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For February, we had three house sits booked.

First, one is in Cyprus, and then two are in the UK.

Yes, it was almost time for us to return to the UK!

We left the UK at the end of October, so we can’t complain too much, but those four months really have flown by.

Next year, we hope to stretch our winter time abroad a little longer.

February Pet Sit Number One

For our final pet sit this year in Paphos, we left Tala and headed approximately six miles North to the village of Kathikas.

The journey was short but also higher up the mountain.

Kathikas is 600 metres above sea level compared to Tala, which is approximately 200 metres above sea level.

Kathikas is a pretty Cypriot village, primarily inhabited by local people who live here permanently.

Although the majority of homes here are lived in permanently, there are also a few holiday homes to accommodate tourists during the summer months.

Most tourists who visit Kathikas are day-trippers, escaping the heat of the coast.

The village has undergone a lot of restoration, and much of it has been sympathetically restored to its former glory, making it a great place to spend an hour or two aimlessly wandering around.

Many of the buildings have traditional wooden balconies and courtyard gardens with an outside oven.

You would be hard pressed to find a better example of an authentic, traditional village than Kathikas in the whole of Cyprus.

There are no touristy shops here to speak of, however, it does have a handful of places to eat, oddly, a gin bar, a (very expensive) mini-supermarket, a post office, an information centre and a local museum.

The square in the centre of the village has stone memorials to locals who died in various Cyprus conflicts.

The Home

We almost did not apply to sit here because after staying in Tala last month, to end our stay in Cyprus, we really wanted to go nearer the coast.

We had planned to keep an eye out for any last-minute coastal house sits that may come available. If none did, we were going to book a hotel for our final ten days.

However, just a few days before we were due to leave Tala, we saw this house sit advertised.

The home hosts were British ex-pats who had been called back to the UK urgently due to a family illness, which is why it was advertised as a last-minute sit.

Yes, it was going higher up the mountain, and not towards the coast as we had wanted, but the dates were almost exactly what we were looking for, we only had cats to care for, and the owners were offering us a car to use during our stay.

We decided the pros outweighed the cons, so we applied and were accepted.

Their home was a large villa with a pool. Perfect for our final week in sunny Cyprus.

The only problem was, the day after we arrived, the sun departed!

An unusually cold weather system hit Cyprus, and the villa wasn’t built for the cold!

It had non-existent insulation, and the only heating came from a log burner in the living area.

Upstairs had no heating whatsoever – it was freezing!

We were so unlucky, after having spent most of January lying on the beach, this took us by surprise.

Luckily, there was plenty of wood for the fire, and the hosts had electric blankets for the beds.

We put plenty of wood on the fire, wore extra socks in bed, and went out during the day to keep warm.

The villa seemed to be holding the cold like a refrigerator. It was far warmer outside than it was inside!

The Cats

We had three, mainly outdoor cats, to care for during our stay.

Neddy, Nottie, and Tiny.

Tiny did not like being in the house at all. At meal times, he liked his food bowl to be placed just inside the door, with the door left open.

He was the most timid cat we have ever cared for. As soon as he finished eating, he would quickly disappear into the trees that surrounded the villa. Not to be seen again until his next meal was due.

Neddy and Nottie were much more confident and, even though they were both also primarily outside cats, they would often spend two or three hours lounging around the house after eating, before meowing at the door. Wanting to be let outside again.

The cats were all rescues. The outside environment was still their happy place.

None of the cats came home at night, but all three were waiting patiently at the door to be fed each morning when we woke.

The cold weather didn’t seem to bother them half as much as it did us!

Meeting Other Sitters

One day, we were contacted by another couple of fellow house sitters, Mary and Matthew.

They had seen me mention our location on a house sitter forum. Mary and Matthew told us they were also on a house sit-in, and were staying in Theletra, the village next to ours. What a coincidence!

We arranged to meet for a coffee and spent a couple of hours exchanging stories.

Mary is Canadian, and Matthew is Australian. They have been house sitting for a similar length of time to us, and first discovered Cyprus whilst on a house sit here a few years ago.

They instantly fell in love with Cyprus and decided to buy a home here to use as a base when they are not in other parts of the world, house sitting themselves.

We always enjoy meeting other house sitters and had a lovely afternoon.

During our conversation, they asked us if we had visited the nearby village of Theletra?

We said we had, a couple of days earlier, but had only stayed a short while. It was mainly residential houses, and honestly, apart from some amazing views, we didn’t think it was very interesting.

They laughed and explained we must have visited New Theletra.

They told us Old Theletra, further down the mountain was far more interesting.

The following day, we decided to go to see for ourselves.

Old Theletra

New Theletra, which we had previously visited, is the next village up the mountain after Kathikas.

A few days earlier, we had seen it perched on top of a steep hill, so we stopped to take a look. Its location gave it some great views, but to be honest, other than that, the village was nothing to write home about.

We took a few scenic photographs, but didn’t stay long.

What we now know, thanks to Mary and Matthew, is that further down the mountain is the original village, now known as ‘Old Theletra’.

Intrigued, we decided to take a look ourselves.

We drove down the mountain to get as close to the village as possible. Then parked and walked the final 20 meters, as the road condition was too bad to drive all the way.

The village quickly appeared before us and, at first glance, looked like a ghost town.

Not a soul was to be seen. It was all very spooky, I was glad we had decided to make this a daytime visit!

Walking through the narrow streets lined with dilapidated but still-standing buildings was like stepping back in time.

It was very easy to imagine a time, less than 50 years ago, when the village was full of people living a normal life.

In 1980, an earthquake in the area caused massive landslides. The precarious mountainside location of the village meant that many of the village buildings were destroyed, forcing most of the inhabitants of old Theletra to abandon their homes.

A water fountain, with a stone dated 1915, is at the village entrance. This would have been used to catch water from the mountain above, and would have been the only source of water for people living here at the time.

Even in 1980, when the village was abandoned, due to the inaccessibility of the location, none of the buildings had running water or electricity installed.

The village was stuck in a time warp. Water would come from the well, oil was used to light lanterns, and wood was used for cooking and heat.

At the time of the landslides, many of the inhabitants of the village, with nowhere else to go, resisted leaving their homes.

However, as it was obvious that the danger of future landslides was a real danger, the government agreed to fund the construction of ‘New’ Theletra.

The new village was built higher up the mountain, and eventually all of the original residents relocated there.

For three decades, that was the end of the story until around 2010, when modern, safer construction methods and a renewed interest in living in more remote areas, saw one or two people buy derelict homes in Old Theletra and renovate them to live in.

Slowly, but surely, Old Theletra is coming to life again!

Latchi

Another area we visited was the coastal town of Latchi.

This is where Aphrodite is believed to have fallen in love with Adonis.

For this reason, Latchi is believed by many to be the most romantic resort in Cyprus.

Many years ago, local farmers would bring their livestock down from the hills.

En route to the markets, they would stop at a tiny village.

The farmers would rest and drink coffee while their cattle drank from water holes, or ‘lakkis’ as they are known in Greek. The story goes that this is how the tiny village got its name.

Latchi is no longer a tiny village. Now, it’s a decent-sized tourist resort with a large, busy marina as its focal point.

The village seems popular with Cypriots. We went on a Sunday, and the cafes and restaurants along the harbour were all busy.

In some cafes, couples were drinking coffee and quietly enjoying the stunning views.

In other cafes, large groups of families and friends were treating themselves to full meals with plenty of the usual lively chatter, which always occurs during family get-togethers.

Latchi is renowned for its fresh seafood and the smell of freshly grilled fish filled the air.

I am a vegetarian, but I can fully understand how this tempts passers-by to stop and sample the local catch of the day.

Small fishing boats bobbed alongside huge yachts. Next to these, boats offering trips to the Blue Lagoon, which, going by how many boats that were offering the same trip, must be a really popular trip to take from here.

The drive to Latch took less than an hour. The time of the year we visited meant many places were still closed but it was well worth the journey.

While the marina is the main attraction, Latchi has much more to offer.

We strolled along the main street, window shopping local crafts, olive oil, and other traditional Cypriot products such as the handmade lace, which comes directly from the nearby village of Lefkara.

Last, but by no means least, is the Blue Flag awarded Latchi beach.

The clear, calm waters here make it ideal for families.

Sun loungers and umbrellas are available for rent, and for the more active, various water sport activities, from Banana boats to jet-skiing to windsurfing, are always available for hire along the seafront.

We loved our visit to Latchi and recommend it to everyone.

Time to leave Kathikas.

Honestly, we were not sorry when the time came for us to leave Kathikas.

The cats had been very easy to care for, and we had enjoyed visiting a few new areas of Cyprus, but the coldness of the house had been no fun at all!

Note to self – When we visit again next winter, be sure all the homes we stay in have central heating!

A Mini Hotel Break

We only had three days left before our flight home to the UK, so we decided to book a short stay in a hotel.

As we had an early morning flight booked, it made sense for us to look for a hotel near the airport.

A quick booking.com search led us to ‘Aphrodite Gardens’ – a complex made up partly of residential homes, but mostly of holiday homes.

It was a great find, and as we were still well into the out-of-season holiday period, great value too. We paid £152 for a three-night stay in a two-bedroom apartment.

The biggest issue we had, ironically, was cats!

We had booked the apartment looking forward to a three-night pet-free stay. However, on arrival, we discovered it was a ground-floor apartment, and someone was feeding all the local strays a few meters away from our patio door.

There were a dozen empty cat feeding trays inside the walls of our garden!

As it was still February, it wasn’t a major issue, but anyone booking the apartment in the height of summer would have a real problem.

Opening the patio doors was equivalent to sending an open invitation to all the local feline strays to come visit the free all you can eat buffet 😅

The good news. Although it was a bit too chilly for us to use, we had a choice of not one, not two, but three swimming pools. Plus, a decent on-site gym, which was always empty.

Our last three days in Paphos were spent relaxing and enjoying daily, private gym sessions – these muscles don’t build themselves 🏋️

Goodbye Paphos 😞

..and that was that.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, our four-month escape from the UK winter, house-sitting adventure was over.

We now had to get our skates on. We were sitting in the Paphos airport departure lounge at 6 am, and our next house sit was due to start in London on the same day at 3pm!

Hello London 😊

Surprisingly for us, all went well.

We didn’t lose or forget anything and we arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare.

Our Paphos – Stansted flight was bang on time.

We gave one last wave to Paphos, and headed home.

We landed at Stanstead airport, then took a train to the suburb of Harringay.

It was here where our first of two London stays in February was located.

February London House Sit Number One

– Harringay –

The Home

During our time in Harringay, we stayed in a large Victorian terraced house.

This type of house is very typical of the area.

Most roads in Harringay are lined by large, terraced houses, many of which have retained their original period features.

The property we stayed in was huge, three floors high, with a large kitchen extension and a separate office building in the garden.

We are starting to see these home offices more and more. Often a converted bedroom and occasionally a purpose-built building as was the case here.

Especially since the COVID-19 period, working from home seems to have become a much more popular thing. I wonder if, in the future, there will be a time when going into the office to work will be seen as a novelty rather than as the norm?.

The Pets

This house sit came complete with Jackie and Snoop – a mother/daughter Jack Russell combo.

Jackie, the mother, is 14 and Snoop, the daughter, is 12, so both of them are starting to slow down a bit.

Both were great company and well-trained. Unfortunately, they both barked whenever they saw anything in the garden.

By day, this was no problem at all. However, they did have a habit of wanting to let us know whenever there was a fox in the garden during the night.

Unfortunately for us, urban foxes are very common in London!

Out and About

We spent most of this week exploring Harringay and the neighbouring Wood Green, where we went to supermarket shop and also to use the gym.

We have signed up to the Pure Gym chain. It suits us as they have the most gyms around the UK.

£39 each a month gives us access to over 350 gyms up and down the UK so wherever our house sitting takes us, we are usually not too far from a gym.

Green Lanes is a long, well-known road in North London, and passes right through the centre of Harringay.

Walking down Green Lanes is an experience in itself. Forget your typical high street. Here is an eclectic mix of independent shops, offering everything from artisan bread to vintage clothing and just about everything in between.

There is a large Greek community living in this area. The name of every other business seemed to be prefixed by the word ‘Greek’.

Greek Coffee, Greek supermarket, Greek Taverna, Greek Restaurant.

We loved Harringay. For Karyo it felt like being back home!

February London House Sit Number Two

– Barnes –

To end February, we just had time to squeeze in one more house sit.

Tucked away on the bend of the River Thames in Southwest London, is Barnes.

Honestly, I am still not sure whether Barnes is a small town or a village.

Google tells me that the definition of a village is “generally defined as a small settlement, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town, typically found in a rural area. It usually has a population between 500 and 2,500 and is often characterised by a church or other place of worship and a central meeting point” 

It definitely felt like a village.

Ok, admittedly London is not a particularly rural location but Barnes does have ‘Barnes Common’. A vast green space with woodlands, ponds, and open meadows. The population far exceeds 2500, but it does have a church and its very own duck pond as a central meeting point.

It has to be a village!

With many independent shops, restaurants, cafes, and pubs in its three main shopping streets, the streets are always busy with locals and visitors to this oasis of village life located just over the Hammersmith Bridge.

This area is so popular with visitors that locals have created ‘The Barnes Trail’ to highlight all the attractions and main points of interest in the village.

The trail is a 3 mile circular trail which is marked by round silver metal discs set into the pavements.

Following the trail will take you past the village pond, Barnes Common and buildings such as the former Olympic Recording Studios in the High Street.

The Olympic recording studios are world-famous, as many musical superstars have used them to record their tracks.

Names who have used the studios are too many to mention, and they are a who’s who of musical history.

Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Prince, Eric Clapton, Adele, Madonna, Björk. To name just a few!

There is still a recording studio on the site, although much of the building has now been returned to its original purpose, an amazing community cinema.

Despite its village-life feel, Barnes is well-connected.

A direct train from here will quickly get you into central London, making it a desirable location for the wealthy who love the village lifestyle, but not enough to want to sacrifice all that London has to offer.

Not wanting to name-drop, but one morning, we bumped into the Walkers Crisp sensation, Gary Lineker, out walking his dog.

The Home

The location of our home for the week could not have been better.

It was literally a two-minute walk from the high street in one direction and a three-minute walk from the village green in the opposite direction.

The house was an old, traditional, cottage-style. Inside was comfortable and spacious. The home hosts told us they rented the house only intending to stay a short while while they were looking for somewhere new to settle.

They instantly fell in love with Barnes and tried, but failed, to get their landlord to sell to them. Now, they are determined to stay put, and only when they can buy a house very close to this one becomes available will they be tempted to move.

The Pet

The star of the show this week was Nelson, a standard wire-haired dachshund.

This was the first time we had looked after a dachshund, and to be honest were expecting him to be smaller.

I can only describe him as a Labrador with tiny legs!

It’s fair to say, we loved Nelson. He was such a character.

He walked great off leash, but at his own pace – there was no rushing Nelson 😅

If I had to choose an adjective for Nelson, it would be ‘chilled’.

He was very laid-back and got on well with all other dogs on his walks.

In fact, I think he regarded most dogs, and their owners, as his friends and never liked to pass by without stopping to say hello.

A Birthday Soiree

We didn’t stray far during our week with Nelson. The weather was nice, and there was plenty in Barnes to keep us occupied for a week.

However, our stay did clash with the birthday of Paul, one of my oldest friends.

I met Paul about 40 years ago when we both lived in Stoke-on-Trent.

Paul moved to London for work about 30 years ago and still lives there with Lello, his partner.

Nowadays, we don’t get to see each other too often, but always try to get together when we are in London.

As it was his birthday, Paul had arranged a small gathering to celebrate with his friends, and we were delighted to go along.

It’s amazing how friendships can stand the test of time. When we met, he was 17 and here we were raising a glass of bubbly to his 57th birthday!

Scarily, those 40 years have flown by, but it is good to know our friendship is as strong as ever, and we are still laughing at each other’s jokes!

Happy Birthday Paul.

Where Next?

We have one more house sit to do in London before heading to Devon for a few weeks but more on that next week.

Until then, as always, thanks for taking the time to catch up with our house sitting adventure.

Hugs,

Colin & Karyo

OOPS!!!

To Be Continued!!!

My apologies – This February blog is not finished and was posted by mistake before I have added most of the pictures!

My fat fingers pressed the wrong button and I have no idea if unpublishing is possible!

I will continue to add the pictures this week, and hopefully, if you return to it, by next week, the finished product will be available!

Doh!!!