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August has been a really good month for us ( if you ignore the weather). It has consisted of two really enjoyable housesit experiences. As per usual though, it didn’t start smoothly!

Our next housesit, in Watford, was due to start a day before our current sit in Hayes was due to end. The plan was for me to head out to Watford and Karyo would come to join me the following day. After our nightmare journey to Chiswick, I decided that to be on the safe side, I would leave in plenty of time. I knew I was probably being over-cautious. What was the chance of a second weather-related severe train delay? As it turned out – really high!

This time the wind was the culprit. It had been fairly windy all day. Probably enough to blow your hat off – nothing more. To be honest, I have had more wind myself after one of Karyo’s lentil soups. So you can imagine my surprise when 20 minutes into my journey the train ground to a halt and the tannoy system crackled into life –

“Sorry for the delay, due to high winds a tree has fallen on the track”

…so there I sat, for almost two hours, staring out of the window contemplating how such a light wind could possibly fell a tree, causing yet another housesit arrival to be weather-delayed. At the same time mumbling under my breath, in the voice, and with the grumpy face of Victor Meldrew, ” I don’t believe it!”

Eventually, the train rattled back into action to continue its journey. Mysteriously not passing any fallen tree or tree moving apparatus on the way it pulled into Watford Junction train station ever-so-slightly windswept but safe and sound.

Housesit number 5 – Watford

Up until now all our housesits had been looking after cats but all that was about to change. Here in Watford, we had 2 cats, 3 house rabbits and 2 chickens to care for – a mini suburban menagerie!

This turned out to be one of our favourite sits so far. The homeowner, Georgina was lovely. She was a little nervous herself as this was the first time she had left her home and pets with housesitters. Arriving a day before she left was a good idea as it gave her the chance to get to know us before handing us the keys to her home!

The house was situated on a quiet estate about a 20-minute walk to the train station and also to Watford town centre. There were some nice walk/running paths close by and the biggest ASDA I have ever seen on the doorstep which is always handy to have. The sit was for 3 weeks so we were delighted to see the huge garden we had to enjoy – unfortunately, during our time there it rained – a lot. Nevertheless, it really was a great place to visit.

The Cats

Thunderbolt and Lightening were brother and sister, moggies and the most fun to be with. There always seems to be one confident and one a little shyer and this time Thunderbolt was definitely the confident one. He instantly came to say hello and to get to know us whereas Lightening tended to keep more of a distance.

Both cats were really independent. They would spend most nights out on the tiles, coming home to eat and sleep the day away. Often tapping on our bedroom window if they thought it was time for us to get up! We loved them.

The Rabbits

The rabbits were a pleasant surprise. When we saw they were house-rabbits we were concerned that they would smell but this was not the case at all. The rabbits had a whole room to themselves and they were litterbox trained so very easy to keep clean. They were fed better than me with an everchanging selection of fresh veg and herbs and had lots of toys and paraphernalia to keep them happy. Honestly, if I had rabbits, they would be in the garden but this spoilt trio seemed happy enough with their digs so who am I to say?

The Chickens

Kari and Dotty were a joy! They were so easy to look after. Each morning we would open their coop and top-up their feed. That was about it. They were a comical couple and would come running to you when they saw you in the garden. In the evening as it went dark they would kindly put themselves back inside their coop. Just leaving us to secure the door to keep it safe from any foxes that might come looking for an evening meal.

As a bonus, each morning they would lay an egg each for breakfast – We could not eat them as fast as they were laying them so passed any extras to the very grateful neighbours.

Housesit number 6 – Little Venice

So far we have now done six housesits. One was awful, four have been lovely, and then we arrived at number six – an absolute treat!

I had been looking at available sits to do after Watford and spotted this one in Little Venice. – on a houseboat! The homeowner was an American lady that was going home for three weeks and was looking for someone to care for her beautiful houseboat, dog and two cats in her absence. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity!

Say hello to the Pets!

The pets in our care for this sit were a delight. Jasper was really timid and it took a couple of days to gain his confidence even enough for him to spend time in the same room as us. Then throughout our stay was careful always to keep his distance. Ash, on the other hand, was super confident. She is a really sociable cat that never says no to a cuddle. Scout the dog is a delight – We loved taking her for a walk and her excitement to greet us when we had been out for a while without her was incredible.

Jasper might be a bit of a loner but Ash and Scout are the best of friends and spent most of their time side by side. It was lovely to see the unusual friendship – Ash would even spend time giving Scout a doggy massage, much to Scouts delight!

Our home for the three weeks was amazing. We have learned quickly that housesitting has its ups and it has its downs. It can safely be said that this sit was, without a doubt, in the ‘up’ catagory.

Living on the houseboat was like living in a really nice floating 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. It even had its own private garden. All in all a great stay that we feel very lucky to have been chosen to have had the opportunity to experience.

Little Venice

We had never even heard of Little Venice before our arrival but it turned out to be a real gem. It is a canal area in the centre of London that provides a small oasis of calm within the city. We could hardly believe that the hustle and bustle of Paddington was just a ten-minute walk away.

The canal is home to a variety of permanent houseboats, transient narrowboats, floating theatres, and various floating bars, cafes and restaurants. The whole area is really pretty and we loved our daily walk admiring all those that have chosen this lifestyle.

Sadly, our time here is very quickly coming to an end. When we started housesitting just a short time ago we could never have believed the variety of experiences and opportunities that lay ahead for us. Our three weeks spent in Little Venice will certainly take some beating!

Where next?

For the whole of September, we have a housesit booked in Chippenham, cats again! This time though, back on terra firma. Wiltshire, here we come!

September also marks a year since we left Manchester, but more on that next time x