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The BIG NEWS for this month is that Karyo has retired!

The seed for Karyo to retire was first planted when we went to New Zealand and Australia at the end of 2022.

He took a year’s sabbatical for us to be able to do that trip. He loved it and didn’t miss work at all. Let’s face it, who would!?

On our return to the UK, we started to mull over the idea of whether we could afford for him to retire for good.

His retiring early was initially a bit of a dream, but thankfully, as it turned out, not an impossible dream.

We are fortunate because we receive a regular monthly rental income from property we own. Also, we have no debt or dependents to worry about.

The ‘What’s the chance of an early retirement?’ discussion was also enhanced because we have never been big spenders.

Some might say, tight as a duck’s arse.

Flash cars and designer brands have never interested us, meaning we have never needed a huge amount of cash to live on.

After much deliberation, Karyo made the final decision last month and handed in his notice!

He is delighted to announce that on July the 4th 2024, (his very own Independence Day!) at the grand old age of 46, he logged off his work laptop for the last time and retired from work for good.

Where did July take us??

When we first gave up our permanent address to travel, we decided, as there were so many places we wanted to see, we would not visit the same place twice.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but in all honesty, it ended up being a good idea that soon went out of the window.

The reality is, that over the last four years, there have been many places we would love to return to. There have been a handful of places we have been lucky enough to revisit and there has been one place in particular we can’t seem to stay away from…

Brighton

We love Brighton. The city has a cool, bohemian, vibe and no matter how many times we visit, there is always something new to see and do.

Visit The Royal Pavillion. Meander the streets of The Lanes. Walk along the pier. Travel up the i360 Laugh in one of the many comedy clubs. Take a ride on one of the oldest electric railways in the world. Take a dip in the sea. Watch a film in the Duke of York, one of the UK’s oldest cinemas. Enjoy a picnic in Preston Park. The list is endless.

As I have said many times before, when eventually the time comes for us to give up our nomadic lifestyle and settle again in one place, Brighton will be high on our list of possible places we would be more than happy to call home.

July (No)Pet sit Number One

Once again we had been tempted back to Brighton by an invitation to house-sit a home that has turned into a regular gig for us.

I think this is our sixth stay here!

The lady who owns the house has no pets but travels a lot. She has a lovely home and for her peace of mind, she likes to have house sitters stay whilst she is away.

Luckily for us, she seems to like us and always gives us first refusal.

It is a no-brainer for us.

A nice house in a great location with no pets (except for Penelope, a cat who visits from next door), and a lovely private garden to enjoy!

To be honest, with no pet responsibility, staying in this home gives us a welcome break from our usual pet-sitting routine and enables us to seek out something new from the city every time we visit.

Daytime Dancing and a New Park!

Ibiza – In Brighton

During this stay in Brighton, we noticed an advert promoting an event.

‘Ibiza Proms on Brighton Seafront’

It was billed as a day dancing to classic Ibiza tunes – on the beach.

What’s not to like!

The music was to be provided by DJ Judge Jules accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra.

We have seen similar events advertised before and have always fancied giving it a go but have never been in the right place at the right time.

This time though, the date of the event was perfect for us.

We splashed out forty quid on tickets and prayed for some Ibiza sunshine!

I’m not sure exactly what we were expecting of the event, but it turned out to be a great day out.

Our prayers were answered and the sun shone all day long!

A huge area had been fenced off on the beach and thousands of people turned up for a day of dancing.

It was a mature crowd, up for a good time. There wasn’t a hint of trouble and no one seemed to be drunk. To be fair though, lager on sale for £7 a can might have been the reason for that.

We really enjoyed the event.

Eight hours of dancing, a bag of chips on the way home and we were still in bed by 11 pm. Rock ‘n Roll!

Whoever came up with this daytime dancing idea deserves a medal 😂

Preston Rock Garden

As a complete contrast to dancing the day away, we made another discovery on this visit to Brighton, The Preston Rock Garden.

Who knew!

We have visited the Preston Park area of Brighton many times and thought we knew it well.

Everyone knows Preston Park, it is the largest park in Brighton and is the park which gives the area its name.

It is a popular park used by locals and tourists alike. On most weekends during the summer, there is an event of some description held there.

During August each year, Preston Park is the home of Brighton Pride, arguably the best Pride event in the UK. We have been to Brighton Pride quite a few times. The last time in 2022. It always guarantees a good weekend, and usually the mother of all hangovers!

However, until now, I can’t believe that we had never heard of, let alone visited, Preston Rock Garden.

The rock garden is literally across the road from Preston Park, it is far smaller but really beautiful and well worth a visit.

The Rock Gardens, or ‘the rockery’ as it is referred to by locals, is the largest municipal rock garden in the UK. It was landscaped here by Captain B Maclaren in 1935

With its walkways, bridges, ponds filled with fish and turtles, a waterfall and a huge variety of plants and trees, it really is a hidden gem of the city.

We came across the Rock Gardens purely by accident but they have now been added to our ever growing ‘places to visit and things to do’ list each time we are in Brighton.

Meeting Other Sitters

Brighton seems to be a really popular city for petsitters. Every time we visit, we meet other sitters who are also caring for pets in the area.

Some we have met before, and others are new to us.

This visit was no different and we had the pleasure to spend an afternoon in the company of four more sitters.

These sitters came from near and far!

Bonnie and Jo are local to Brighton, Sandi is from America, and Sharyn is from Australia

As always when we meet other sitters, we had a lovely afternoon sharing and comparing our wide and various sitting stories. The good, the bad, and occasionally, the downright ugly!

July Petsit Number Two – Horsham

For our second Petsit in July, we jumped on the number 17 bus for the 50-minute ride north from Brighton to Horsham.

We usually opt for the train as our preferred mode of transport, but as there is a £2 price cap per journey on the bus, this was by far the most economical way to get from Brighton to Horsham.

Luckily for us, the location of the bus stop in Horsham was directly outside our pet sit, meaning on this occasion, the bus was not only great value but super convenient too.

The Home

On arrival, the home was much more rural than we had expected. Rather than being in the town of Horsham, it was a few miles out of town surrounded by fields and general farm life. What a difference a couple of miles can make!

Normally, we tend not to apply for rural sits as public transport can be difficult in these areas. However, as well as being in a great location for catching the bus, the home host also kindly allowed us the use of her car making getting around very easy during our stay.

The Pets

In our care for our Horsham house sit were Four chickens, one cat and one dog.

The Chickens

Chickens are always good to care for. They take very little effort and in return, provide fresh eggs every day for breakfast.

These chickens were miniature bantams.

As you might have guessed by their name, they are a small variety of chicken which, unfortunately for us also meant small eggs.

Thankfully they were good layers so needing half a dozen eggs to create an omelette wasn’t the problem we at first envisaged.

It’s just a shame these mini eggs weren’t my favourite chocolate-covered variety.

The Cat

Ruby the cat was a doddle to look after.

She is very independent and came and went whenever she wanted. However, she never went too far and could be usually found hanging around the garden enjoying the fabulous sunny weather we were lucky to have during our stay.

The best thing about Ruby was that she was everyone’s friend.

Whether this meant sitting on our laps, sharing a bed with the dog or hanging out with the chickens!

To be honest, I am not 100% convinced she knew she was a cat 😅

The Dog

Ralph the dog was a big, chunky labrador and was the star of this house sit.

At first sight, we were surprised by how big he was but there was definitely nothing for us to worry about. Ralph was a big, handsome, gentle giant.

We enjoyed daily walks with Ralph through the fields and wooded areas which surrounded the house.

He was great walking off-lead and, if at any time we thought he was getting too far away from us, a quick shake of his treat bag quickly brought him bounding back to our sides.

Ralph had a lot of energy. After a long walk around the local countryside, he was always up for some extra playtime in the garden before eventually settling for his afternoon snooze.

When evening came he loved hanging out with us on the sofa.

I admit to feeling a tad emotional when this sit ended and it was time for us to say goodbye to Ralph. I hope we get to meet him again sometime in the future.

Where Next?

We only spent a week with Ralph which flew by and before we knew it, July was gone.

Our bags were packed and once again, we were on the train to London. This time heading to Bromley, the first of three house sits we have booked through August.

But more on those next time.

Until then, as always, Thank you for taking the time to catch up on our whereabouts.

Hugs, Colin & Karyo