My World Tuesday ~ Housesitting

As some of you may know, I am a wanderer.  I have lived on Haida Gwaii in British Columbia since 1999.  One of the "rights of passage" when you are new to the islands is to be a housesitter while you decide whether you are going to stay(island living is not for everybody).  This lifestyle turned out to be a good fit for me and I became a regular house/pet sitter on the island.  One day in 2005 I "googled" housesitting and found Housecarers.com a great housesitting site orginating in Australia. 

A homeowner can post a request for a housesitter for free and a housesitter creates an ad which costs them $50/year.  As a housesitter you can check off the areas you are interested in visiting and when a housesit comes up in your area of choice you are sent an email.  This is a worldwide housesitting site.

Homeowners are also able to contact you directly through the site.  For those like me who enjoy travelling and spending time in areas this is such a great opportunity.  Housesitting in it's true essence is looking after someone's home in the manner in which they would like in return for free accommodation.  The site is full of great information for both the homeowner and the housesitter.  As with everything, it is buyer beware.  Do your homework and don't be afraid to ask questions and always follow your instinct.  I have had nothing but great experiences(one housesit cancelled last minute but that's when your resourcefulness as a housesitter comes in!)

This is my most recent housesit located on southern Vancouver Island.  Housesits can be just that, looking after the house or it can involve looking after pets, animals and plants.

These are two of my charges.  Pets are not always a housesitters choice.  They require schedules and looking after.  For me I love to walk (8 to 15km/day) and I prefer to do it with a dog.  In this case the cat is more willing to go for a walk than the dog!

These are some of my other charges.  I have housesat chickens before but usually in small numbers, here I have about 100 of them.  It has been an interesting experience and I am surprised how much personality these birds can have.  The roosters like to take my ankles out but the chickens are actually quite friendly and enjoy talking to and stroking!

There are "ordinary chickens",

handsome chickens,

exoctic chickens,

and stunning chickens!

The dog who is a Kuvasz which was originally bred as a Hungarian livestock guard dog  prefers it's new role as a house pet!  So this handsome group are the "watch" geese for the livestock who stand on guard and send up the alarm against raccoons and these....

eagles, who scope out the area several times a day for any stray birds.

 One of the assets of this housesit was the proximity to walking trails.  At the base of this property there is gate access to the wonderfully maintained Galloping Goose Trail that runs for 60 kms from Victoria, BC to Sooke BC.

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SkyWatch Friday ~ A Good Friday

If I were not here to witness it, I would not believe the temperatures we are having this weekend (check 'em out on the side bar!).  The beautiful warm temperatures have brought blue skies.

I am finishing a housesit on the Scarborough Bluffs of Toronto overlooking Lake Ontario.

The backyard leads out to a beautiful ravine walk that leads to Cudia Park overlooking the Bluffs and Lake Ontario.

Signs of spring are beginning to show

and down at the Bluffs a robin stands sentinal against a blue sky and bluer lake.

The warmth has everyone out sunning...

This little guy was not happy to see us.

On the walk home through the neighbourhood we met this fella enjoying the greening grass....

and as I checked out the back yard crocus(?)

this little fella landed on my hand and stayed while I walked up the stairs to get my camera

to get some pictures of him!

To see other beautiful skies from the world why not join us at

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and remember any photo can be clicked on to enlarge.

SkyWatch Friday and smiles...

Soon to be "four"!(March 5th) 

I am in Ontario waiting for my first grandchild to arrive..

The view from my housesit

 I am also a professional house/pet sitter which allows me to make my visits more like little holidays.  My destination two month housesit in Ottawa went "sideways" after I arrived in Ontario so I saught out another. 

On of my neighbourhood landmarks I am interested in.

 Today I will begin a new housesit in Toronto and make the trip to Ottawa when my grandson arrives. 

I will be in the Scarborough Bluffs area of east Toronto and look forward to exploring.

After meeting with my homeowner the skies cleared and I checked out the neighbourhood and found this Smart Car shoe-horned into a parking space.

Is a comment really necessary...it's a real parking ticket!!!!

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My World Tuesday ~ Looking Away

It's below zero this morning and the roads are black ice so I'm grounded. I am housesitting in Tlell, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, located on the east coast of Graham Island which is the largest of the more than 150 islands and islets which make up this archipelago. All that to say there are beautiful sunrises on this side of the island! Too often the rush in the morning is to get out and capture the sunrise which is great but not often enough do I look around me to see the beauty the rising sun bestows on the rest of the earth. So this morning when I walked the beach I walked away from the sunrise. Ahead of me to the north the morning sun emblazens the the dune cliffs at the mouth of Tlell River. To the east the cold temperature and clear skies has created a temperature inversion and something known as Fata Morgana which allows you to see the mountains of mainland British Columbia some 90 km away which because of the curve of the earth you can not usually see. I don't understand it entirely but I know that it usuaully only happens on cold clear winter days.(Click on the photo to see the mainland mountains.)

When I look back the soft colours of the November dawn highlight the beauty of the beach

and the dune grasses to the west.

Looking for Marley, I find him waiting on a piece of beach sculpture, blending in.Walking back along the edge of the tideline. These are moments I will remember.

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