Midway through July we ended our first housesit in Brighton that we had started back in June, then, in the last two weeks of July managed to squeeze in two more!
We are often asked if house and pet sitting is basically one long holiday. We always reply – “there is definitely more to it than that!”
It’s a huge responsibility being asked to care for what is probably the two most important things for any home host. Their home and pets.
I have to admit though, July really has felt like one long fun filled, sun filled extended holiday!
Karyo is now not working, we have had glorious weather all month and for the first four weeks in Brighton we had a house with no pets to care for.
The end result of all this is that we had lots of time to enjoy the city, the surrounding areas – and the beach!
A grand day out!
With so much time on our hands this month we have made an effort to visit some towns just outside Brighton.
On one of these days we decided to visit Lewes. Just over a half hour on the train from Preston Park station quickly took us to this lovely market town that is located approximately ten miles outside Brighton.
We had no idea what to expect when we set off but it turned out to be a really lovely day out
Dominating the towns skyline is the remains of the medieval Lewes castle. The castle stands high on a hill and boasts panoramic views of the surrounding area.
Lewes is famous for being the home town of Harvey’s brewery, the oldest independent brewery in Sussex. It was founded by John Harvey in 1790 and has remained a family business to this day.
Southover Grange gardens is a beautiful walled garden that is located in the centre of Lewes. Locally, it is know as ‘The Grange’
The gardens are a haven of tranquility, built in 1542 and the perfect place to get away from the busy activity of the town.
Lewes really does have something for everybody. With a myriad of independent shops, bars & cafes, a rich history and beautiful parks to discover. We highly recommend it as a place to visit if you ever get to visit this area.
Sitters meet-up
As London is a very popular location for people wanting house and pet sitter, there are usually many sitters in the area at any one time.
Amparo is a house sitter from the USA who is currently sitting in London. She asked on a sitters forum if anyone would be interested to meet-up and received quite a positive response.
As the house sit we were staying is was right next to a train station and as it was only an hour to London from Brighton we decided to have a day out and go to meet some more sitters.
In total, fourteen sitters had decided to join the group. Half of these were international sitters, mostly from the USA. These were all full time, nomadic sitters who are housesitting as an affordable way to see the world.
It was a varied mix of people of all ages. Some travelled alone, others with partners. There were some very new to house sitting and others with lots of experience and knowledge to share with the group. Some were occasional, holiday sitters. Others, like us, full time. Even a couple of pets came along to join in the fun!
As always when we meet up with fellow sitters, we really enjoyed the afternoon. It was so good to look around the table and see such a melting pot of age, experience, gender, and nationality. There really are very few barriers to joining the house sitting community.
All you need is a love of the three ‘Ps’ – People, Pets and Places, and you are already well on your way!
House sitting for July
The house sit that we started mid-June was in The Preston Park area of Brighton.
This was a four week house sit, mid-June to mid-July. The first of our six confirmed house sits in Brighton . It was the first time we had a house sit that had no pets. Here, we only had the house to look after.
I can’t lie, it was a dream job. For the month we were here, keeping the house secure and cleaning after ourselves was all that was expected of us. As much as we have loved all the pets that we have cared for so far, this was a welcome break.
As always though, time flies and before we knew where we were, it was soon time for us to move on again. In mid-July we packed our bags, called an UBER and took the ten minute ride to the second of our Brighton house sits.
Brighton House sit number TWO of six
Our second house sit in Brighton was in the upstairs area of a large house that had been converted into two apartments. One upstairs and one downstairs.
When we arrived there was a lovely welcome letter and a huge, delicious sourdough bread that they had baked that morning waiting for us.
The apartment was massive – probably the biggest we have ever stayed in.
The location was excellent, high on a hill overlooking the city. A very easy 15 minute walk downhill into the city centre although I have to admit, the walk back home, uphill, laden with ALDI shopping bags was a little more arduous!
The park at the end of the road was the home of the Brighton open air theatre. This looked like a great place to visit. Unfortunately though, all shows were was sold out during the time we were there. As we still have over two months here we hope to be able to visit on another occasion.
Hove beach was about a half hour walk away which was a walk we did often during our 14 night stay.
The Pets
For this house sit we had two indoor cats to care for. Marvin and Otis. I can only presume the owners had a good musical taste.
These cats were interesting as they were new breeds to us. Marvin is often mistaken to have Egyptian origins . However, his breed is an Abyssinian and originated from southeast Asia .
Otis is an Ocicat and is the result of a breeder in the 1960’s breeding a Siamese with a Abyssinian.
Both were beautiful cats although both had totally different temperaments.
Marvin was more of a loner, did not particularly like to be held and would only very occasionally come for cuddles. Otis, was the total opposite – a huge cross-eyed lovable ball of fun that loves attention!.
In the end we came to the conclusion that Otis thought he was a puppy. You had to be really careful not to trip over him as he liked to stretch out on the floor – usually right behind where you were standing! He also loved to be groomed and would roll around to his hearts content never getting bored of his pampering.
Brighton House sit number THREE of six
The house sit with Otis and Marvin took us almost to the end of July. We then had a four night gap before our August house sit was due to start so out third Brighton house sit was just a short one to fill the gap.
A ten minute UBER ride took us down the hill to a road just a few minutes walk to the city centre.
This house sit was another apartment but totally different than the one we had just left.
This time we were in a downstairs apartment and it was a smaller, one bedroom property.
The previous place had had a very Scandinavian, minimalist decor. In contrast, this one was cram packed with a real eclectic mix of trinkets, gadgets and general paraphernalia.
As we always say, it is the variety of our accommodation that makes house sitting so enjoyable. These two apartments were a perfect example of that. Both lovely yet as different as chalk and cheese.
Pet-wise, It could not have been easier. We had one very independent cat to care for. Her name was Mooshki and all she required was feeding and a bit of company in the evening. She had a cat-flap so let herself in and out as she wished.
The big bonus of this house sit was the location. We were now in the very centre of the city so really convenient for the shops, bars and, importantly, the beach.
At just four nights the sit came and went really quickly but was a lovely end to what had been a brilliant month
The highlight of the month – Alison Moyet!
During July we had the best unexpected surprise!
We were very lucky in finding out that Alison Moyet had announced a last minute concert to be held in a small nightclub just a fifteen minute walk from where we were staying!
Tears for Fears had just started a UK tour and Alison was to be joining them as their special guest. Unfortunately though, the Tears for Fears singer, Curt Smith, fractured his rib and the tour had to be cancelled.
As Alison lives in Brighton she found herself heading home much earlier than expected so decided, as she had her guest set planned and ready to go she would pad it out with a few extra songs to have enough material stretch to a full gig.
Then, out of the blue, a local club made this surprise announcement.
“With the recent cancellation of the Tears For Fears tour, Alison Moyet only got to play three gigs in the end. To prove it actually happened, we are excited to announce an ad hoc one-off performance in her hometown, Brighton, on Monday 25th July to round off this almost-run of shows.”
Then Alison herself added –
“Y’know how I was going on tour, then got the covids, lost rehearsals and half me band? 2 gigs with no drummer, and then the tour cancelled? I thought with my good luck I should book one single gig and only give myself a week to tell people. Ps. No. No other shows will be happening. We were primed to tour. I need proof or it never happened. This gig will be on the hoof. No rehearsals happening. Making it up as I go”
and that is exactly how it happened. The concert was announced on Monday, tickets went on sale Tuesday and the actual event took place the following Monday!
We managed to get a couple of tickets and had a brilliant evening. We have seen her perform many times. I have been a fan since the early days when she was with Vince Clarke in Yazoo. I first saw her live, back in in 1982 but this gig was special. It was such a small venue with probably around a 500 maximum capacity audience.
The gig had a real feeling of going right back to her roots. As if she’d gone out for a drink and had been asked to get up to do a ‘turn’
Just her, a bloke on keyboards and another on drums.
Minimal rehearsal. Lots of acapella. occasionally forgetting the words, taking requests at one point.
What an absolute treat, and we were there to witness it really happened!
Definitely the highlight of July!
Where next?
We have two more house sits booked in Brighton for August so are staying put. With LGBTQ+ Pride, an anniversary and a BIG birthday for yours truly to look forward to it should be a good month but more on that next time.
Until then, thanks for reading.
Hugs, Colin & Karyo xx
