovely house in a rural village 7 miles north of Evesham, for the second time of looking after Cookie and Cracker while owners Donna and Keith take a well-earner holiday. Both dogs are the sweetest of nature, never complaining, always keen for attention and strokes and were always keen to do anything we were doing, without being demanding. We got fabulous welcomes when we returned to the house and they took any amount of fuss. Neither are thoroughbreds, Cookie is a
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Jack Russel Terrier cross (not sure what with) and is a rescue dog, Cracker is also a Jack Russel Terrier cross with a shih Tzu. We took them for daily walks over the local fields and woods and occasional longer walks when we went out. Regular maintenance jobs in the house include indoor plant watering and keeping the bird feeders in the garden topped up. This assignment, along with the first one, number 74 below, was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com and a reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry
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- 80. 20th to 26th November 2022 in San Luis Obispo, California, USA. 6 days looking after Winston and Stevie cats. They are 1 and 1.5 years old, full of energy and character and very much on the go with loads of energy. Friendly fighting, racing around and dramatic leaps are features of them. Always lots of fun and always hungry! Wet food in the morning is a dramatic affair as though they haven't been fed ever. It has to be prepared and put down for them before coffee can be put on. They get very excited when their cupboard is opened and have to go inside to have a look whilst breakfast is prepared. The self
feeder, dispensing biscuits twice during the day is another major feature. Winston somehow knows when its about to operate and gets there ready to eat. Nothing is left. They are really lots of fun and great to have around. We're going to miss them! San Luis Obispo is very well situated for lots of attractions; Hearst Castle, Morrow Bay and the butterfly winter hibernation are just a few. It's a short drive into town which is also a great place to visit with many shops and some historical buildings. November temperatures are mid twenties Centigrade in the day and it's usually clear blue sunny skies! This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on their website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry second blog entry
- 79. 9th to 16th September 2022 in Studley, Warwickshire, UK. 7 days looking after Indigo cat in
a village close to our home village of Alvechurch. She is 15 years old and really looks good on it. Her fur is in great condition, she's a fairly small cat and really enjoys fuss, but she is a little slower and likes to sleep most of the day. Studley is a great place, a small village with a main road running through, but a real village atmosphere and something for everyone. There are six pubs here from a tap house with on-site brewery, privately owned small pubs and larger chain pubs, plenty of restaurants, including a family owned Nepalese restaurant that we can really recommend, an Aldi supermarket and smaller shops, plus a Bespoke Butchers that comes highly recommended. All in all, a great place to be. Its proximity to our home village also allows us to catch up with friends and family without having to spend too much time away. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry
- 78. 2nd to 9th September 2022 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK. 7 days looking after Oscar cat for my daughter Fiona and husband James while they have a fabulous all inclusive holiday in Tunisia with my three granddaughters. Leamington Spa is itself a great beautifully kept Victorian Spa town, but it is also very close to Warwick with it's iconic Medieval castle and numerous timber framed buildings of that era. Stratford-On-Avon is also close by with Shakespeare's birthplace, theatre and the many attractions surrounding the river Avon. Oscar is a very laid back cat who likes sleeping more than anything else but also likes company, usually following us around. He's not allowed on the bed with us at night as he has been known to disgrace himself in the past, so he sleeps downstairs. We managed to do some DIY jobs while there and Jackie succeeded in brushing Oscar over several nights to remove lots of fur. At 16 years old he's starting to have trouble doing it himself so he really seemed to appreciate her patience. It's closeness to the railway station made it possible for us to meet up with my sister and husband in Birmingham for a day and meet up locally with my old business colleague and his wife for a meal. There won't be a reference from my daughter on here as she'd obviously write nice things about us, but they have said how grateful they are that we looked after their boy. Click the following link to see the blog entry we made while here: first blog entry
- 77. 13th to 29th August 2022 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK. 16 days looking after Millie cat in a town close to our home village of Alvechurch in rolling Worcestershire countryside. Two year old Millie still shows some kitten like behaviour, chasing after insects, leaves and anything blowing in the wind but, most hilariously, her interaction with the robot lawn mower that comes out of its little house each night for a couple of hours to mow the lawn. The mower making apparently random turns and heading off in different directions across the lawn, she thinks its her plaything and likes to leap out of its way or run and leap over it. She's on a raw meat diet which she seems to enjoy but her favourite is her Dreamies which, when the packet is shaken, she goes to her radiator bed to receive them, hardly touching the sides as they go down. She is a really appealing, lovely cat and we've had some good strokes and time with her. Bromsgrove has quite a lot to offer, the local canal has the impressive Tardebigge flight of 58 locks which is a lovely walk and their are country walks in every direction, accessed within 15 or 20 minutes walking. There are many good pubs, restaurants and cafes and a pleasant High Street with lots of shops. It's also well connected with a train service and good bus connections. Its proximity to our home village also allows us to catch up with friends and family without having to spend too much time away. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry; third blog entry
- 76. 29th June to 22nd July 2022 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK. 24 days in Milton Keynes, 50 miles north-west of London looking after Smokey cat while owner Sandy takes a well earned break. Smokey is a fairly old boy, very laid back, with a squeaky meaow and likes his food. He spends a lot of time asleep and, although not coming on to our bed with us, likes to sleep on the floor close to us. Like most cats he does exactly as he pleases, gracing us with his presence and allowing us to stroke him when it suits him, but he is very sweet natured and rolls onto his back to expose his tummy for tickles when we approach him. He's good company, lovely to have around and very calming. A joy to be there! Milton Keynes, although not on many peoples visit list, has a lot to offer and we enjoyed our time exploring the town and surrounding areas. Definitely glad we came. There was plant watering to be done in the well organised back garden and we even managed to do a couple of odd jobs whilst there. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry;
- 75. 2nd to 25th June in Easton-In-Gordano, Bristol, UK. 23 days looking after Milly and Tinsel cats for our friends Bev and Iain, while they headed for the sun in Turkey. This is the fourth time we have looked after them (see numbers 60, 65 and 72 below). Originally there were four of them, then three after Shadow died last year followed by Mr. Pickles later in the year at the grand old age of around 20. Millie is still very shouty, as she always has been and wants lots of fuss and strokes, jumping up on our laps no matter what we're doing, laptop, book or newspaper has to move as she is more important than any of that! Tinsel is still a bit timid, but getting better. She still dislikes Millie occasionally hissing at her but, now quite used to us, is even more shouty than Millie and always first on our bed in the mornings, launching herself into mid air to land on the bed with all four paws simultaneously, very funny. It's a lovely house in a great area and the cats are a lot of fun - heaven! There aren't any references for this sit as they are friends of ours and they would obviously write nice things about us! It's also the fourth time they've asked us so that speaks for itself! Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry; third blog entry
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- 74. 12th to 25th May in Bishampton, Worcestershire, UK. 13 days in a lovely house in a rural village 7 miles north of Evesham, looking after Cookie and Cracker while owners Donna and Keith take a well-earner holiday. Both dogs are the sweetest of nature, never complaining, always keen for attention and strokes and always keen to do anything we are doing, without being demanding. We get fabulous welcomes when we return to the house and they will take any amount of fuss. Neither are thoroughbreds, Cookie is a Jack Russel Terrier cross (not sure what with) and is a rescue dog, Cracker is also a Jack Russel Terrier cross with a shih Tzu. We take them for daily walks over the local fields and woods and have taken them for longer walks when we go out. Regular maintenance jobs in the house include lawn mowing twice a week, indoor and outdoor plant watering and keeping the bird feeders in the garden topped up. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry
2021:
- 73. 14th to 18th October in St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. 4 days in the cathedral city of St. Albans, 20 miles north of London looking after Max and Tatty cats for the second time in just over a month (see 71 below). Laura & Rich asked us back at short notice as they had to go abroad for a long weekend and, as we had bonded with the cats it would make it very easy. We were keen as the cats are lovely and we really liked St Albans and the house proximity to the town centre and all it has to offer. As before, both cats were instantly our friends again, even shy Tatty cat who took two weeks to get to know us last time, but this time was no problem. Laid back Max is very
approachable, but also needed plenty of sleep, Tatty cat spent her limited waking time lying on or near us wanting lots of fuss. Max was his own cat until he wanted fuss, which was quite often. Face and chest strokes were his favourite and, when he wanted them he let us know by placing a paw on us and looking appealing. They were both easy to look after. The house is an early 20th century terraced house very close to the cathedral making it the perfect location for days out exploring the city and visiting its huge variety of pubs, restaurants, cafe's and markets. The city has Roman origins so is steeped in historic buildings of all ages. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry
- 72. 24th September to 2nd October in Easton-in-Gordano, Bristol, UK. 8 days looking after Milly and Tinsel cats for our friends Bev and Iain, while they had a mini break away, followed by a day with them to catch up. This is the third time we have looked after them (see numbers 60 and 65 below). Originally there were four of them and last time only three after Shadow died earlier this year and now Mr. Pickles has died peacefully a few weeks before at a grand old age of around 20. Millie is still very shouty, as she always has been and wants lots of fuss and strokes, jumping up on our laps no matter what we're doing, laptop, book or newspaper has to move as she is more important than any of that! Tinsel is still timid, hates Millie, hissing at her, but once she's settled with with us is even more shouty than Millie. It's a lovely house in a great area
and the cats are a lot of fun - heaven! There aren't any references for this sit as they are friends of ours and they would obviously write nice things about us! It's also the third time they've asked us so that speaks for itself! Click here to view blog entries of this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry
- 71. 27th August 20th September 2021 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. 24 days in the cathedral city of St. Albans, 20 miles north of London looking after Max and Tatty cats. Laid back Max is very approachable and was instantly our friend, but also needing plenty of sleep! Tatty cat was just the opposite, quite shy and reserved and, for the first two weeks spent most of her time up in the attic study, sleeping and trying to keep out of the way. After about two weeks there was a complete transformation, Tatty cat spending her limited waking time lying on or near us wanting lots of fuss. Max was his own
cat until he wanted fuss, which was quite often. Face and chest strokes were his favourite and, when he wanted them he let us know by placing a paw on us and looking appealing. They were both easy to look after. The house is an early 20th century terraced house very close to the cathedral making it the perfect location for days out exploring the city and visiting its huge variety of pubs, restaurants, cafe's and markets. The city has Roman origins so is steeped in historic buildings of all ages. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry; third blog entry; fourth blog entry
- 70. 17th to 26th August 2021 in Warsash, Hampshire. 9 days in small village on the south coast of England looking after Hendrix, a 3 year old cat originally rescued from a rubbish tip and two fish in a tank in the dining room. Very well looked after now he likes lots of fuss, but knows when he's had enough and takes himself off. Lots of local walking nearby, and a village with local shops and pubs, plus historic Portsmouth a short drive away (or shorter drive and ferry). A proper stay by the seaside! This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry
- 69. 6th to 13th August 2021 in Longcot, Oxfordshire. 7 days in a small village just north of the North Wessex Downs looking after little Puck cat, a 15 month old Burmese, who's very friendly with plenty of energy, requiring plenty of strokes in between sleeps. The house is an extended lovely old house with many original features and a large garden in a small village with an excellent pub/restaurant. It's a great area and very relaxing here. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the Trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry second blog entry
- 68. 26th July to 6th August 2021 in Symonds Yat, Herefordshire. 12 days looking after two housecats, Tigra and Panthra, 1 farmyard cat, Wily, one farmyard cat living remotely (7 minutes walk away) in a derelict house, Cheetara (all of them rescue cats), two rescue sheep Willow and Ivy and four rescue battery hens. The house is large and situated on a forested hill in the beautiful Doward area of Symonds Yat, very close to the Welsh border, with access along very narrow lanes snaking through the forest. Cat and Jim, the
home owners are lovely people who have rescued and given homes to an ever growing list of animals. The two sheep have appeared since we agreed to do this housesit several weeks ago and we've no doubt their menagerie will grow as time goes by, but they have plenty of land to their house, as well as a lovely garden so it isn't a problem. This is a first time for us looking after sheep, but these two, mother and daughter, are no problem at all. Willow, the mother loves to come over and have lots of fuss when we go into their field,
something we've not encountered before, but daughter Ivy is a little more standoffish. The only time we can get near to her, to check them both for fly strike, is when they have their evening digestive biscuit, which the love! Tigra is the friendly cat, wanting plenty of strokes and always thinking its meal time, Panthro is a little more reserved, but strokes can be had. Its the two farmyard cats that are more challenging, Wily lives in a small house in the field with the hens and comes and goes as he pleases, but does like strokes when he's around (which isn't often) but Cheetara cat took herself off
sometime ago and now lives in a derelict house about 7 minutes walk away. We only saw her once, but the food seems to disappear (we hope to Cheetara) and she seems OK from a distance, which is all we could hope for. The four hens are rescued from a battery farm so obviously enjoying their freedom. They can roam through a big field in the daytime and are confined to a smaller (but still very big) inner field surrounded by an electric fence early evening or if we are out for extended periods during the day, and then
shut into their house at night. Its very relaxing here and, of course, plenty of local walking, rock climbing, kayaking and pubs and restaurants nearby. Pretty idyllic really! This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the Trustedhousesitters website or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry
- 67. 6th to 22nd July 2021 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our fourteenth time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for sixteen days. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Sooty is an absolute treasure and we enjoy every minute of looking after her. We first looked after her in July 2014, so she is now seven years older and starting to show her age a little, so this time we were squirting some medicine into her mouth twice a day, but quickly followed by treats. As usual she was as good as gold. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference) Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: first blog entry; second blog entry;
- 66. 25th June to 3rd July 2021 in Welton, near Daventry, Northamptonshire. 8 days looking after 4 cats, Figaro, Oberon, Pandora and Mollie for Rosie and Steve while they holiday and see family in Greece. All cats are rescue cats from Greece, Pandora is the fluffiest cat we have seen, keeping her distance from the other cats but liking stokes. Figaro is a chunky cat who likes his food, finishing off what the
others don't eat. He's very friendly, liking lots of fuss and really knows how to chill out. Oberon looks a bit like Figaro but is much more sleek. He also likes fuss and chilling out. Mollie is the shy one of the family and we're lucky if we manage to get a stroke from her. Welton is a pretty, small village with a good pub only a minutes walk away. A lovely house and great cats. We spent a great evening with Rosie and
Steve before they went, lovely people, they cooked us a meal and we chatted with them until late (late for us - 11:30, but not for them!). This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about us on this housesit is on the Trustedhousesitters website or click here to see a copy. Click
the following links to see blog entries made during this housesit: first blog entry second blog entry
- 65. 14th to 19th June 2021 in Easton-in-Gordano, Bristol. 5 days looking after 3 cats, Mr. Pickles, Milly and Tinsel for our friends Bev and Iain, while they had a mini break away, followed by a day with them to catch up. This is the second time we have looked after them (see number 60 below). Last time there were four of them, but sadly Shadow has died earlier this year so it's just the three of them. Mr. Pickles is the oldest and, although he's getting very old now he's still got bags of personality and can jump up on the chairs to be with us - and where there's food! Milly is very shouty and wants lots of fuss and strokes, Tinsel is a bit timid but,
once she's settled with with us is even more shouty than Milly. It's a lovely house in a great area and the cats are a lot of fun - heaven! Click here to view blog entries of this housesit: first blog entry second blog entry
64. 7th to 13th June 2021 in Lymm, Cheshire. 1 week looking after Kitty cat and four hens Chick, Bobett, Thelma and Louise. Kitty is an old cat who likes sleeping, mainly in the flower bed outside in the garden (it was warm and sunny weather) and strokes on her terms. She hobbles about but is very friendly. The hens lay eggs occasionally and really like being let out of their enclosure to peck around in the garden. Homeowners Adam and Julia got married on the prior Saturday and were heading off on their honeymoon when we arrived, so we were left with a house full of wedding flowers, which was very nice.
Lymm is a pleasant, interesting town with lots of nearby walks. A thoroughly enjoyable stay. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference rom them about this housesit is on the Trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this sit: first blog entry
- 63. 30th May to 6th June 2021 in Denstone, Staffordshire. 1 week looking after cats Monty, Lucia & Stripes in a beautiful house overlooking open countryside in the very scenic Peak District. Monty, a Norwegian Forest cat spends lots of time with us wanting as much fuss as possible. Lucia and Stripes are quite shy, but we managed to win them over. There are fabulous walks from the house, Alton Towers, Ashbourne and Dove Dale are a short distance away by car and there is a local pub within walking distance.
Coupled with the excellent warm weather that arrived we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and got our cat therapy! This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com. Reference from them about this housesit is on the Trustedhousesitters website, or click here to see a copy. Click the following links to see blog entries made during this sit: first blog entry
2020:
- 62. 2nd August to 2nd September 2020 nr. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. 1 month looking after Mr. Pickles and Nellie cats in a beautiful house set in 2 acres in open countryside near Cheltenham. We were told that Nellie cat in particular was very shy and probably wouldn't show herself for a couple of days. In the event both cats were on our laps being stroked within a couple of hours of our arrival and both came on our bed for morning strokes on the first morning. They both sleep a lot (as usual for cats), but both need plenty of fuss, Mr. Pickles liking
tummy tickles. This assignment was arranged by Philip and Jane approaching us directly through Trustedhousesitters.com after reading our past references. Reference from them about this housesit is on the Trustedhousesitters website, or click here to view a copy. Click on the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: click here to view first blog entry; click here to view second blog entry; click here to view third blog entry; click here to view fourth blog entry
2019:
- 61. 24th December 2019 to 5th January 2020 in Northcliff, Johannesburg, South Africa. 13 days looking after Willow cat. She's a reserved cat liking life outdoors a lot, just coming back during the day, shouting noisily for food before throwing herself onto the cool tiles for fuss. It was only on day 6 that she finally came on our bed one night, but she's a little cutie with the most amazing eyes. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their website or click the following link for a copy: click here Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: click here to view first blog entry; click here to view second blog entry; click here to view third blog entry
- 60. 30th August to 28th September 2019 in Easton in Gordano, Bristol. Four weeks looking after four cats, Shadow, Milly, Tinsel and Mr Pickles for our friends Bev and Iain, while they have a holiday in Turkey. All cats have their own personalities: Mr Pickles is the oldest at (I think) 20 and needs a good brush every few days, due to his age, holding him down and avoiding paw swipes during the process. He likes strokes, lifting his head in anticipation as you approach with your hand, but he can be very grumpy if you touch the wrong part swiping with a paw or teeth. Tinsel cat has a funny eye and is very timid, being a fairly recent arrival from Bev's mum, so keeps out of the way in her bed on an isolated bit of the landing. Shadow cat likes plenty of fuss and is recognisable from the others by a little mark on his ear. Milly cat is very vocal, particularly at meal times, meowing incessantly. It is not possible to leave the kitchen with coffee in the morning without putting food down for her and biscuits and fresh water for the others. It is usual to have one of them on our laps as soon as we sit down and, as soon as one
leaves another jumps up to replace. It does make reading the newspaper or a book or working on a computer difficult but they are unconcerned about that! It's a lovely house in a great area and the cats are a lot of fun - heaven! Click here to view blog entries of this housesit: click here to view first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry; click here to see third blog entry; click here to see fourth blog entry; click here to see fifth blog entry
- 59. 18th to 29th August 2019 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our thirteenth time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for eleven days. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Sooty is an absolute treasure and we enjoy every minute of looking after her. We first looked after her in July 2014, so she is now five years older and starting to show her age a little, so this time we were squirting some medicine into her mouth twice a day, but quickly followed by treats. As usual she was as good as gold. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference) Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: click here to view first blog entry; click here to view second blog entry
- 58. 31st July to 16th August 2019 near Glasgow, Scotland. Just over 2 weeks looking after Mr. T cat and Mrs. P cat in a lovely house on the outskirts of Glasgow. The homeowners asked us not to publish any photos of the pussy cats or of their lovely house, so they are in our memories only. They were two great cats wanting fuss on their own terms. Mr. T cat being quite affectionate, Mrs. P cat being a little more reserved but still enjoying play with the 'bedmonster' and the laser light flashing around the floor. We enjoyed them both and our stay here in a fabulous house. We had several days out in Glasgow city, meeting up with our friends on one day, so it became a social as well as a furry fix. The daily watering of plants was rewarded by ripening fruit and veg which we happily consumed at the request of the homeowners. Our stay ended up being two days longer than originally arranged as their flight home was delayed in Hong Kong due to the protests there. Fortunately we were flexible and could stay on for the extra time until their return. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: click here to see first blog entry; click here to second blog entry; click here to see third blog entry
- 57. 5th to 20th July 2019 in Hilton, Derby. Our fourth time of housesitting for Tim and Jill (last time August 2018, see below), this time for just over two weeks. As last time we were looking after Ruby dog, now 2 years old and still full of life who just wanted to play with older Stimpy cat, who really didn't want to play and preferred to seek out quieter areas of the house. They have, however, now learnt to live with one another by ignoring each other! The house was a large very old, listed building, full of character. Tim is very keen on wild birds so keeping the bird feeders fully stocked was a necessity as was watering the veg patch and outdoor plants. Ruby needed feeding and exercising in their 5 acre field twice a day, while Stimpy cat was still very friendly and talkative but, as with most cats, pretty much looked after herself except when she wanted feeding and fuss, which we were happy to give and usually on our bed at night once Ruby dog was shut up in the lounge and kitchen for the night. Click the following link to see blog entry of housesit: click here to see first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry
- 56. 11th to 27th June 2019 in Moseley, Birmingham, UK. 2.5 weeks looking after old Freddy cat in a fabulous house in Moseley. Freddy is 16 years old and set in his ways. Meal times are twice a day and he knows what time they are and hangs around to remind us. Although he has his cat flap he likes to be let out of the front door so the foxes who frequently visit the back garden don't terrorise him, but he will then find his way round the back and back through his flap. He likes fuss and is very friendly although took a while to work out who these strange people were in his house. It was very handy for us as they live next door to our friends (who recommended us to them) and allowed us to have some social evenings with them. Click the following to view blog entries of the housesit: click here to view first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry; click here to see third blog entry
- 55. 7th to 15th May 2019 in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, UK. 8 days looking after little, very fluffy Socks cat. Homeowners Sarah and John are our friends and their house is our postal address while we have been travelling since 2012 so it was almost like coming home with lovely little Socks cat to stroke. She was very easy to look after, being fed twice a day and spending most of her time on our bed, day and night (except in the photo where she was lying on clean laundry!). Other than occasional watering of plants it left us quite free to work locally on our house renovation in the village. Click the following to view blog entries of the housesit: click here to view first blog entry, click here to see second blog entry
- 54. 24th March to 9th April 2019 Nagozela, in the municipality of Santa Comba Dão, Portugal. 16 days looking after little Baby pug dog, 3 peacocks, 6 peahens, 4 chickens and 1 cockerel in an off-grid house in the hills around Nagozela. Baby was the last one of three pug dogs that Mike and Mary had and she was a dear little, following us around and needing plenty of fuss and attention (although sleeping and snoring a lot too). She needed walks twice a day for about a kilometre each time, usually along the old railway line, now a cycle path, next to the river Dão. The chickens were kept in a large coop and needed water topping up and a pot of seed given to them each day. They laid on average an egg each a day (4 in total). The peacocks pretty much looked after themselves, we put seed down for them if they ate the last lot, but they were getting as much food as they needed by roaming the 50 odd hectares attached to the property. What with the eggs, and the poly tunnel (which did require watering), the asparagus glut, and the orange and lemon trees we really felt like we were living the Good Life. The house was entirely off-grid, water supply was from an
underground stream above the house, power generated by 3kw solar panels and two hydro generators from the stream (only one was online while we were there). There is also a diesel generator as backup, although the system wasn't fault free while we were there and we had to get an engineer out after being plunged into darkness one evening. The house was in a stunningly beautiful area with many walks and cycle paths locally, with a couple of towns with supermarkets available nearby. Mike and Mary left an old VW van for us to use for local trips. As we couldn't drive our motorhome to the property as the access road was too narrow, uneven and twisty, we parked it on the other side of the village which gave us sight and sound of its alarm across the remote valley. It was a thoroughly enjoyable housesit. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: click here to see first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry; click here to see third blog entry; click here to see fourth blog entry
- 53. 28th December to 8th January 2019 Altea la Vella, Costa Blanca, Spain. 10 days looking after little Pepa cat for Jackie's dad and Elizabeth while they return to the UK for a New Year break. Our second time of looking after Pepa cat and, although this is a family housesit it still brings with it the same responsibilities. Pepa is a timid cat and likes to keep her distance but this time we really made progress and had some good strokes and fuss. The house and grounds are quite large with excellent views over the surrounding mountains and whilst there we did a few more maintenance jobs, mainly repainting portions of the outside walls and repairs to a window and a door handle. Not usual procedures for housesitters, but they are family! Reference here: click here to view copy of referenceClick here to view blog entries of this housesit: click here to see first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry
2018:
- 52. 18th to 29th November 2018 near Montaigu-de-Quercy, Southern France. 10 days looking after little Miel cat and bigger William cat in an old presbytery next to a little used church in a village near Montaigu-de-Quercy. Both cats found owner Anne-Louise and moved in, Miel only about 6 weeks ago. They are both very friendly, wanting plenty of fuss on laps and on the bed at night and feeding four times a day (although that doesn't seem to be enough!). This, for us, is an easy housesit with two loving cats and set in beautiful countryside, shops and walks nearby and a big parking area for 'Big Ted', our motorhome. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: click here to see first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry;
- 51. 11th to 26th October 2018 near Plouguenast, Brittany, France. 2 weeks looking after 2 dogs, 3 cats, a parrot, 3 goats, a pot bellied pig, chickens, geese a duck and doves. The dogs are Lexy, a cockerpoo and Pasha a rescue dog from a puppy farm who had a traumatic upbringing and is still a bit traumatised despite now being in a loving, caring home. Belle and Murphy are little old cats, whats left of sixteen who used to live here that just turned up at the door at various times. Lizzie the pot bellied pig, three goats, Guilbert, Sullivan and Petal live in the hobby farm out the back with the birds and apart from getting up and putting to bed have few demands. The star of the show though is Alfie the parrot who is full of character and mischievous and allowed to fly anywhere inside the house. He has a very strong beak and claws and will happily dismantle or destroy anything he can get his
beak round, so needs constant supervision. He likes people and sitting on their shoulders so his affectionate side means supervising is not a chore. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: click here to see first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry; click here to see third blog entry
- 50. 23rd to 25th September 2018 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our twelfth time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for three days. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Sooty is an absolute treasure and we enjoy every minute of looking after her. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference) Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: click here to see first blog entry
- 49. 6th to 20th September 2018 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK. 2 weeks looking after Bramble cat, an 8 year old very fluffy cat. Being a sedentary pussy cat and not going far, she is on a very strict diet to prevent weight problems, so half a cup of biscuits and a teaspoon of wet food morning and night is all she's allowed, plus a few Dreamies for when she's famished in between. She likes her own company, spending hours upstairs on the bed, coming down for strokes on her terms most evenings when purrs can be heard. It would be nice to have more interaction with her, but she seems quite happy so who are we to interfere. The house, which has a fabulous view over countryside, is a fifteen minute walk into town with lots of country walks on the doorstep. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com: click here to view copy of reference. Click on the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to see first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry
- 48. 19th to 28th August 2018 in Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK. 10 days looking after old Gypsy cat while owner Peter had a holiday in Angelsea, Wales. Gypsy was 17 years old but still quite active (when not sleeping 22 hours per day!) and really enjoyed company and strokes, often following us around the house just to be near us. She had specific eating habits, rotating the biscuit types each day being an essential, cat milk in the morning with us at breakfast, wet food afterwards, chews midday and treats in the evening. A thoroughly likeable cat and 10 minutes walk into the centre of Loughborough with all its many restaurants made this a really nice place to be. We had a mild panic midway through when Gypsy had a bit of an attack, unable to stand properly, walked into things, vomited and had involuntary eye movements (nystagmus) and dilated pupils. We took her straight to the emergency vet who suspected either very gummy ears, which they cleaned, or a slight stroke. A blood test was relatively normal except for one check of her kidneys which was on the upper end of the scale. She slept almost all of the next day eating only a little but gradually recovered so that by the time Peter arrived back she was almost back to normal. We kept Peter informed throughout and left him to keep an eye on her. We wish them both well! This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com: Click here to view copy of reference. Click on the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to see first blog entry; Click here to see second blog entry
- 47. 11th to 18th August 2018 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our eleventh time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for one week. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Sooty is an absolute treasure and we enjoy every minute of looking after her. in line with previous sits for Abi, we helped her with renovation jobs in her house, this time fitting a laminate floor in her hallway along with skirting boards, picture rails and architrave round the doors. Not usual activities for housesitters we know, but we enjoy helping her out. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference) Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to see blog entry
- 46. 5th to 11th August 2018 in Hilton, Derbyshire. Our third time of housesitting for Tim and Jill (last time August 2017, see below), this time for one week. Since housesitting last for them they had now got Ruby, a 10 month old puppy, full of life who just wanted to play with older Stimpy cat, who really didn't want to play and preferred to seek out quieter areas of the house. The house was a large very old, listed building, full of character. Tim is very keen on wild birds so keeping the bird feeders fully stocked was a necessity. Ruby needed feeding and exercising in their 5 acre field three times a day, while Stimpy cat was still very friendly and talkative but, as with most cats, pretty much looked after herself except when she wanted feeding and fuss, which we were happy to give. Click the following link to see blog entry of housesit: click here to see blog entry
- 45. 22nd June to 14th July 2018 in Arbroath, Scotland. Our second time of looking after Angus dog, Oscar cat and 'new kid on the block' Hector cat, this time for just over three weeks. Angus is a long haired rough collie, Oscar a large Maine Coon white cat and Hector a tabby cat. Angus was in 'doggy day care' on weekdays, so we only had to take him for evening walks and a walk before bed. At weekends he was with us the whole time so we took him out for longish walks every day as well as the evening walks. We used the house owners car, that they had insured for us to use in order to transport Angus to his walks at weekends and to go shopping in (we travelled here in our motorhome so preferred to leave it parked up on the drive and shop in a normal car). The two cats needed feeding twice a day and often Oscar, the Maine Coon liked to accompany Angus on his evening walks round the golf course in which the house was built. All animals were allowed free run of the house, Angus slept on the floor alongside our bed, often Oscar and Hector slept on the bed with us, when not out. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference of our last sit is on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to see blog entries of housesit: click here to see first blog entry; click here to see second blog entry; click here to see third blog entry; click here to see fourth blog entry; click here to see fifth blog entry;
- 44. 2nd to 10th June 2018 in Edgbaston, Birmingham. 1 week looking after young Dasiy cat while owners Debbie and John had a holiday in Marbella. Daisy was a young 18 month old cat, just experiencing life outside in the garden after a long cold winter. She'd not long been let out so her routine was not yet established and she hadn't learnt how to use the cat flap yet or settled down to eating habits, so it was all a bit 'make it up as we go along'. She had loads of energy but quite liked company and a bit of fuss. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com: (Click here to view copy of reference). Click on the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to view first blog entry; Click here to view second blog entry;
- 43. 18th May to 2nd June 2018 in Epsom Surrey. 2 weeks looking after little old Frodo cat for the parents of our friend Sarah. Frodo was 19 years old, very affectionate and liked company, but walked like a little old girl and, we were told, could no longer get up the stairs. We carried her upstairs each morning so she could sit on the bed with us while we had coffee and she often wanted to be around us when not sleeping. Although being told she couldn't get up the stairs on her own she did twice, the second time while we were still upstairs after carrying her down. She just wanted to be with us! Being hot and sunny while there we watered plants in their lovely garden each day and cut the grass before they got back. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (Click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to view first blog entry ; Click here to view second blog entry; Click here to view third blog entry
- 42. 28th April to 18th May 2018 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our tenth time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for just under three weeks. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Sooty is an absolute treasure and we enjoy every minute of looking after her. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference) Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to see blog entry; Click here to see second blog entry
- 41. 23rd to 27th April 2018 in Mells, near Frome, Somerset. 4 days looking after Stanley cat in a lovely house in picturesque Mells, Somerset while owners Christine and Simon take a short break in Tunbridge Wells. Stanley is a laid back cat who likes strokes, attention, occasionally lying on the bed with us and, of course, expects doors to be opened for him and food provided when he wants it. This assignment was arranged through trustedhousesitters.com (Click here to view a copy of reference). Click on the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to view blog entry of housesit, Click here to view second blog entry of housesit
- 39. 30th November to 5th December 2017 in Gibraltar. 5 days looking after Kuki cat, an old tabby house cat in a one bedroom apartment in Gibraltar town while owner Sarah and Neil took a short holiday back in England. Although we never met Sarah or Neil we communicated with Sarah by phone and email, sending regular photos of Kuki while they were away. She was very surprised how quickly Kuki came out of the drawer under the bed, that is her space and got to know us within half an hour of our arrival, Sarah assuming that it would take several days as it had with previous housesitters. She is a lovely old cat, wanting plenty of fuss (but don't touch her aged back legs as she hisses!), spending part of the nights on the bed with us and every evening on the sofa in the lounge with us, meowing when she wants feeding. We enjoyed our stay looking after her, as well as being able to get out to explore Gibraltar. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com reference on their website (click here to view a copy). Click the following links to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to view blog entry of housesit, Click here to see view second blog entry of housesit
- 38. 17th to 27th November 2017 in Altea-La-Vella, Costa Blanca, Spain. 11 days looking after Pepa cat in Jackie's dad's house while her dad and Elizabeth visited the UK. Pepa is a timid cat and likes to keep her distance but we had occasional strokes and responded to her calls in the night to be let out. The house and grounds are quite large with excellent views over the surrounding mountains and, whilst there, we undertook a number of maintenance jobs including re-grouting the swimming pool, jet-washing the large patio surrounding the pool and painting the boundary walls. Not usual procedures for housesitters, but they are family! Click here to view blog entries of this housesit: Click here to see blog entry of housesit
- 37. 5th to 16th October 2017 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire. 11 days looking after Coco and Bella, two tabby cats living in detached house 3km from Stratford town centre while owner Sue and hubby Darren take a well earned holiday in Portugal. Cats are fairly easy to look after but they need plenty of fuss and, although they have free run in and out through their cat-flap 24 hours a day, they often sit at the patio door looking pleadingly through to be let in that way, only to reappear back in the garden again a few minutes later. They are independent but lots of fun. Being so close to Shakespears Stratford town centre it's an easy walk along paths to local shops, the towns attractions and plenty of places to eat and drink. Whilst there we did a few odd jobs and cut the grass. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com, reference on their website (click here to view copy of reference). Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 36. 26th to 30th September 2017 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our ninth time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for five days. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Whilst housitting on this occasion we have done a few odd jobs round the house! Not normal behaviour for housesitters, but it was work we could do and she wanted it doing! Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 35. 19th to 22nd September 2017 in Redmarley D'Abitot, Gloucestershire. This was our sixth time at Judith and Richard's house this time for only three days, looking after four dogs, Oscar, Max, Muffin and Flora and five cats, Lottie, Charlie, Fred, Ginger and Molly. The dogs needed walking twice a day for one hour at a time through the local woods, followed by their BARF (bones and raw food) meals. Pussy cats needed feeding and plenty of fuss. Evenings were a big group cuddle and fuss in the lounge while watching TV, if we could find space on the sofas with dogs and cats. We were originally contacted by Richard and Judith through the Trustedhousesitters website and they have asked us back on all the other occasions as they are very happy with how we look after their house and animals. We have since become very good friends with them and even visited their house in France. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 34. 6th to 19th September 2017 in Dalston, London. 13 days looking after Kasper, a border-terrier and Benjie a free-flying cockatiel. Kasper likes two walks a day, at least one of them to the local park for continual ball throwing and retrieving. He has three meals a day and plenty of visits into the secure back garden. Kasper likes to sleep on the bed with us at night. Benjie flies freely around the house, mainly sitting on top of the lounge door or on top of the fridge, where his food and water are. At night he sleeps on one of the many pictures hanging round the lounge and we have to place a large cloth on the sofas under his chosen sleeping place to catch his morning poo! He likes to stand on peoples shoulders. Other duties are watering the outdoor potted plants every other day. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit; Click here to view 2nd blog entry of housesit
- 33. 30th July to 25th August 2017 in Hilton, Derbyshire. Our second time of housesitting for Tim and Jill (last time August 2015, see below), this time for four weeks. Since housesitting last for them they have moved house (we showed prospective buyers round the last one as it was 'For Sale' at the time) and also got another cat, old TC cat died and now they have Stimpy cat, a rescue cat from Belgium. The house is a larg,e very old, listed building, full of character and has a gardener, so no lawn mowing. Watering outdoor plants was on the 'to do' list, but it was so wet no watering was necessary. Tim is very keen on wild birds so keeping the bird feeders fully stocked was a necessity. Stimpy cat is very friendly and talkative but, as with most cats, pretty much looks after herself except when she wants feeding and fuss, which we're happy to give. Managed to get a few odd jobs done (there are always plenty in an old house like this) to their instructions and using their tools. Click here to view blog entry of housesit; Click here to view 2nd entry of housesit; Click here to view 3rd entry of housesit
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32. 2nd July to 30th July 2017 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our eighth time of looking after
little Sooty cat, this time for four weeks. We were
originally contacted by Abi
through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all
the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her
house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and
have seen her socially on many occasions. Whilst housitting on this
occasion we have done a few odd jobs round the house! Not
normal behavious for housesitters, but it was work we could do and she
wanted it doing! Reference on
Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 31. 24th June to 2nd July 2017 in Redmarley d'Abitot, Gloucestershire. This was
our fifth time at Judith and Richard's house this time for one week,
looking after four dogs, Oscar, Max, Muffin and Flora and five cats,
Lottie, Charlie, Fred, Ginger and Molly. The dogs needed walking twice a
day for one hour at a time through the local woods, followed by their
BARF (bones and raw food) meals. Pussy cats needed feeding and plenty of
fuss. Evenings were a big group cuddle and fuss in the lounge while watching TV, if we could find space on the sofas with dogs and cats. Summer meant plenty of watering of hanging baskets and plants in the garden, plus greenhouse vegetable plant watering. We were originally contacted by Richard and Judith through the Trustedhousesitters website and they have asked us back on all the other occasions as they are very happy with how we look after their house and animals. We have since become very good friends with them and even visited their house in France. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 30. 26th May to 24th June 2017 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our seventh time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for four weeks. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Whilst housitting on this occasion we have done a few odd jobs round the house! Not normal behavious for housesitters, but it was work we could do and she wanted it doing! Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit; Click here to view 2nd blog entry of housesit
- 29. 29th April to 7th May 2017 in Jicaral, Costa Rica. Eight days looking after two dogs, Penka and Manchita and two cats, Luno and Kuky. Jicaral is a small town on the east coast of the Nicoya Peninsular on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and we were accepted by Julie and Jean-Carlo after a Skype conversation. The cats have free run of the house and garden, the dogs are allowed in a large fenced area in the garden and in the main areas of the house during the day (if not raining) and alternately in the house and fenced garden one night and only the fenced garden on the other night in order to give them more excercise. Only Penka likes to go for a walk taken on her lead on the same walk each day at 5:00pm when it gets a little cooler. They are all very affectionate animals and we enjoyed giving them lots of fuss while 'mum and dad' were away. Even though the dogs are quite large they like to clamber up for a fuss, competing with each other for attention. Selected plants needed watering and also the garden if no rain for three days (which is rare at this time of year).
Mangos that have fallen from the large tree in the garden that have not split on hitting the ground are collected twice a day and stored until they are ripe (on average seven or eight large fruits collected each day!) This assignment was arranged through Nomador.com.Reference on their site and on Trustedhousesitters site (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit; click here to view 2nd blog entry of housesit
- 28. 7th to 16th March 2017 in Antigua, Guatemala. 8 days looking after three cats, Paris, Spot and Smiley. Antigua is a city in the south of Guatemala, Central America and we were accepted by Sue after a Skype conversation. The cats had free run of the house, the small outdoor patio and balcony, Paris and Spot often sharing the bed with us at night. They were fed twice a day, one meal having a cod liver oil tablet mixed in. Paris would pace round the bed, walking all over us at around 6:15 to 6:30am to make sure we were awake to prepare his breakfast and, although they were not 'lap-cats' we got reasonably close to them to accept fuss and strokes. As usual though, 1 week isn't really enough time to fully bond and we would have liked a bit longer to really get to know them, but we had fun with them and enjoyed looking after them. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 27. 27th January to 7th February 2017 in Tepoztlan, Mexico. Our second time of looking after Maty, Luna and Cookie, this time for 11 days whilst owner Louise visited Ecuador to see friends and to investiagte possibly moving there. She asked us to come back even before we'd finished the first housesit (below) as she was pleased with the regular photos and reporting that she'd asked for and the way we had looked after her house and dogs. The dogs were delighted to see us return and we received the best welcome back possible from them. They were an absolute joy and we loved them to bits. We are going to really miss them! This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference) Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 26. 11th December 2016 to 22nd January 2017 in Tepoztlan, Mexico. 6 weeks looking after three dogs, Maty, Luna and Cookie. Tepoztlan is a town about an hours drive south of Mexico City and we arranged this housesit through Trustedhousesitters.com and were accepted by Louise after our Skype conversation. We had to administer a thyroid drug to Luna twice a day and, during our stay take Cookie to the local Vets for continued treatment of an ear infection. Occasionally 11 year old Maty would need picking up to release a locked rear leg. Gravity would lower the leg and put it back into position. We spent lots of time with the adorable dogs and took them on their one walk a day along a specified route, avoiding the many street dogs. They were allowed free run of the house and, usually Cookie and Maty spent the night with us on the bed, Maty often sharing our pillows, occasionally Luna would come on as well, but her larger size along with the other two meant there was little room. We really enjoyed their different personalities, they were great fun. Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Tepoztlan 1; Tepoztlan 2; Tepoztlan 3; Tepoztlan 4; Tepoztlan 5; Tepoztlan 6; Tepoztlan 7;
2016:
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| Sooty inspecting the laminate floor |
- 25. August to September 2016 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our sixth time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for four and a half weeks. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Whilst housitting on this occasion we have fitted a laminate floor and done a bit of painting! Not normal behavious for housesitters, but it was work we could do and she wanted it doing! Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here for copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5
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| Winston (R) and Edith |
- 24. July to August 2016 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. 1 week looking after 2 bunnies, Winston and Edith and 1 hamster, Shirley (the pocket rocket!). The bunnies needed feeding twice a day, company and a run around the house, Shirley the hamster we fed once every other day, let her run around with us on the sofa and rebuilt the things inside her large cage after her energetic evening antics. All were thorougly good entertainment! This assignment for Imogen and Matthew was arranged through Richard and Judith of our many housesits for them in Redmarley d'Abitot (see below). Imogen is Judith's daughter. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here for copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2
- 23. July 2016 in Redmarley d'Abitot, Gloucestershire. This was
our fourth time at Judith and Richard's house this time for one week, looking after four dogs, Oscar, Max, Muffin and Flora and five cats, Lottie, Charlie, Fred, Ginger and Molly. The dogs needed walking twice a day for one hour at a time through the local woods, followed by their BARF (bones and raw food) meals. Pussy cats needed feeding and plenty of fuss.
Evenings were a big group cuddle and fuss in the lounge while watching TV, if we could find space on the sofas with dogs and cats. Hot summer meant plenty of watering of hanging baskets and plants in the garden, plus greenhouse vegetable plant watering taking at least an hour per day, pond maintenance and fish feeding. Also managed a few odd jobs! We were originally contacted by Richard and Judith through the Trustedhousesitters website and they have asked us back on all the other occasions as they are very happy with how we look after their house and animals. We have since become very good friends with them and even visited their house in France. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit
With dogs Max and Oscar & Ginger cat
- 22. July 2016 in Hall Green, Birmingham. Our fifth time of looking after little Sooty cat, this time for only 2 nights while owner Abi celebrated her birthday weekend with friends. We were originally contacted by Abi through the Trustedhousesitter website and she has asked us back on all the other occasions as she is very happy with how we look after her house and Sooty. We have since become very good friends with her and have seen her socially on many occasions. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference):Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 21. June to July 2016 in Arbroath, Scotland. 3 weeks in a large house looking after Angus, the long haired rough collie, Oscar the large Maine Coon white cat and Toby the ginger cat. Angus the dog was in 'doggy day care' for the first and last week so, during that time we only had to take him for evening walks and last walk before bed. For the middle week he was with us the whole time so we took him out for longish walks every day as well as the evening walks. We used the house owners Toyota Land Cruiser, that they had insured for us to use in order to transport Angus to his walks during this week. The two cats needed feeding twice a day and often Oscar, the Maine Coon liked to accompany Angus on his evening walks round the golf course in which the house was built. All animals were allowed free run of the house, Angus would sleep on the floor alongside our bed, often Oscar would sleep on the bed with us and Toby would come in late at night waking us up for his usual late night food! This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to see blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4
20. June 2016 in Acocks Green, Birmingham, UK. 6 days in a house
looking after two long haired and very cute rabbits, Poppy and Sahara.
They needed feeding twice a day and company. Normally in a cage at night
they are let out into the study during the day and occasionally free
run through the hallway and lounge, but returned to their cage
overnight. Rooms in the house are also rented out through Airbnb so we
had to prepare rooms for guests, wash linen and show new guests around.
This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference
on their site (click here to view copy of reference) : Click here to view blog entry of housesit
19. May 2016 in Hall Green, Birmingham, UK. This was our fourth
assignment looking after sweet little Sooty the cat, this time for three weeks. A
few odd jobs undertaken. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2
2015:
- 18. December 2015 to April 2016 in St Jean d'Aulps, French Alps. We helped 'Saturday change-overs' and airport transfers at a chalet
near to the apartment we rented in a ski resort for the season. It
involved bed changing, bathroom and room cleaning, vacuuming, floor
mopping, house cleaning and maintenance, plus running their clients to
and from Geneva airport using the chalets transport.
Separate to this we occasionally looked after Gizmo the dog while his owner
sang in a band in various bars around the resort. On each occasion he delivered and collected Gizmo. These assignments were arranged
personally through 'word of mouth' and through the valley email list. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference)
17. September 2015 in Redmarley d'Abitot, Gloucestershire, UK. This was
our third assignment at Judith and Richard's house. This time we had
only the 5 cats, Lottie, Charlie, Fred, Ginger and Molly as they took
their 4 dogs away with them to France. Lawn mowing, watering and a few
odd jobs, including liaising with local tradesmen who were relaying the
very long and large driveway and decorating one of the rooms. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4
- 16. September 2015 in Anglesey, North Wales, UK. 2 weeks in a house looking after 3 large dogs, Sionyn, Cassie and Minnie, 2 cats, Ginge and Thomas and a very talkative Bobbie the parrot. The dogs needed a long walk once a day in a nearby forest, using their van for transport, Cassie, an old dog, needed a liquid Ibuprofen shot in her mouth 1 hour before the walk to stop the pain in her hips and allow her to keep up with the others. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3
15. August 2015 in Derby, UK. 2 weeks in a large house in the suburbs of
Derby looking after TC the cat. Lawn mowing, watering, wild bird feeding
and some odd jobs. The house was 'For Sale' at the time and we had to
show the new buyers round the property. This assignment was arranged
through personal recommendation. Reference on Trustedhoussitters.com
(click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit
14. August 2015 in Hall Green, Birmingham, UK. This assignment was the second half of number 12 looking after Sooty the cat. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2
13. July 2015 in Redmarley d'Abitot, Gloucestershire, UK. Yet another repeat
assignment of number 10, this time for 1 week. Not only did we look
after the 5 cats but this time we also looked after 4 large dogs, Oscar,
Muffin, Max and Flora. The dogs needed long walks twice a day in a
nearby forest, at least half the time off their leads under strict
observation, making sure Charlie cat was locked in the house to stop her
following and getting lost. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference): Click here to view blog entry of housesit
12. June 2015 in Hall Green, Birmingham, UK. This was another repeat
assignment of number 6, this time for a total of 6 weeks, looking after
sweet little Sooty the cat.Lawn mowing, hedge cutting, watering and a
few odd jobs. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2
11. May 2015 in Solihull, West Midlands, UK. This was a repeat of number 4.
We were asked again to look after Maggie cat but this time for 1 month.
We had lawn mowing, watering and a few odd jobs and also had to take
Maggie to the vet for a minor problem. This assignment was arranged through personal recommendation. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com website (click here for copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4
10. April 2015 in Redmarley d'Abitot, Gloucestershire, UK. 1 month in a
large house looking after 5 cats, Lottie, Charlie, Fred, Ginger and
Molly. Lawn mowing (large garden), watering and a few odd jobs. This
assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on
their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5
9. December 2014 to January 2015 in Hanoi, Vietnam. 3 weeks over Christmas
and New Year in a fourth floor apartment in the city looking after White
cat (yes, that was her name). This assignment was arranged through
Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4
8. September 2014 in Colorado, USA. 1 week on a ranch looking after 2 dogs,
2 cats, 2 goats, chickens, peacocks, wild squirrels, birds and an
aquarium of fish (and keeping the wild bear away from the apple trees!).
No maintenance or lawn mowing jobs but it was a dawn to dusk job to a
set timetable of animal feeding and generally overlooking the extensive
land for any problems. We loved it! This assignment was arranged through
Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2
7. August 2014 in Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA. 1 week in a house looking
after 2 cats, Rosie and Bud and the wild birds. This assignment was
arranged through personal recommendation: Click here to view blog entry of housesit
- 6. July 2014 in Hall Green, Birmingham, UK. 2 weeks in a house looking after Sooty the very sweet cat. Lawn mowing, watering and a few odd jobs. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3
5. June 2014 in Selly Oak, Birmingham, UK. 5 days in a house looking after
Sam the dog and Keith the cat. Lawn mowing, watering and a couple of odd
jobs. This assignment was arranged through personal recommendation.
Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2
4. June 2014 in Solihull, West Midlands, UK. Two separate sits of a total
of 2 weeks in a house looking after Maggie the cat. Lawn mowing,
watering and a couple of odd jobs. This assignment was arranged through
personal recommendation. Reference on Trustedhousesitters.com (click here to view copy of reference). Click here to view blog entry of housesit
2013:
3. December 2013 in Tresham, Cotswolds UK. 10 days looking after 2 cats,
Isla and Fitz. This assignment was arranged through personal
recommendation. Click the following links to view bog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3
2. March 2013 in Wanganui, North Island, New Zealand. 1 week looking after
Brinny the cat, with lawn mowing, watering and a few odd jobs. This
assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on
their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page 1, Page 2
2012:
- 1. December 2012 to January 2013 in Irwell, Christchurch, New Zealand. 3 weeks over Christmas and New Year (summer) looking after 4 cats, Rosie, Tiffany, Ustinov and Tigger. The house was large with very big garden that required lawn cutting with sit-on mower and plant watering. This assignment was arranged through Trustedhousesitters.com. Reference on their site (click here to view copy of reference). Click the following links to view blog entries of housesit: Page1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7
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