July house sit number one – Brighton
As regular readers of our blog posts will know, we love Brighton and have been fortunate enough to visit many times since we started house-sitting.
One of our Brighton house sits has turned into a regular job for us.
We feel really lucky this has happened, as our this particular house sit has no pets to care for. We are there purely as security for the house whilst the owner is away.
Usually, we are asked to stay at this house for around four to five weeks, which is a decent length of time for a house sitter.
It gives us plenty of time to settle in, relax, and enjoy the city without the added responsibility of looking after someone else’s pets.
On this occasion, we were in for a surprise. The homeowner contacted us and asked if we could stay for ten weeks – the longest house sit we have ever done!
She told us she had a few things planned from the end of June until the start of September. This meant she would hardly be home during that time, and rather than asking us to come for several shorter stays, with only a day or two in between each, would we stay the whole period?
There was a chance she would come home for a day or two a couple of times during our stay, but this didn’t bother us at all. We know the lady well, and she has a large home, so it is easy not to get in each other’s way on the occasions she will be home.
Our only problem was that we had already committed to a couple of house sits in July. We decided rather than miss out on our ten-week Brighton stay, we would split up for the commitments we have already confirmed,
I will go to do the house sits we have already booked, whilst Karyo will stay in Brighton to look after the house there.
It made July an unusual month, as we are rarely apart for more than a day or two, but in the end, it worked out well.
July House Sit Number One – Brighton
Arriving at our regular Brighton house sit is always a pleasure. We have been so many times that it almost feels like home!
We unpacked, then enjoyed a week together, but all too soon I was packing again.
it was time for me to head to our July house sit number two.
July House Sit Number Two – Chessington
Getting to Chessington from Brighton was a two-train, two-hour journey.
The journey was made much easier by the fact that our house sit in Brighton is a ten-minute walk from the train station, and on arrival, the house sit in Chessington was a similar distance from the train station.
The logistics of our travelling mean that we hardly ever get to meet homeowners and their pets before the actual start day of the house sit.
However, this homeowner, knowing she would have to leave before our arrival, asked if it was possible to meet us beforehand.
Luckily, we were in Teddington, back in May, which wasn’t too far away, so we took the opportunity to pop over to Chessington then, to say hello, meet the pet, and get a key to the house.
The Area
Chessington is famous in the UK because it is the home of ‘The Chessington World of Adventures‘. A theme park, zoo, and sea life centre all rolled into one.
In 1931, Chessington Zoo was first opened by Reginald Stuart Goddard as a way to showcase his private collection of animals. It eventually became England’s largest private zoo
In 1987, visitor numbers at the zoo had started to decline, so its owners, The Tussauds Group, redesigned and rebranded it as the UK’s first theme park-style zoo, combining fairground rides with the animal exhibits.
In 2007, Merlin Entertainments took over The Tussauds Group. An onsite hotel, the Sea Life centre, and more rides were added to the site.
‘The Chessington World of Adventures Resort’ was born!
Honestly, we are not into theme parks, and the thought of visiting a zoo makes us uneasy, although we are aware of the argument for their conservation work.
However, the streams of families I saw leaving the train station are a testament to the importance of Chessington World of Adventure to the town of Chessington.
The Home
I loved this house. It was large, clean and comfortable.
I was surprised by how rural the location of the house was. Even the ten-minute shortcut walk from the train station to the house was through a wood,
Where else can you have a home in a rural location whilst being only a ten-minute walk to the train station, a twenty-minute walk to a Lidl supermarket, and a twenty-minute walk to a major theme park?
The highlight of this house though, is its garden.
It is massive! So big that it has its own private wood at the end!
I spent most of my time here sitting in the living room on a big comfy chair, looking out of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows onto the garden.
Foxes visited daily, and twice, I saw a deer in the garden! Unfortunatley, both times I was too slow to grab my camera to capture the moment. ☹️
It’s not often I get house envy – but it would be a dream to live in a home like this.
The Pet
Lily the cat was a delight to care for!
She is at least 20 years old (possibly 21, but as a rescue cat, no one is sure of her exact birth date)
Yes, she sleeps a lot, but she also loves spending time in the garden, and can still jump from the floor to the tabletop in one leap.
I hope I am still as agile when I am 100!
A Surprise Guest!
This was a ten-day house sit, which I had expected to do myself.
However, a few days into the stay, I was in for a pleasant surprise.
Our Brighton home host had contacted Karyo to say she would be coming home for a few days. The timing could not have been more perfect.
This meant he was now able to come to share some time in Chessington with me.
Plus, when the house sit ended, I had company for my journey back to sunny Brighton.
We had a week together before I had to leave again – July House sit number three was due.
July house sit number three – High Wycombe
We had one more pre-committed house sit to do in July.
Once again, Karyo stayed in Brighton whilst I headed northwards once more. This time to the town of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.
High Wycombe is surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, which are famous for their miles of walking and cycling trails. Ideal for all fitness levels, whether you fancy a leisurely walk or a challenging hike.
The area is also perfect for dog walkers, which suited me fine as I was here for a week with two dogs (and a cat) for company.
The Home
I stayed for the week in a home located slap bang in the middle of a residential housing estate, but on the very edge of a beautiful country park.
Luckily for me, there was a Tesco local within easy walking distance from the house, which meant getting groceries was no problem.
Other than that, there were no other shops, cafes, etc within walking distance to keep me entertained.
Not that I needed any more entertainment. I had two dogs and a huge country park on my doorstep.
More than enough to keep me busy for a week.
The Pets
Lola
I may have been flying solo this week, but with a trio of four-legged friends to keep me company, there was no chance I was going to be bored!
Lola is an elderly black Labrador.
She was such a lovely dog. Old age has slowed her down, so when in the house, she slept a lot, and when out on our walks, she happily pottered along beside me.
There was no need for a leash with Lola, she was going nowhere in a hurry!
Spotty
Just by looking at her, it is obvious that Spotty is a lot of Jack Russell. I was told she also has some Beagle in her. If that is true, it can only be a smidgen, as I would never have guessed.
I was far more cautious about taking Spotty out without her leash.
I have learned from past sits that terriers have a high prey drive. As there were many squirrels in the area, I didn’t want to risk having to call the owner on her holiday to tell her the last time I saw Spotty, she was disappearing into the hills, hot on the heels of a bushy-tailed rodent.
Spotty was a very gentle dog and got on well with Lola
Tilly
Last but by no means least of the mini menagerie is Tilly the cat.
Tilly was super-shy when I first arrived. The first two days, she watched me from afar. Probably wondering who the strange new human in her home was.
By day three, as is often the case with cats, she was sitting on my knee, demanding attention!
It can be a worry with multiple pet families. Will more pets equal more work?
Often, the answer is yes, but thankfully not in this case. All the animals of this household were very low-maintenance and got on well with each other.
They were great company and kept me busy and amused all week
On the other hand, I had missed Karyo, (It’s been a long time since I have done all my own cooking for a whole week!)
When the seven days were up, I was happy to be on the train heading back to Brighton, where we still have six weeks of our ten-week house sit to complete.
More on that next time.
Until then, as always, thanks for taking the time to read our monthly house and pet sitting adventure update.
Hugs, Colin & Karyo xx
