Minding Miss T and Tulip

We were delighted to be asked to look after two wonderful little dogs called Miss T and Tulip.

This is Tulip, Kevin is holding Miss T in the background there, with the historic Lighthouse at Cleveland Point.

We all had a lovely wander at the point just in time for sunset and a lovely view out over the bay.

Tulip

Miss T

Miss T thought the sea gulls looked like great fun to chase, and kept a close eye out for them...

Resting after their walk...

We picked a beautiful time to walk with a cool breeze floating in over the water. The little corner restaurant looked inviting with it's tables perched on the edge of The Bay.

We all wandered over and were delighted to find a warm welcome there for puppies with a water bowl, and an evening wine for us. I think that corner table will be one to visit for dinner sometime soon.

Merry Christmas from Australia

Wishing you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and New Year... Hope it's merry and bright.

Katakolon - House sit Greek Islands

A favourite spot at Katakolon in the Greek Islands, and one we will revisit next year.

The light and heat was so intense that day, that my camera had trouble capturing the scene.

This was an absolutely beautiful spot to visit, and next time we will take a boat out to the little island you see in the middle of the water there. If you like icons, you will love visiting the little church.

Find out about Katakolon visit Katakalon.org

If you would like us to house sit for you on the Greek Islands, please contact us

Collect moments not things...

Well maybe collect the occasional thing, as if The Louvre hadn't collected their amazing amount of treasures where would we all be? We were discussing the problem of antiquities being taken out of their native country as we wandered through The Louvre. Do you think in the light of present day threats, that maybe - and this is only a maybe - that it may be of benefit that some treasures are scattered around the globe?

One of my favourite places in The Louvre were Louis X1V's apartments.

"When we wander through the Louvre — now one of the largest museums in the world — it’s hard to imagine that it was first a fortress, then a royal residence for several hundred years."

"Some of its royal residents stayed for a short time only, preferring the calm of the Loire valley or the splendors of Versailles. Although the palace furniture and decorative objects have long since gone, the walls and ceilings still bear traces of this distant past. So follow the royal trail, from the vestiges of the medieval Louvre to the dazzling interiors of the reign of Sun King Louis XIV, and as you walk the rooms, staircases, and stables of the former palace, imagine what it was like to live in luxury in the Louvre!"

Have an online tour The Louvre - click here

If you would like us to care for your Louvre please contact us - click here.

A house sit in Venice

Prior to our house sit in France, we decided to take advantage of being in Europe to visit Venice. I'd always wanted to go, and I was so delighted to be able to see this beautiful city.

Kevin has wanted to go on a cruise for a while, as many of our friends had been cruising and having a great time, and suggesting we try it. So he looked for a cruise line that we could board from Venice, and found a trip on Norweigan Cruise Lines.

The photos here are some that I took when our cruise liner returned to the port in Venice. It almost looks as though the photos were taken from a plane. It was certainly exciting to see Venice from that perspective.

We weren't too sure at first if we were going to enjoy cruising, just getting on board was stressful. Combine the heat of mid-summer, a couple of thousand people showing up to embark, the cruise line insisting that you leave behind your water bottles for security, and the pushing and shoving of people eager to board, wasn't a great start to the cruise.

Once the cruiser got underway, and people all went their own way, we started to relax and unwind. Sadly for Kevin, he wasn't able to enjoy all the things he'd intended to do once onboard, due to a scald he had received on the Lufthansa flight into Venice. No lying in the sun by the pool or swimming, or venturing out without being well and truly covered from the sun.

But we did get to see these amazing views from our cabin, and if you are thinking of cruising, make sure you have a balcony room. It's worth it and especially if you need to spend time a lot of time in your cabin relaxing, you will be glad you did.

The staff on Norweigan Jade when we travelled were wonderful. I can't say enough about how great they were, friendly and couldn't do enough for you. I especially liked the washy, washy, happy, happy chant the staff did, to encourage people to use the anti bacterial hand wipe to keep all the people on our boat germ free. It's embedded in my brain now I'm sure, as every time we use anti bacterial wipe we do the washy washy happy happy chant.

Most people will tell you when you visit Venice to stay in the center around St Marco's square, and we did that the first time. Never again though. When we returned to Venice we decided to stay on Lido, it's the furthest small island that the Vaporetto (ferry) will take you to. It has cars and buses and a beach at one end of the island.

As we were in Venice in mid-summer, with thousands of other tourists in the heart of Venice. A short ferry ride and you can experience a quieter side of Venice - Giardini (famous for the Biennales) or Lido.

If you would like us to house sit in Venice for you, please contact us.

House Sitting In France

I think I've left a part of my heart back in France. I didn't even know I wanted to go to France and see what we've seen, all I know is that when the offer came to house sit there, my spirit jumped at the chance. Who would have thought that leaving Paris, I'd be feeling sad at seeing images of Versailles on the side of the walkway at the Airport.

Cafe near Versailles

Before we visited France, it had never even entered my mind to go to Versailles one day, yet here we were with an annual pass delighting in the ability to go whenever we wanted, to walk the beautiful gardens, accompanied by classical music wafting out from the gardens, and see the beautiful musical fountain displays. To stand in awe of statues older than our country. What an opportunity. How lucky were we?

I was just talking with friends today, at how life offers you opportunities sometimes. Sure when you are travelling you'll experience ups and downs along the way, and goodness we certainly did on our flight over this time. But our time away was also filled with some wonderful people who stepped in to help.

You know it's sad really that the news on TV doesn't tell the stories of the small acts of kindnesses that people do. The people who just give you a little bit of help, the right train to catch, and helping hands to lift heavy luggage.

We haven't stopped talking about how amazing the food was or how much we miss being able to hop on the metro and go and visit yet another wonderful sight.

Have I told you how amazing it is to hop on Line 1 of the Metro and be able to get off at any one of a number of historical places, The Bastille, The Eiffel Tower, The Champs Elysess, The Louvre, Place De La Concord...

And the food, did I tell you about the food? Oh my goodness...

Our favourite patiserie Bridgette et Jacky Godefroy at La Celle St Cloud was shut the day we left, so we didn't get to have a last minute farewell pastry. Thank you to our favourite bakers for your warm welcome and helping Kevin translate.

France je t'aime.

Thank you to our home owner Maria, for inviting us over to stay, we loved it. A little part of our hearts will always remain in Paris.

If you would like us to house sit for you in France, please contact us.

A Month in Paris... Marie Antoinette's Hamlet

A trip to Versailles isn't complete without a visit to Marie Antoinette's Hamlet. It was one of our favourite places in Versailles, and we nearly missed it. It was only a short walk from The Petit Trianon, so if you are visiting, try to find some time to visit.

If you would like us to care for your Chateau and treasures while you are away... please contact us - click here.