Canadian retirees with experience in property maintenance and animal care experience wanting to see the world

Go away and forget about what you have left behind. It will be an improved version upon your return

I think that we were the first house sit for Brian and Kathie. We had a choice of 42 applicants. After having chatted with several of them we were drawn to Brian and Kathie as they lived a similar lifestyle to us. One of being outdoors, growing their own food, cycling and looking for new adventures. However, the thing that settled our choice was that Brian had only one arm. We met them off the train from Toulouse and were humbled by Brian emerging from it, carrying a bike(bagged) over his right shoulder plus a rucksac and another on his back and two bags in his left hand. Kathie was also carrying 2 bags. Impressive. Using a ride on mower, a Husqvarna petrol strimmer, driving our car(left for them), connecting hoses from the pond pump to irrigate the garden was never a problem. Our veg garden was and is the priority for house sitters. They had their own in Quebec and were au fait in tending a low water usage bio garden. We asked them to eat what they could and pick the rest for the freezers including reducing tomatoes to make a puree and then freezing and vacuum packing. As they were really efficient at doing the jobs, Brian spoke to our local sheep farmer and ended up driving tractors and loading bales of hay as it was harvest time. This was really appreciated by Didier. They also made a great hit with all our friends being invited for aperos and evenings together. Kathie used one of our bikes whilst Brian used his own which he had adapted for a one armed person. They rode around the Lot which is renowned for its gorges, valleys and steep hills. Only one thing caused a problem that being a fireball during a storm which landed next to the house blowing the internet and phone connections. They disconnected and took the melted pieces to the local Orange Telecom shop and exchanged them and refitted everything. It was a real pleasure to arrive home and have a gorgeous meal made for us and to find everything better than when we left plus the freezers were full of produce from the garden. The overflow was distributed amongst our friends. We were so happy with their stay that we asked them again a couple of years later. The following year we were invited to stay with them in Quebec. We also have built a timber house as had Brian and a friend. The one arm doesn't stop him doing anything.

Patricia, France, 18 Aug 2024

• Tidy
• Organised
• Good at pet care
• Reliable
• Kept in contact
• Friendly
• Good in the garden
• Handy around the house